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Figuratively Speaking Opening Reception

The Timothy Michael Gallery is pleased to announce Figuratively Speaking, the first collaboration of internationally recognized artists, Signe Grushovenko and Donne Bitner. The figurative styles of both artists inspire a unique voice in contemporary art, Signe drawing upon vintage images to express the birth of sorrow and joy, and Donne's stream-of-consciousness imagery of her internal reality.

Posed photographs of people are the major source of imagery in Signe Grushovenko's paintings. “Found” photographs that have lost their prominence leave a sense of mystery, and in leaving faces void of detail, the viewer's interest is pulled away from the figures to draw the meaning from the work. Signe's unique application of color creates interlocking patters of simplified shapes. A pure color may transition in it's representation from the background, to legs, blouses, and then to the face. The interchange of negative space in the compositional relationships, is visualized through high contrast values of large flat shapes and blocky color, resulting in ambiguity of space.

Just beyond the visual composition, Signe's imagery has tremendous personal content. Raised in the rural South, she has been inspired by her southern heritage. Photographs of rural southern culture have lead Signe to uncover a consistent theme of triumph and strength over adversity. Through painting, Signe desires to communicate her fundamental beliefs that every moment has potential to provide both sorrow and joy.

Some of Signe's notable achievements include: 1999 Best In Show, LaGrange Artists Guild Members Exhibition, 2004 Best In Show Brookhaven Festival, 2007 Best In Show Buffalo Grove Invitational Art Festival, Lincolnshire Art Festival, IL, and 2008 Award of Distinction at Naples Art Festival, Naples, FL. Most recently Signe and her husband, potter Genna Grushovenko, were featured as artists in Residence at the Visual Artists Alliance of LaGrange in Southern Living's August 2007 edition.

Donne Bitner's paintings are dream-like images intuitively composed in a stream-of-consciousness design. Symbols of the natural world interplay with abstract forms that give a voice to her internal reality. Thin layers of acrylic are applied to paper, canvas, and wood which are then embellished with oil pastel and charcoal.

Awarded Best In Show at the 206 Mt. Dora Art Festival, the judges wrote: “Donne Bitner's work is complex. The images are layered with textures that mesh to give her works a unique voice that makes its own statement. Her visual strength is beautifully connected to the best of contemporary art.”

Currently a senior faculty member at Crealde School of Art and maintaining a studio at McRae Art Studio in Winter Park, Donne has received numberous awards including: 2002 recipient of Florida Individual Artist's Fellowship, 2007 Professional Development Grant from United Arts of Central Florida, and2006 Stat of Florida Individual Artists Enhancement Grant. To name a few, collections include the Huntsville Museum of Art, Springfield Art Museum, Gulf Coast Center for the Arts, Vero Beach Center for the Arts, Daytona Beach Museum of Arts and Sciences, Rollins College, and the State of Florida Capital Collection.

The opening reception for Figuratively Speaking is being held Saturday, March 22, 2008 at the Timothy Michael Gallery. The works will be on view through April 11, 2008