2006 Artistic Rain Barrels

Dreaming
Carrie Davis and Sonja Brooks

Display Site
Starbucks, Downtown
325 West Main Street
Lexington, KY 40507
(859) 977-0525
Hours:

Artists’ Interpretation:
Our inspiration for "Dreaming" was an Australian Aboriginal art postcard and the similarity of a figure on the postcard with a style of whimsical figure Carrie draws. Doing the work on the barrel collaboratively opened the door to more possibilities than we would have thought of individually. Although we settled on a general theme, it was still a very 'open' and trusting arts experience for one person to start the design and then pass the barrel to the other to finish. There was little ego in the painting of this barrel! We felt approaching the project in this way fit the spirit of it -- by working together we can make something functional, beautiful and beneficial.

Bio:
Carrie (Grate) Davis currently paints in her poorly lit basement studio.
Carrie's range of work goes from nude figure drawing to abstract
painting and multi media work. Contact Carrie at savethehumanz@yahoo.com
if you are interested in seeing pieces for sale.


Mixed media work is the perfect art format for Sonja Brooks. After exploring pottery and other forms, she discovered collage in the early 1990's and has been creating mixed media collages and assemblages, primarily of paper and fabric, ever since.

Almost everything she's saved in the last dozen years has been with the rationale that it'll be great in a collage or in a three-dimensional construction. Meanwhile, along with fine handmade papers and paints, Sonja is surrounded by every season of discarded gift wrap, used postage stamps and security envelopes, clothing scraps, fabric and sewing notions, scavenged metal parts, and a whole assortment of truly weird and wonderful other-people's-treasures.

This collection of intriguing objects and materials, as well as the skills and techniques learned from pottery, rug making, drawing and painting, coalesce to have lasting purpose--abundant inspiration and resources for her artwork and art workshops she presents. Paper is her favorite material, so, it is the starting point for most of her artwork. To it she adds fabric, paint, ink, found objects and other materials.

Her works often celebrate cultural and social heritage, including her African American roots and status as a female. Just as often, though, Sonja's work explores color and texture in abstract forms. Often, she creates complex, orderly compositions that draw the viewer in for a closer look, and a surprise. The work may look straightforward and simple at first glance, but it is richly textured with undertones, innuendo and tension.

Sonja is enjoying a second career in art, since retiring from the Federal Government in 1999 and moving to Lexington, Kentucky to operate Heritage Art Center with her husband. In addition to creating visual art, she teaches youth art classes regionally. She is a founder of Lexington-based Sisohpromatem Art Foundation, Inc., a non-profit dedicated to personal and community change through participation in the arts. She is also an art management consultant for the Kentucky Arts Council. Her work is in numerous private collections and has been exhibited in local and national juried, invitational and solo shows since 1994.

Contact Information:
Sonja A. Brooks
651 West Short St.
Lexington KY 40508-1246
sonjabrooksart@aol.com
(859) 254-6560

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