VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

Archway Gallery presents Flight and Freestyle in October, featuring new work from artists Thomas R. Irven (wood) and Marsha Harris Solomon (watermedia painting) who use their unique styles to depict escaping gravity and perpetuating motion.

The artists will be on hand to visit with guests firsthand during the exhibition opening reception on Saturday, October 2 from 5 – 8 pm at the gallery. On Sunday, October 17 from 2 -3 pm both artists will present a demonstration at Archway Gallery. Flight and Freestyle will be on view at Archway Gallery October 2 - November 4, 2010.

Thomas R. Irven is a wood artist who has been producing wood art, woodturnings and custom furniture in his Bellaire, Texas studio since 1987. In his latest series produced for Flight and Freestyle, wood and wire come together to make mobiles. Demonstrating his “freestyle,” much of Irven’s work is a bit off-center and incorporates other media including wire, thread, glass and pigments. His primarily lathe fashioned forms are manipulated and used in various ways to produce interesting and unique creations. Irven is always looking for something fresh and different in his work.

Watermedia artist Marsha Harris Solomon’s colorful free-flowing style bring both ‘flight’ and ‘freestyle’ to life for this exhibition through her magnificent new paintings. While painting a work for her class last year, Solomon realized that it was the fourth in a row she had done that dealt with birds or flying, and decided to let her subconscious take the lead.

In the Flight and Freestyle show she wants to show how the ability to fly, and our human recognition of its importance, permeates our culture and language and emotions.

Irven was a 2010 Niche Award finalist and an exhibiting artist in the “Visual Arts Alliance 27th Juried Open Exhibition” at Williams Tower Gallery, Houston, Texas. Irven’s work is included in the Lark Books publication 400 Wood Boxes: The Fine Art of Containment and Concealment.

Solomon is a nationally recognized watermedia artist with the rare honor of holding Signature Status in eight Watercolor Societies across the U.S. Her distinguished career includes holding a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree; a 45-year career in drafting; being Past President and Signature Member of Watercolor Art Society – Houston (WAS-H); teaching and demonstrating her phenomenal skills as a water media artist throughout the Houston Region and exhibiting her work for the past 16 years at Archway Gallery. Solomon’s work has been published in the national Watercolor Magic magazine and Arts Houston magazine. She continues teaching beginning watercolor at WAS-H and her work is frequently included in their juried exhibits.

ABOUT ARCHWAY GALLERY
Archway Gallery, one of Houston’s and the nation’s oldest artist owned and operated galleries, is located at 2305 Dunlavy and is open Monday – Saturday from 10 am – 6 pm and Sunday from 1 – 5 pm. Since 1976, Archway Gallery has been exhibiting the work of the area’s finest artists, providing a great selection of affordable, high quality art including sculpture, pottery and painting in a variety of media and styles. Artists are always on site, offering visitors a unique experience to meet the artist who created the work, offering a personal insight about the process behind their creativity. The gallery offers a “Tea and Tour” program, providing visitors with a free artist-led tour of the current exhibition, followed by tea and refreshments. In addition to monthly exhibitions, Archway also hosts a variety of demonstrations and monthly readings for local writers and authors.

With 30 artist-members, Archway Gallery is THE destination in the Houston area for art.

Pictured above:  Marsha Harris Solomon, Macaw in Flight.