April 29 – May 24
Of Cell and Sky
Artists: ​​CJ Cowden, Elizabeth Knowles, and Ralph Paquin
Guest Artist: Brian Hallas
This body of work explores nature in both its grand, visible forms and its hidden, microscopic structures. Some of the work evokes abstract impressions of flowers, foliage, or landscapes gestures toward the natural world as we experience it. Others dive beneath the surface, resembling cellular structures or biological processes that hint at the invisible systems sustaining life.
Rather than aiming for literal representation, the work seeks to capture the essence and rhythm of nature its beauty, chaos, balance, and evolution. The abstract forms are meant to feel alive, in motion, as if caught in a state of transformation.
The exhibition would like viewers to slow down, observe, and feel their way through the organic forms recognizing patterns that are at once familiar and unknown. It’s a reflection on how deeply intertwined we are with the natural world, from the cellular to the cosmic.
At its heart, this work is also a quiet call to awareness. As we marvel at nature’s complexity and wonder, we are reminded of our responsibility to protect and preserve it. The fragility and resilience captured in these pieces echo the urgency of environmental care and the hope that through attention and action, we can ensure the natural world continues to thrive.
Explore the Collection
CJ Cowden
Elizabeth Knowles
Ralph Paquin
Brian Hallas
On View: May 11 – 24
Elizabeth Peña-Alvarez
Chip Calvin
More About the Works
Where the Misty Garden Waits I, II, III
Beyond the glass, where rain softens every edge, a garden shimmers in a dream half-remembered.
​
Each piece in this series captures a fleeting moment a tender distance between the viewer and the living world, where petals blur, colors melt, and time itself seems to pause. The misted window becomes both veil and mirror, reflecting our longing for beauty just out of reach, and the quiet hope that it still waits for us, patiently, beyond the rain.
Sunbeams
“In the hush of the deep forest, where shadows cradle the earth, sunbeams pierce the canopy like whispered promises, filling roots and hearts alike with the quiet courage to reach for the light.”
Obtaining the Impossible
“In a secret garden where dreams take root, a rose of shifting blues and whispered pinks unfurls toward the unseen, a living testament to the beauty we dare to believe is beyond our reach.”
Whispers of a Light that Blooms
Petals remembering the fields they once loved.
Murmurations II
“In a soaring spiral of color and breath, the doves lift one another toward the sky, their wings woven with quiet prayers of protection, love, and the unbreakable longing to rise together.”
Stalagmite
This sculpture draws inspiration from the geological patterns of Earth’s cavernous landscapes. Each organic shape is self- contained, adorned with patterns that reference phenomena ranging from crystal growth to galaxy formation. Each shape successively builds upon another stacking up in columnar formation.
Rainforest
While visiting the headwaters of the Amazon in the Ecuadorian rainforest, I became enthralled with cacophony of sensory stimuli. The jungle was teeming with the cycles of life. Rippling vines entwining with climbing stems and branches……… tangling and unraveling ………. attaching and reattaching, swaying in a continuous convergence of endless growth and decomposition. Layered acrylic paints with gels add diverse textures and movements, mimicking the lively activity of the jungle.
Japan
What is it like to live in an island nation surrounded by the energy of deep ocean? I imagine the backdrop of one’s everyday existence is forever tempered by the fluctuating tempo of the waves in a mixture of turbulence and calm. Overlaying clear pools of acrylic polymers with textured applications of acrylic paints and gel pen I experiment with a variety of surfaces reminiscent of the pulsating rhythms of the ocean currents. The process involves repeatedly and methodically connecting swirls of paint or small drawn circles to form larger connecting patterns.
Patagonia
This painting explores both static and dynamic patterns in nature recurring on differing scales of perception. Some are biological patterns on the cellular level of organisms. Some are geographical patterns of earth’s topography. Traveling to Patagonia I was struck by the impressive quiet of the landscape. The ground cover appeared as tiny fractals dotting the larger landscape while majestic glaciers rose up from icy waters. I was spellbound by the splendor.
Utilizing acrylics with a variety of textured gels, my process involves meditatively layering patterns, connecting shapes to larger natural patterns.
Seedling
Generating the energy of new life stirring, seeds just beginning to grow, or eggs about to hatch….
ElderBerries
Inspired by the medicinal qualities of Elderberries, this panel does not literally depict elderberries but rather suggests on an energetic level, the healing qualities of the berry.
Floating Blossoms
Linear applications of paint create a rhythmic surface on which colorful organic shapes reminiscent of flower blossoms buoyantly drift.
Violet on Red Gene Column
White on Off Gene Column
Turquoise Gene Column
Erythristic Gene Column
Gene Columns:
The molecular level of how our bodies process information and energy is fantastic and other worldly. This series of contemporary abstract sculpture was playfully brought about with this very new biomechanical knowledge.