April 2019 Gallery Openings: Black & Blue by Jessie Jewels and David Lee Black / Michele Keir

Providence

For the Month of April, The Gallery at Sprout CoWorking, Providence will feature a 2 artist show entitled Black & Blue. The show will run the entire month of April, from the 1st through the 30th. The Gallery is open M-F, 9-5, and the 3rd Thursday from 5-9pm for the gallery opening party in conjunction with Gallery Night.

Stop by in the month of April for a free packet of seeds in celebration of Earth Month.

Black refers to the larger questions that have interlaced the human condition from the beginning. Where do we go when we die? Where do we come from? Is death only a moment? What exactly IS this dream between birth and dying? Blue is Azul, the Spanish word for blue. A mixed media series inspired by aerial views of the vibrant oceans of Mexico. Black & Blue offers visual metaphors to generate conversations around the transitional unknown.

David Lee Black is an award-winning New England-based photographer and sculpture artist. He is a storyteller on a never-ending pilgrimage to capture people, places and events in moments both simple and sublime. His work is simultaneously whimsical and serious, graceful and awkward, understated and conspicuously complex. He also applies his artistic skill and personal philosophy to his work in music, expressive arts therapy, educational workshops and visual artist performances. David is a member of Galatea Fine Art Gallery, SoWA Boston, Cambridge Art Association, Concord Art Association, Plymouth Art Association, The Extraordinary Rendition Band, Glamorama and Big Nazo. www.DavidLeeBlack.com

Jessie Jewels

Jessie has always had a passion for the arts. She grew up in a household of artists and craftsmen. At a young age she started to take art classes in sculpting and ceramics. Enjoying the tactile experience of working with her hands she began working in metalsmithing and beading. She created her first business, Jessie’s Jewels, at the age of 12, where she sold jewelry to her friends, family and school teachers.

Her love of art and running her own business continued to develop into adulthood. She also started to develop her voice as an artist. She began traveling to the tropical environments of the Caribbean, South America and Hawaii.  Jessie visited Mexico for the first time in 2015 and was captivated by the colors and shapes coral reefs would create in the ocean shallows. It was much different that the oceans she was used to seeing in her home state of Rhode Island. Each time she came back she would see the influence in her artwork. The ombre of the turquoise blue water, the sparkle of the sun kissing the waves, and the texture of the powdery white sand. Jessie is a member of Providence Artisans. Her work can be found in local galleries and shops, at the Hope Street Artisan’s Market, Waterfire Arts Plaza, Scituate Arts Festival and other local art festivals.

www.JJewelsStudio.com

Warren

Michele Keir was five years old when she overheard her kindergarten teacher tell her mother that she was an artist. That was the moment she knew… “I am a creative person who loves color.” Using training from both Pratt Institute and RISD, Michele made a career as a graphic designer, product designer and potter. Many non-profit organizations have been the recipients of her talent. Most recently she raised thousands of research dollars for the American Parkinson Disease Association through the donation of hundreds of digital art paintings.

Michele has Parkinson Disease. Over the past year she has used art for personal therapy. Never before had she created art without a teacher, boss or client limiting her creative process. This endeavor has not only given her joy but has overfilled her house with art. In her attempt to have her art seen by others, Michelle recently began entering local juried exhibitions.