Opening Reception: “What Lies Beneath”

Exhibiting:
January 16th Through February 26th

Opening Reception:
Friday, February 7th, 2014
6:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Over the last ten years Justin Vorel has traveled to over 28 countries. Justin experienced deep suffering while living in Afghanistan and exuberant joy while biking across Mexico; yet in trying to express the transcendent emotion of his journeys the artist says he, “Fell flat.” Finding an inability to articulate expression through words, Justin Vorel began using colors to express his experiences. The artist’s language drove him to create layered memories weathered by time. Using nontraditional painting implements such as spatulas, squeegees, scrapers and sanders the layers of the artist’s work bleed together like the very memories that form our individual character. Vorel created his most recent body of work while visiting his boyhood home and family ranch in Luther, Oklahoma in the latter months of 2013. The series focuses on the moments of his youth where he explains, “Time stood still.” The untitled paintings are engrained with Oklahoma’s sand and soil, weathered by the morning dew and stripped of their surface to unveil the sediment from which the artist’s view of the world was unearthed. Having worked and studied as a photojournalist, the artist’s abstract compositions reveal an adept understanding of light and contrast while maintaining a focus on color, movement, and subtle textures. Justin Vorel is currently living in Morocco, having just settled in with his wife Charli, where he is continuing to drive his work into the European art market.

Paseo Originals Art Gallery will host a public reception for “What Lies Beneath,” featuring new works by Justin Vorel, on Friday, February 7th from 6:00-10:00 PM during the First Friday Art Walk on Paseo. The reception and all associates events are free and open to the public. The exhibit is scheduled to open on January 16th and will run through February 26th. Paseo Originals Art Gallery, voted Best Art Gallery 2012 & 2013 by the Oklahoma Gazette readership and Best Art Gallery by the Daily Oklahoman’s readership in the 2013 Readers Choice Awards, is a private fine art gallery located in the Historic Paseo Arts District. Focusing on contemporary fine art, the gallery represents established, mid-career and emerging artists of exceptional caliber. With one of the largest spaces in the Paseo District, the gallery hosts monthly exhibits defined in two gallery exhibit spaces featuring both national and international artists who exemplify the unique characteristics of a collectable fine artist. Showcasing ingenuitive and technically evolved artworks, Paseo Originals is dedicated to beginning and established collectors. The gallery hosts opening receptions for exhibits on the first Friday of each month during the Paseo First Friday Art Walk. The gallery also features lectures and demonstrations. The Paseo Originals is open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 11am – 6pm, Saturday from 11am – 5pm and Sunday from 1pm – 5pm. Paseo Originals Art Gallery is located at 2920 Paseo Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73103 and can be reached by calling 405.604.6602.