VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

Entanglements exhibition at Archway Gallery on June 6 features a collaboration between painter donna e perkins and dancer jhon r stronks. Entanglements are a part of everyone's lives and that is also true in the world of art. To see how they manifest themselves in the creative process, come to Archway Gallery on Saturday, June 6, from 5-8 p.m. for the opening reception for Entanglements. On view from June 6 through July 2, Entanglements features a collaboration between visual artist and West University area resident donna e perkins and dancer and Heights area resident jhon r stronks.

Visual artist donna e perkins steals lines from her environment and choreographs these lines into abstractions. Lines for her recent works were collected in jhon stronks' dance classes. stronks is creating an evening of dance in interaction with her paintings and will perform his version of "Entanglements" at the gallery on Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27, at 7:30 p.m. Admission to stronks' performance is free of charge.

perkins explains how the idea for the collaborative exhibition occurred:

"I steal lines and choreograph them into abstractions," perkins said. "The lines for my current paintings were drawn in jhon stronks’ dance class. I drew as the dancers danced. I would begin drawing the line of a dancer’s body, but these drawings are about the dance."

perkins continues, "The graphite lines of my drawings are smeared with layers of acrylic in a play of texture and surface. Much is hidden, or almost hidden, in layers of translucency. Pages of discarded books are embedded in many paintings. I have a reverence for books. I’ve believed that owning books was akin to the possession of knowledge. I’m fascinated by printed words being discarded, becoming irrelevant. Books are becoming an outdated form of communication. Many of the books I’ve used were printed about the same time I was born. I’m thinking about my own relevance and permanence. Surrounded with these paintings in my studio, I had the sense of the lines breaking free from the canvases and wrapping around me. I felt entangled: entangled in these painting and in other relationships in my life. Thus the title for the show is: "Entanglements."

When perkins was still small enough to stand in the church pew, her parents gave her paper and pencil to keep her quiet during services. In junior high she was given oil paints and has been drawing and painting ever since. After earning a master’s degree from the University of Houston at Clear Lake, perkins taught art in public schools for 20 years. She is now a full time artist. Recently 11 drawings and a loop of 60 photographs, displayed via monitor, were in the "Wheels and Tires" show at the Art Car Museum. perkins has had work in numerous shows in the Houston area and around the state. For more information about perkins' art or upcoming events visit her website www.donnaeperkins.com or contact her via e-mail at donnaeperkins@att.net.

Heights resident jhon richard stronks is well known throughout the United States dance community. Currently the artistic director for “there… in the sunlight” Contemporary dance, stronks was the recipient of two Buff Orpington Awards for Houston Contemporary Dance Achievement in 2008. stronks is also the director of Houston Met TOO Pre Professional Company Choreography and Instruction at the Houston Metropolitan Dance Company as has performed in numerous dance companies in California, Georgia and texas.

Archway Gallery is located at 2305-A Dunlavy in the Montrose/River Oaks area of Houston. For more information about the "Entanglements" exhibition or other Archway Gallery events, call 713-522-2409 or visit the Web site at www.archwaygallery.com. Archway Gallery is open Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sundays from 1-5 p.m.

Pictured:  donna perkins - Dance As fast as You Can.