Figuratively Speaking

Figuratively Speaking

At Liberty Arts Collaborative

Bend, Oregon

Spring Exhibition
March 6, 2019 - May 31, 2019

First Friday Art Walk and Reception
April 5, 2019
May 3, 2019

Artists' Talk
May 4, 2019
11 am 

The triptych, Just Us Three, now installed in Bend, Oregon at the arts collaborative gallery, At Liberty, is about solitude, solidarity and self-awareness. The large scaled drawings are exemplified by stylized women isolated within societal constructs. Each work is "42x96." Each woman is contained in her own space. The women confront the viewer with their gaze, their stance and their massive size. The charcoal on paper add to the drama by the contrast of black and white. Tension was added by the juxtaposition of the fragility of the paper and the strength of each woman.

My work consistently revolves around the female body. The human body fascinates me in all of its complexity; humans as physical, emotional and spiritual beings.

I use my own body in my work to add a sense of understanding and empathy. My work is not a rebuke of thick thighs or voluptuous breasts. Rather, I am researching what it means to be in this body. Exaggerations allow me to see that all bodies have flaws and flaws are not the issue.

My interest in how society expects too much from these frail, flawed forms. On average, human bodies only last about seventy-some years and they go through so many changes in that time. Therefore, a chance to research this journey of the body is a necessity I could not ignore. Investigating, research and experimentation are an important part of my work.

Drawing is research. And, drawing large allows me to experiment and work on a drawing for an extended amount of time. Investigation consists of working from life, pictures or my own reflection in the mirror. External matters such as how I am feeling, words said to me or certain events affect my work. My work takes on internal and external factors and I am their filter.

Edvard Munch, Rick Bartow, and Jim Dine were a major influence for this body of work. Each of these artists where highly prolific and were constantly experimenting with materials, concepts, and design principles.

M. V. Moran earned her MFA in Visual Studies from Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon. Moran has a BFA in Painting from the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. She currently works in Eugene, Oregon.


M. V. Moran

Image:
M. V. Moran
Just Us Three: Halt
charcoal on paper
42"x96"
2016
$500
Please contact At Liberty Arts if interested in purchasing this work
at (458) 206-3040.