NATURAL VISIONS: A MULTI-MEDIUM ART EXHIBITION

Opens Second Friday, Apr 12, 5-8pm

Continues through May 2, 2024.

Gallery hours after opening: THURS 5-8pm, SAT 1-5pm

Liggett Studio is a located at 314 S Kenosha, Tulsa, OK 74120

This group exhibition is curated from the work of six artists – Colleen Stiles, Christina Armendariz, Kayla Anley, Ben Udwin, Shane Brown and Chris Stiles. The exhibition includes detailed framed drawings, abstract and landscape paintings, sculptural pieces ranging in size from a few inches to life sized figures, and ceiling hung mobiles.

NATURAL VISIONS: A MULTI-MEDIUM ART EXHIBITION

Curator’s Statement:

My two-dimensional and three-dimensional work differ greatly; however, both share a deep appreciation of nature. My two-dimensional work is very detailed, narrative in nature and focuses on the interplay of animal characters and their environments. My three-dimensional work is figurative and includes many natural elements, such as driftwood, vines, twine, stones, feathers, etc. Whether depicting a whimsical mouse hitchhiking with an owl, or a foreboding figure adorned with bones, creating a sense of whimsy, mystery or tension is key to the visual storytelling inherent in my work.

As an artist, I’m most interested in creating compelling visual stories, windows into lives yet to be told. Therefore, for this exhibit I sought an eclectic group of artists who share a profound interest in the natural world and a deep appreciation for visionary languages. Their work evokes a world in which humans and nature intertwine to define and celebrate this interdependence and preserve a beauty that seems more fleeting every day. 

Employing a range of concepts, creative strategies, and techniques, the artists participating in Natural Visions reveal their connections to the physical, emotional, and natural worlds through a compelling diversity of work. Themes of self-awareness, resilience and preservation weave throughout the show, creating a thought-evoking visual experience. I invite you to open your mind and your eyes and weave together the stories told through Natural Visions: A Multi-Medium Art Exhibition.

—Colleen Stiles

Natural Visions Artists include:

Kayla Marie Anley (Andrus) manifests her art from a place of deep introspection and personal narrative, intertwined with the natural world that serves as her sanctuary in times of loss. The landscapes of mid-north America, a region she has always known as home, not only shape the backdrop of her life but also cradle the subjects of her creations—animals native to this area, each one a testament to the enduring beauty and complexity of the ecosystems she cherishes.

Darkness in Kayla's work is both literal and metaphorical, as she employs charcoal and graphite to explore themes of mortality and existence. The use of stark black backgrounds, where the forms of animals emerge, offers a space where vulnerability meets the vastness of nature. It's in this quietude that Kayla, echoing the words of her wife, finds solace in feeling small—a sentiment that reflects not insignificance but a profound sense of being part of something larger, a world that nurtures and dwarfs our human experiences.

Stars scattered across her pieces are not just emblems of the night sky but are imbued with personal significance. They represent the unknown, the cosmos where memories of lost loved ones may dwell, echoing her insight that, amidst nature's grandeur, we feel small yet watched over, comforted by the possibility that our ancestors' spirits lay there. 

Kayla's art is a dialogue with life's most poignant elements—its fleeting beauty and its inevitable endings. Through her work, she offers a shared reflection on our place in the cycle of life, providing a sense of grounding and peace in the understanding that we are but a part of the grand narrative of existence. Her pieces invite others to experience this same sense of protective smallness, to find wonder in the embrace of the natural world, and to consider the legacies we leave in the gentle care of the earth. https://www.kaylaanleyart.com

Shane Brown is a photographer and cinematographer documenting the present-day cultural landscape(s) of the American West, experimenting with representations of time and motion, and working on a variety of time-based media projects. Oklahoma born, Shane is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation raised mostly within the Cherokee and Osage Nations. Brown is a Tulsa Artist Fellow. Photography clients include FX Networks, Bloomberg, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and First Americans Museum, among many others. Brown has also contributed as cinematographer and director of photography for films by director Sterlin Harjo including Mekko (2015), and This May Be the Last Time (2014). From 2020-2023, Brown was the set photographer for the critically acclaimed FX series, Reservation Dogs. Shane’s work is in the permanent collections of the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, First Americans Museum, Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank, Oklahoma State Art Collection, and the Great Plains Art Museum in Lincoln, NE. https://www.shanebrownphotography.com

Chris Stiles is a painter and maker. Born and raised in Oklahoma, he received his BFA from Oklahoma State University in 1998 and his MFA from Radford University in 2001. In addition to painting, he crafts in three dimensions – wood turning, fly tying, sculptural and kinetic pieces. 

Christina Armendariz is an artist and graphic designer based in Tulsa, Ok. Her captivating style intertwines elements of nature, nostalgia, dark humor and the female form. With a deft hand and a vibrant imagination, she creates works that are simultaneously playful and profound, inviting viewers into a world where whimsy meets introspection. Christina's artistic toolbox includes acrylic, watercolor, and clay, each medium adding its own unique texture and depth to her creations. Through her illustrations, paintings, and sculptures, she invites us to embrace the beauty of imperfection, find humor in the absurd, and discover the profound within the mundane.

My work explores the intricate connection between the natural world and the human form, particularly focusing on femininity, nature, and the essence of life. Through clay sculpture, I seek to capture the delicate beauty and resilience found in the organic shapes and textures of flowers, the female body, and the whimsical charm of the earth's tiny inhabitants. At the heart of my work lies a celebration of the female body as a vessel of life and creativity. By welcoming the vulva to be the focal point, I aim to challenge societal taboos and reclaim its imagery as a symbol of power, fertility, and vitality. https://www.christinaarmendariz.com

Ben Udwin loves the way that Golden Rain-Tree seeds hang onto their branches until deep into the winter, when strong wind gusts tear them loose and carry them away. Along with other seeds, lichen, fungi, and the occasional man-made or recycled object found lying on the ground, clinging to bark, or hanging from trees, he creates an ensemble that invites the viewer to explore the function of each element in its evolutionary niche. https://www.facebook.com/budwin1/

Colleen Stiles is a graphic designer and illustrator from Tulsa, OK, She uses pen and ink to create detailed, illustrative drawings incorporating an appreciation of nature, animals and worlds where magical creatures, uncharted landscapes and ethereal beings come to life. Her three-dimensional works, expressed primarily in plaster, are figurative but incorporate found natural objects such as vines, driftwood, bones, and twine. Colleen is the current president of the Tulsa Artists’ Coalition. She received her BFA from Oklahoma State University in 1997. https://stilesdesignstudio.com