On Aug. 21 and running through Sept. 24, Carbondale Arts will be displaying a double-feature showcase: a juried exhibition, Tiny Prints, and a solo exhibition from Tracey Harris, “You Don’t have to be Perfect, but you could Try Harder.”
Harris, who has been a resident and artist of Marble for a decade, is excited to present her first solo exhibition in Colorado through Carbondale Arts. She described her works as “aggressively feminist,” turning stereotypes upside down.
“I have a woman cleaning a china plate with an orbital sander, and a woman wrapped in a power cord where she’s getting ready to plug herself into essentially herself,” Harris said. “There are also book paintings there, which is what I’m known for … self-help books with kind of snarky titles.”
Based on the name of one of her pieces from her “CAUTION: Women with Orange Objects” series of oil paintings, Harris is proud to present a myriad of works at this local exhibit. Harris says the title perfectly encapsulates what she hopes to display with her works: to show the range of women beyond the typical lens, influenced by her own lived experiences.
“I really like showing women’s range. Twenty years ago, I was raising my son on my own, and I wanted to show women as they really are instead of what was already out there,” she said. “There [are] enough demure, beautiful images of women in art history, and I just wanted to show women’s range of all the things that they do. So that’s kind of based on my life.”
Harris’ unique collection also includes rubber-chicken paintings, some of which will be on display, and entomology paintings, where she incorporates butterfly wings onto different types of insects.
Tiny Print Showcase
The Tiny Print Showcase, which will include two award categories (general and special), will feature works by artists of all ages and skill levels from across the state. Two jurors for this exhibition, Johanna Mueller and Raymundo Muñoz, spent many hours working remotely with Carbondale Arts Gallery Manager Brian Colley to score and judge the pieces based on several aspects.
“We individually scored based on our own aesthetic tastes, though we made sure to include at least one entry from everyone that submitted works. Our scores were tallied up and Brian was the tiebreaker when our choices didn’t line up,” Muñoz explained. “So long as artists adhered to the size restrictions, media restrictions and had their work ready by submission time, they were considered.”
Mueller, a printmaker, artist and entrepreneur who owns and operates the communal Wonderhand Studios in Greeley, looks forward to seeing patrons of the gallery getting up close and personal.
“Often there are small-works shows, but the Tiny Print Showcase is a step beyond into the world of miniature and detail,” she said. “Having small versions of well-known poster types, such as National Parks, music and protest, which are all usually so large scale, made small like ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is also a great juxtaposition.”
Colley noted that smaller pieces of art can be a good accessible point for artists and art lovers alike, as they are often a more affordable option for both the labor it takes to create a piece and the cost to take one home.
“We’re hoping for a good crowd, because I think a lot of people don’t have big spaces in their house for big art, and big art costs a lot of money sometimes,” Colley expounded. “So one idea behind it was to have something that was really affordable for folks and also really fun. I love printmaking as an artist myself, and it just feels very accessible.”
“Most of these prints are meant to be viewed from inches away,” Mueller concluded, “so don’t be afraid to touch your nose to the wall.”