Don’t miss out on three stunning new collections of work currently on view at Haven Gallery! Steeped in passion and an emotional charge that balances the tides of darkness and beauty, Mall “Whisperers”, Shannon Bonatakis “Keep Magic Alive”, and group show “Her Majesty” each depict something wonderfully intriguing to viewers alike.
The empowering landscapes of the female spirit are alive in each of these distinct exhibitions. Visit Haven Gallery for a compete look at participating artists and available artworks.
Mall “Whisperers” + Shannon Bonatakis “Keep Magic Alive” + “Her Majesty”
Exhibition Dates:
August 11 – September 15, 2018
Haven Gallery
155 Main St., | The Carriage House Square
Northport, NY 11768
Mall “Whisperers”
Haven Gallery is pleased to present “Whisperers”, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Philippines based artist Mall (May Ann Licudine). “Whisperers” is Mall’s first solo show at the gallery and is composed of fifteen new works that chronicle the musings of the artists quintessential female characters as they saunter and pose through worlds filled with flowers, cats, moons and magic. An otherworldly journey of anime stylized girls, garbed in kimonos welcomes you into windswept microcosms where blossoms and leaves blow in the zephyr and their unique elegance reminisces of fairytales and folklore.
ARTIST STATEMENT:
May Ann Licudine’s art speak intricacy, sophistication, and complexity as manifested in her solo show entitled, “Whisperers”. Greatly influenced by Japanese art, she fashioned her own unique style using resin layers to portray three-dimensional illustrations with mixed media. Carefully placing layers upon layers of resin on painted details and the meticulous process of curing the resin and making sure that the surface is pristine makes her artworks refined and urbane. “Whisperers” is a visual and emotional delight portraying Japanese women living in harmony with the elements. They possess the ability to see these elements when they dream. It is a wonderful depiction of class and beauty.
ABOUT MALL:
May Ann Licudine is a visual artist and illustrator living in La Union, Philippines. She graduated with a Certificate in Fine Arts-Visual Communications from University of the Philippines, Baguio. She has had several exhibits in Philippines, USA, France, UK and Japan.
“Fate”. mixed media resin, 10.25 x 14 inches
“Waiting for Snow”, mixed media resin, 14.5 x 11 inches
“Airi’s Cosmic Dreams”, mixed media resin, 12 x 13,75 inches
“Catching Swirls”, mixed media resin, 13.5 x 11.75 inches
Shannon Bonatakis “Keep Magic Alive”
Haven Gallery is pleased to present “Keep Magic Alive”, a solo exhibition of new paintings and drawings by Colorado based artist Shannon Bonatakis. “Keep the Magic Alive” details the artists archetypal, brunette, female protagonist as she journeys through dim worlds to bring back color and life to what was perhaps once lost. Bonatakis’s new body of work is full of beauty, hope and revival from the darkness. Her travels and endeavors are gracefully painted through precise acrylic rendering; her hand is steady and focused on meticulous details and thoughtfully expressive appearances. “Keep Magic Alive” reminds us that there is light within the darkness and beauty in the most shadowy of places.
ARTIST STATEMENT:
For all of human existence we have been seeking meaning through art, music, storytelling, exploration, stargazing, and daydreaming. As the modern world rapidly progresses in undoubtedly amazing technological ways, it seems like the innovations that were meant to connect us have actually isolated us from one another. It feels like a bit of the human spirit has been lost along the way. As I find myself growing older, I find myself growing more anxious about our increasingly emotionally disconnected world. Creating this body of work served as a personal reconnection with the foundations of the human spirit, as well as a respite from modern anxieties. “Keep Magic Alive” is something that was said to me by a close friend that has since grown into a personal mantra. It serves as a reminder to keep working in ways that fill the soul, to keep celebrating the pursuits of creative expression that humans have been drawn to since the very beginning, and to keep watching for the quiet magical moments, both internal and external, that this existence provides.
ABOUT SHANNON BONATAKIS:
Shannon Bonatakis seeks to create emotionally charged visual stories that convey authentic emotional moments. The female form is a consistent focus of her work, largely due to her life experiences growing up in a family of seven sisters and one brother. Her imagery is often autobiographical in some capacity, but is deliberately left open for the viewer to find their own story within. Shannon’s pieces live in that weird dreamy space between waking and sleeping, where the melancholy of real life mixes with a dash of magic.
Shannon has a particular obsession with storytelling, preferring the fantastical people and pictures from stories as a lens through which to view our reality. She is fascinated by dreams, where the magical and the absurd are commonplace, and draws inspiration from these fleeting glimpses of an alternate reality that comes from within. Shannon has sought to replicate this same sense of fantastical realism from the first time she created art as a child. Shannon learned to focus her love of all things fictional and imaginative while studying illustration and painting at Columbus College of Art & Design. Since graduating in 2004, she has maintained a career working as a painter and illustrator. Shannon currently resides in Denver, Colorado with her husband Josh and their part black lab, part dachshund, part dragon puppy, Enid Coleslaw.
“Keep Magic Alive”, acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20 inches
“Migrate”, acrylic on canvas, 18 x 28 inches
“Listen”, acrylic on canvas, 16 x 16 inches
“Flourish”, acrylic on canvas, 8 x 10 inches
“Her Majesty” Group Show
Haven Gallery is pleased to present “Her Majesty”, a group exhibition of new paintings, drawings and sculptures that focuses on notable women of power, transcending the benevolent and philanthropic to the malevolent and murderous. A look back on women of history whose reigns had a strong impact on concurrent and contemporaneous times.
Olga Esther, “Juana La Loca (Joanna, the Mad)”, oil on panel, 27.5 x 22 inches
Joseph Weinreb, “Eleanor of Aquitane”, oil on panel, 16 x 20 inches
Omar Rayyan, “The Offering”, oil on panel, 16 x 20 inches
Eeva Nikunen, “She Reached For The Sun And The Moon”, oil on board, 10 x 8 inches
