Gallery Siano
309 Arch Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106

DAVID FOSS
MICHELLE MARCUSE
Present Tense
August 23 - September 22, 2007

Artist Reception: Thursday, August 23, 6:00 - 8:30.pm.
First Friday: September 7, 6:00 - 9:00 pm.

DAVID FOSS

My paintings for Present Tense utilize an intuitive and improvisational
process of pouring and staining the canvas with oil, acrylic, and enamel
paints. The canvases strive for a sense of order to counterbalance the
spontaneous, chaotic surfaces. Geometric structures and organic forms
take on symbolic significance.

Vibrant colors speak of sensual pleasure, states of consciousness, and the present moment through the passage of time. With the tensions of war and global warming; there continues the human need and desire for harmony, order and the values of individual self-expression. The beauty of the here and now, as well as the struggle between order and chaos, create meaning in the Present Tense.

MICHELLE MARCUSE

For the Present Tense, I have combined encaustic wax with new technology (digital imaging) and monoprints. To create my source material, I photographed the small overlooked pieces of my world in digital format which I then amended for my purposes. My recordings are of water and molten wax. I chose these elements because of their metaphorical and visual interest. Transferring them by way of monoprint to the skin of the wax, they are seamed together in their entirety and sometimes re-conceived/recycled numerous times within other frameworks.

My subject matter is focused on the raw, sometimes ugly beauty and mystery that can be found in the gaps of a world filled with global anxiety,
uncertainty and lack of time.