Snow never melts in “Winter.”
In this latest exhibit from Creative Alliance at the Patterson, Jarrett Min Davis and Courtney Jordan present their contrasting visions and subsequent mediums surrounded by fabricated snowbanks ? nearly 1,100 white paper lanterns.
The couple met at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore City and live together at the Patterson in the city where Davis teaches.
“They are very different from each other, but it makes for an interesting juxtaposition,” said Jedd Dodd, artistic director at Creative Alliance.
To create nontraditional scenes, Davis uses the most traditional of all mediums: oil-based paint. His paintings are hybrids, combining images from Eastern and Western cultures.
“My paintings are a way to express not being completely Asian, but not being completely white either,” said Davis, who was born in Seoul, South Korea, but grew up with adoptive parents in the Midwest. “I don?t fit in comfortably [in a category.] There?s not usually a space for me.”
The exhibit was partly inspired by Davis? latest and most favorite piece, titled “Winter.”
The painting depicts a contemporary Korean pop star dressed as a Native American and holding a giant bird. He is surrounded by white poles, decorated with Asian designs, and security cameras in the painting.
Most of Davis? paintings distort scale and perspective. This and his lack of direct light sources gives his work a flattened look.
In contrast to Davis? surreal worlds, Jordan depicts images of the Queensboro Bridge in New York City. She produces prints on Plexiglas by etching fine lines into the material and manipulating these images digitally.
Jordan produces prints of the bridge that are realistic renderings ? similar to a photograph ? as well as more abstract interpretations.
“Each piece starts with the same etched image, but with the color and collage each one becomes completely different from the others,” she said.
In addition to prints, Jordan works with waterproof ink and mylar, a semitransparent plastic. Mylar?s “nuclear-white” coloring coincides with the exhibit?s paper snowdrifts and Davis? “Winter.”
“We have a little something for every one,” she said. “It?s just a really strong exhibit.”
Winter
On view through Feb. 17
» Venue: Creative Alliance at the Patterson, 3134 Eastern Ave., Baltimore
» Opening Reception: 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday
» Info: www.creativealliance.org
