Oils on canvas by Valerie Vanone
Inspire your curiosity with the glowing crystal-rock aesthetic paintings and wearable art of Georgian Court University student Valerie Vanone, whose senior B.F.A. exhibition is currently on display through March 22 in the M. Christina Geis Art Gallery (Jeffries Hall, second floor) on the historic Lakewood campus.
“My paintings usually begin with a color idea, and then evolve into a process in which shape becomes a primary factor in the direction of the composition,” says Ms. Vanone, a resident of Manchester, New Jersey, who’s headed to Pratt Institute next year for an M.F.A. program. “My artwork is a direct representation of my personal feelings, the subject or colors that inspire me, and the materials and various techniques that I choose to use.”
“Valerie’s paintings reference natural rock/crystal formations and challenge the viewer with their unique spatial qualities,” says Leo Morrissey, associate professor of art and chair of the Department of Art and Visual Studies. “There are a number of paintings exhibited under black lights, yet these are not black light ‘posters.’ The works create the feeling of being in a geology museum’s luminescent crystal exhibition space; as the light changes, your world changes as you see the previously unseen. Valerie has created a body of work that leaves the viewer wanting more. I expect this is not the last we will hear from this young and up-and-coming artist.”
The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public. For more information, call Kathleen Settles at 732-987-2388 or e-mail ksettles@georgian.edu.
