Greenville artist Lisa Shimko’s latest exhibit, “A Curvy Path: Colorful Tales and Abstracts,” will showcase her paintings spanning varying motifs and themes with color being the underlying star. The exhibit will run May 5 through June 27 in the Solomon Gallery of the Artists Collective | Spartanburg.
An artist’s reception will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 21, as part of Spartanburg ArtWalk. The reception and exhibition viewing are free and open to the public. The art in the show will be offered for purchase with prices ranging from $75 to $3,000.
“From narrative animal guardians to free-form abstracts, this is not a linear-mind-frame show,” says Shimko, who works in mixed media as well as acrylics on wood, canvas and paper. “Art can be whatever you want to take out of it. Responding to pretty colors? Feeling the pull of wildlife conservation? Seeing something that reminds you of childhood? There is no right way to view the art. I invite the viewer to slip into their own experience or story.”
She adds, “Instead of picking just one painting theme in smaller spaces, the large space of the Solomon Gallery allows me to display the multiple pathways of my painting themes. Color is the underlying thread.”
The exhibit will be “a welcome array of colors and themes so the viewer can choose their own adventure. I hope the visitors will embrace curiosity and tap into a child-like way of looking at the world that is lost.”
Shimko says paint is her primary medium, “ever versatile in expressing abstracted sensations to allegorical narratives allowing my curiosity to roam. Meditating into a dream logic state and playing with color in my studio are not straight-line endeavors. Nostalgia for my childhood imagination bubble intermingles with adult fears of environmental issues. The act of painting is part therapy, part expression/communication.”
She adds that “contemplation of our human relationship with the natural world is frequent in my artwork, whether it’s how we pollute waterways or how we imbue animals as symbols, often mirroring our emotions.
“Experimentation, vibrant colors and a little cheekiness help balance the chaos of life. Healthy ecosystems need diversity; my studio practice needs variety,” she adds. “There is no right nor wrong way to look at my art; I invite the viewer to wander on the curvy path and invent a story of their own.”
Shimko, who grew up in Pennsylvania, moved to South Carolina in 2000. “From the ocean and marsh of the Lowcountry to the Appalachian foothills, explorations continue.”
A graduate of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Shimko’s paintings have been shown and collected the world over.
“I am honored to be asked to show my paintings in such a wonderful, creative space as the Artists Collective,” she says.