The Body Electric: Winter Show

Telluride Arts HQ Gallery in Telluride, Colorado is excited to present The Body Electric: Winter Show, a group exhibition curated by Britt Bradford and featuring the artwork of Casey Hagerman, Joshua Penrose, Katy Parnello, Sara Scribner, Shane Scribner, and Britt Bradford. The Body Electric highlights figurative art and light art—asking its viewers to meditate on the idea of humanity, embodiment, and our unique light.

The show will be on display beginning December 17, 2020. The Art Walk opening reception will be held on Thursday, December 17, 2020, 5 - 8 pm at Telluride Arts HQ Gallery (135 W Pacific). The gallery is open Monday-Friday from 12-6pm or by appointment.

Curator’s Statement:

“I live in the Kingdom of eternal joy and absorbing interests. My body is "the body electric,” timeless and tireless, birthless and deathless.” - Florence Shovel Shinn

"As I sat one morning reading the complete works of Florence Shovel Shinn, this quote made me pause and ponder what this might really be like. What is it to be birthless and deathless? What is this Kingdom? Is It really possible to live in such a vibrant and expansive way? Completely absorbed in the beauty of life…

Then I began to think about what brings me joy and captures my interests. Painting. Spiritual growth. Being out in nature. Connecting with friends. And as my mind began to wonder, as minds do, I landed on community. Are there other people who would desire to live in this way? What would it be like if we were all living our higher purpose in joy and freedom from limitations such as death or time? If any place comes close, I would say Telluride attracts those of us looking for this greater life. And so, this conversation felt relevant to bring to our little mountain community. And since I’m an artist, naturally, I wanted to have this conversation presented by art.

And so, The Body Electric was born.

It is my hope in bringing this show to the Telluride Arts District galleries, you will ask yourself some questions. And maybe you will ask others what they think… Hopefully, you will make it to the galleries (or even just look in our windows from a distance) and wonder, “How are the artists engaging with the idea of an electric body?” And in this way, we can come together as a community and steep in the mystery and beauty of life and embodiment. What it means to be human, in a collective, learning and growing and coming into our own unique light. "

- Britt Bradford

Artist Bios:

Britt Bradford

Britt Bradford is enthusiastic about two things: the great mysteries and the beauty of life and painting. Everyday, Britt works to expand her understanding and translation of these two passions, and as she does, they grow together and inform one another. At times, she says they seem inseparable. Painting has taught Britt just as much about herself and life as seeking truth has taught her about good draftsmanship and eloquence of applying paint. Through her work, Britt explores humanity and our unique paths and the evolution of the soul. Britt strives for a sense of vulnerability and power in her figures and portraiture. She is inspired by the Dutch Golden Age and Renaissance portraiture in technique and style, and she aims to push this craftsmanship while exploring more contemporary concepts.

Brooke Einbender

Brooke Einbender, a.k.a. Mindbender Art, is a leading pioneer in the exploration of XR art (extended reality art) & community-based VR collaboration. Brooke is establishing new frontiers at the intersection where art and technology meet in the context of its impact on consciousness. She creates mind-bending experiences purposed to harness spiritual energy; transporting the viewer to different inter-spatial dimensions.

Dan Gundrum

Dan Gundrum specializes in immersive digital art through projection mapping, lasers, and special effects. He is an active member at Deep Creek Experimental and fine-tunes his plethora of creations in his studio built inside the old limestone mine. Dan regularly shares his talent through artist workshops and holds an annual welding workshop through Telluride Fire Festival. Dan also works as Technical Director with Telluride Theatre, helping direct the cogs behind the scenes to make the show go on seamlessly.

Casey Hagerman

Casey Hagerman believes in the old adage that a picture can be worth a thousand words—when it stirs emotion and intrigue. In her work she strives to bring the viewer into feelings of nostalgia, whimsy and connection. Casey grew up in San Francisco, a youngest child with an active imagination. She experimented with painting, drawing and writing through school but took a break from art post-college. After a traumatic experience a number of years ago, she found healing and relief in the meditative act of using scissors and adhesive to create scenes out of magazine images. Casey specializes in mixed media collage using found images in print. Her work is influenced by portrait and landscape photography as well as the ability of art to arouse feeling in us. 

Joshua Penrose

Joshua Penrose is an independent artist living in Columbus, Ohio.  His work has been exhibited nationally.  Penrose works across a variety of media informed by the digital domain including sound, video, light, and digital automation.  He holds an MM in Music Composition from Towson University and an MFA in Art and Technology from The Ohio State University.

Katy Parnello

Katy Parnello is a self-taught wood worker and light artist.  Her Electroliers are wood-based wall hangings which incorporate light elements, such as incandescent bulbs, found object light structures and neon. 

Sara Scribner

The narrative portraits of Sara Scribner weave flora and fauna with realism to create paintings that have a timeless quality. The subjects of Sara’s paintings are often women that appear to have a powerful connection to their surroundings. They are often woven into a wilderness or dreamscape that uses flowers and animals to add a fanciful quality to the paintings. Often her characters wear lace and soft satins yet are strong and in command.

Her realist style is created by using oil paints in multiple layers until the subject appears life-like on the aluminum panel.

Shane Scribner

Shane Scribner is a representational artist who uses oil paints and strong color combinations to create contemporary portraits. Often using stark, white backgrounds the portrait of the sitter is painted in vivid hues. His use of classical painting techniques mixed with provocative compositions and color combinations create paintings that capture the modern woman in a new light.