The Arts Company Presents Two New Exhibitions in Nov. 2016

The Arts Company presents two exhibitions in November --- New Work: Paintings and Drawings by Denise Stewart-Sanabria; and Musical Sculpture by Philippe Guillerm. Both artists create works that celebrate the energy of Nashville's fascination for food and music. Tennessee-based Stewart-Sanabria is returning with a new series of large-scale oil-on-canvas paintings of food in a photorealistic style. In addition, she offers drawings that depict the changing cityscape of Nashville, and the music that anchors the creative community of Nashville. Maine-based Guillerm carves classical musical instruments with sensual overtones and allusions to the female form using a variety of types of wood - mahogany, walnut, and driftwood, among others. Each exhibition offers an elegant and intimate glimpse into artistic, painterly, and sculptural perspectives.

As a preview to the exhibit, Fresh Art Friday, November 4, 5:30-7pm, will feature a moderated art panel with both artists, hosted by Nashville Arts Magazine Editor Paul Polycarpou.

The next night, the exhibit will officially open during First Saturday Art Crawl Downtown, November 5, 6-9pm; and continue through December 23, during regular gallery hours, 11-5:00 pm, Tuesday-Saturday at 215 5th Avenue of the Arts, North. For more information, visit www.theartscompany.com.

About the Exhibitions: November-December 2016

In New Work: Paintings and Drawings by Denise Stewart-Sanabria, the artist explores humanizing environments that amaze, entertain, and occasionally horrify. If she documented them, literally, she would probably have constant censorship issues. So, she uses food as a stand-in for humans, making the painting amusing and delicious! Over the years, Denise has had pears enact Inquisition scenes, impaled maraschino cherries on nails, and had donuts enact the seven deadly sins and various fertility rites. Her recent work involves allegorical narratives, driven by historical wallpaper appearing behind iconic contemporary baked goods and candy. A classic, regal French design is paired with a partially devoured Black Forest cake and decomposing flowers, and then appears again behind a King Cake. A classic French pastoral toile print in a decidedly non-traditional color looms above a stack of artificially colored Moon Pies and junk food. A classic Asian toile peopled with Godzilla and his fellow movie monsters sits behind a vast array of candy that does not appear to come from the natural world. Still Lifes, or Vanitas, which is the genre these works most closely fit in with, were originally domestic images containing items symbolic of life and death. The items act out narratives.

Musical Sculpture by Philippe Guillerm presents musically-inspired sculptures, most of which feature figurative stringed musical instruments. His sculptures are often whimsical, curvaceous, and sensual. For example, half of a violin may suggest a figure of a woman and how they intertwine seems naturally to transform into one whole concept. His works inspire dreams, illusions, and reality, and invite the viewer to reflect on music in human nature. Guillerm works with wood such as mahogany, poplar, and walnut - using the color of the wood as a painter uses paint.

About the Artist: Denise Stewart-Sanabria

Denise Stewart-Sanabria is a Knoxville-based artist, born in Massachusetts, and holds a BFA in painting from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst. Sanabria paints hyper-realist portraits of everything from produce to subversive jelly donuts. The anthropomorphic narratives often are reflections on human behavior. She is also known for her life-size charcoal portrait drawings on plywood, which are cut out, mounted on wood bases, and staged in installations. She also does custom commissioned work for banks, hotels, corporate offices and homes. Her work is included in many museums, private, and corporate collections including: The Tennessee State Museum, The Evansville Museum of Art in Indiana, FirstBank TN, Pinnacle Financial, Omni and Opryland Hotels, Scripps Networks, Knoxville Botanical Gardens, and the corporate offices of McGhee Tyson Airport.

About the Artist: Philippe Guillerm

Philippe Guillerm began his professional life in Paris, France. Each winter, he travels the world with his wife, Jacqueline and their two daughters on their forty-eight foot sailboat, the YaYa.

While sailing in winter, Philippe scouts for interesting pieces of driftwood or he works on other art projects at the Black Pearl Museum in Tahiti, the International airports in Papeete and New Caledonia, and several yacht clubs and restaurants in Brazil and Australia. In warmer weather, he creates new work in his studio and gallery located in a restored 1850s bank in Waldoboro, Maine. Philippe's work has been exhibited in galleries in his home country France and throughout Europe, South America, the Pacific Islands, Canada and the United States.

About the Gallery / The Arts Company, First Saturday Art Crawl Downtown

First Saturday Art Crawl Downtown, presented by 5th Avenue of the Arts, is a monthly visual arts event in downtown Nashville. On every First Saturday, an alliance of art galleries and museums collectively invite the public to explore the vibrant Nashville downtown art scene. Admission free, the event welcomes approximately 2,000 attendees each month, bringing more attention and recognition to this energetic destination for visual arts.

The Arts Company, celebrating its 20th Anniversary, continues as a primary arts destination in Downtown Nashville. The gallery is celebrating by offering a year-long exploration looking back at selectEd Gallery artists; as well as looking forward to discovering fresh, original, and contemporary artwork from ongoing and new gallery artists- including sculptors, painters, and photographers, representing artwork from emerging to legendary artists; presenting 12 exhibitions each year; collaboration with other galleries statewide; partnering with 5th Avenue of the Arts District to initiate the First Saturday Art Crawl Downtown; and specializing in artistic services and resources for businesses and individuals.

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