IGNITED

February 28 - April 10, 2020 / Public Reception Photo Album!

An exhibit that invokes various emotions through reflection on human nature, culture and the environment.

"Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra"

Julie Comnick's Artist Statement: Using the violin as a metaphor, I raise questions about the relationship between advancing technology and diminishing cultural heritage. I invite the audience to consider what makes the instrument precious in their own experience, and also the cultural context that could allow for its loss.

OIL ON CANVAS | 80 X 95 INCHES

Prelude | OIL ON CANVAS | 80 X 95 INCHES | © JULIE COMNICK
Exposition | OIL ON CANVAS | 80 X 95 INCHES | © JULIE COMNICK
Allegro | OIL ON CANVAS | 80 X 95 INCHES | © JULIE COMNICK
Scherzo | OIL ON CANVAS | 80 X 95 INCHES | © JULIE COMNICK
Fuoco | OIL ON CANVAS | 80 X 95 INCHES | © JULIE COMNICK
Adagio | OIL ON CANVAS | 80 X 95 INCHES | © JULIE COMNICK
Largo | OIL ON CANVAS | 80 X 95 INCHES | © JULIE COMNICK
Postlude | OIL ON CANVAS | 80 X 95 INCHES | © JULIE COMNICK

CHARCOAL ON PAPER

Untitled I | CHARCOAL ON PAPER | 45 X 54 INCHES | © JULIE COMNICK
Untitled IV | CHARCOAL ON PAPER | 45 X 33 INCHES | © JULIE COMNICK
Untitled V | CHARCOAL ON PAPER | 45 X 33 INCHES | © JULIE COMNICK

"Echoes of Silence"

Jie Li's Artist Statement: Traditional Chinese scholars like to express their feelings through beautiful depictions of nature, thus placing a significant emphasis on the innate ties between man and the environment in which he lives. Likewise, J. Li draws upon those connections in regard to the dilapidation of our natural surroundings. Unlike the odes to beautiful nature of the past, J. Li hopes to call attention to the current destruction of nature, perhaps in turn as a reflection of the inner decay of man.

WATERCOLOR ON ARCHES PAPER | 40X45 INCHES

Echoes of the Silence XI | WATERCOLOR ON ARCHES PAPER | 40X45 INCHES | © J. (JIE) LI
Echoes of the Silence XII | WATERCOLOR ON ARCHES PAPER | 40X45 INCHES | © J. (JIE) LI
Echoes of the Silence XXI | WATERCOLOR ON ARCHES PAPER | 40X45 INCHES | © J. (JIE) LI

"Fire & Desire"

Jie Li's Artist Statement: Desire is the power of life instinct. It’s like a wildfire or volcano eruption. The fire of desire, which constantly arises, also continues to change as the environment expands. Fire and Desire describes and expresses that the fire of desire is a driving force of life, but it could be the source of destruction too.

WATERCOLOR ON ARCHES PAPER | 40X45 INCHES

Ignited Artist Bios

At eight years old JULIE COMNICK was instructed by her mother who was a piano teacher, to choose an instrument and stick with it. Julie chose to play the violin until she was eighteen. She then pursued a MFA in Painting from Montana State University and a BA from The Evergreen State College. The violin and it’s symbolism reappear periodically in her paintings and it’s image has become central to her personal iconography. Julie’s current series, “Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra,” is a painting and video project that explores the gradual dissolution of culture in contemporary society through the symbolic ruin of a personal and cultural icon, the violin. She has exhibited in solo shows in New York City, Virginia, Arizona, Colorado, Washington DC, and Chicago, and been in group exhibits internationally. Julie currently lives in Flagstaff, Arizona, where she is a member of the School of Art Faculty at Northern Arizona University.
JIE LI is an award-winning Chinese-American artist based in New York. She studied painting from an early age. After graduating from Parsons School of Design, she worked as a fashion designer and consultant before returning to fine art. Since then, she has exhibited internationally. Jie expresses love, hate, and desire in the depths of human nature by using figurative and abstract cross-expressions to discuss the meaning of life, and the positive and negative aspects of human nature, using the natural occurrences and disasters as the symbolic meanings, and bringing out the emotions and atmosphere in the paintings. The paintings are figurative and symbolic, delving into the varied elements of human nature through delicate brushstrokes.