By Rebecca Pikus
“Road Tripping” is newcomer Jill Carey Michaels’ solo exhibition of mixed media paintings opening at Simeon Den Gallery on Saturday, May 13 from 5-8PM. Inspired by the uniquely American experience of driving coast-to-coast on the interstate, the canvases are impressions of modern American landscape, as billboards, truckstops and skylines rushed past her car window, coming in and out of focus. Ms. Michaels integrates retro-chic women into her panoramic roadscapes, reveling in the iconic symbols, original poems and animated paint strokes layered in dimension. “Road Tripping” connects familiar imagery that is often overlooked, yet upon closer inspection, tells a more complex story.
Multimedia Artist, author, musician and the storytelling host of Joshua Tree’s weekly radioshow “Desert Storysongs,” Michaels knew from a young age that she was creative. Her free time was spent drawing and writing in sketchbooks. After receiving a BFA in Illustration from University of the Arts, she went on to earn her MFA in Computer Graphics from The School of Visual Arts in NYC. Originally from Philadelphia, Jill thrived in the art and music scenes of New York and Los Angeles before recently moving to the High Desert. Whether writing and illustrating humorous books such as “Debutante without a Dress” or “No Customer Service,” she documents everyday life in visual and audio narration with philosophic wit. A former New York University English and Computer Graphics professor, Jill now teaches online for The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Included in the spaces Michaels has exhibited her work, The Museum of American Folk Art, CANO, Nordstrom’s, and JTAG Gallery in Joshua Tree.
This opening coincides with Second Saturdays, the monthly Perez Road Arts + Design gallery walk in Cathedra City and Simeon Den Gallery/Fine & Temple Arts is located at 68859 Perez Rd, I-27. Contact: 310.801.6538
PALLADINO/DEN Photography
www.PalladinoDenPhotography.com
Contact: 310.801.6538
