Dallas-based artist Jessie Barnes combines flora, fauna and human imagery in colorful, complex, and often jungle-like settings that harken back to her childhood in Florida. She practices printmaking, painting and drawing. Her work is currently on display at the Volunteer State Community College Art Gallery.
“Tangled palmettos and invasive vines serve as metaphors for instances in our lives when innocence turns to fear, while color lures the viewer closer,” Barnes said. “Ultimately, I present settings, objects, and environments that can be viewed wholly as a sanctuary or reminder of the past. My work is fragile and vulnerable, but it also possesses a dark and complex sense of power that mirrors personal strengths and weaknesses.”
The Vol State exhibition will run from February 26 to March 29. There will be a Gallery Talk by the artist on Thursday, March 29 at 1 p.m. at the Gallery. Beforehand, people can visit a printmaking class from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. in SRB 268. The Vol State Art Gallery is located on the first floor of the Steinhauer-Rogan-Black (SRB) Humanities Building on the Gallatin campus at 1480 Nashville Pike. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information call 615-230-3202.
Pictured: Serpentine by Jessie Barnes (partial due to ratio limitations on the web).
