Colleen Philippi: "Butterfly Effect"

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"Third Butterfly"

Colleen Philippi, "Third Butterfly," mixed Media on panel, 24" x 24.5".

Opening Reception: Saturday, May 31, 1-4pm

Newzones is pleased to present Butterfly Effect, a solo exhibit by Calgary based artist, Colleen Philippi.

Colleen Philippi's artwork immediately captures the attention of the viewer. A sense of mysticism comes from her highly creative and personal visual vocabulary of secrets, treasure, allegories, astronomy, poetry and memory.

In her new series, Philippi contemplates and addresses how our lives are alternately formed of chaos and our attempts to create order from such chaos. Thoughts of, regrets for and daydreams of the life one has and the life that might have been, mix in our conscious and unconscious minds. Suffering and joy, despondency and elation coexist: informing, enhancing and highlighting one another.

The evolution of this series is described by Philippi:

"Until three years ago, my approach to these was largely a 'freewheelingly' intuitive one, a casual antidote to the more structured approach of my other work. The desire to 'just paint' stirred an interest in developing a personal abstract language."

This personal language draws from the history of Philippi's practice: the grid, pattern, colour studies, painted objects and figures, landscape, natural imagery, Matisse cut out shapes and Twombly scribbles. All of these elements, combined with an interest in exploring both layering and obliteration, open a rich vein to unearth personal depth and truth.

"I have uncovered many things in this work, but the most magical have been that chaos can be an organizing principle and that additive can eventually become subtractive. Out of an evolving slow motion process come works possessed of a stillness, elation and complexity", states Philippi.

Colleen Philippi received her BFA from the University of Alberta in 1982. Ms. Philippi has a long exhibition history and exhibits internationally at art fairs with Newzones. Besides finding her magical assemblages in private, corporate, and museum collections, locally, nationally, and internationally, she has completed commissions for Rotary Flames House, Calgary, AB., Island Hospital Anacortes, Seattle, WA, Swedish Foundation, Seattle, WA, and Pason Systems Ltd, Calgary, AB., among others.