Still Life art is a captivating genre that invites viewers to appreciate the beauty and significance of ordinary objects carefully arranged and captured in a static composition. Stillness in Motion is an exhibition that seeks to showcase the beauty, diversity, and complexity of still life art throughout history to modern day representation. This show allows artists to speak through inanimate objects using their specific style and choice of symbolism. This act of artistic creation invites viewers to appreciate the quiet beauty of everyday objects and the stories they tell, providing a space for introspection, contemplation, and connection. 

The relationship we hold with our everyday devices hold a multitude of layers. Our inanimate objects hold memories, experiences, and emotions. A still life can stand in the simplest form of celebrating our everyday material goods. A still life can also tell a story of a timeless testament to our shared or personal experiences as mortal beings. Our lives are fast paced and constantly in motion, and at times hard to conceptualize. When we allow ourselves to take a moment and experience hush, we may find it easier to process life as we know it. Stillness in Motion is intended to evoke that same feeling, transforming our perception of the world around us.

Stillness in Motion will give the spotlight to artists from the greater Cincinnati, Ohio region. The goal of the pieces showcased in this exhibition is to reflect timeless aspects of everyday life. Each work carries a unique message intended to evoke familiar and/or new emotions and memories. With every wall of this exhibition offering up classic and modern still-life art, it will be easy for patrons to find something new that will leave them feeling inspired.

This Fall, 1628 is proud to give a spotlight to 21 talented artists from the Cincinnati, Dayton, and Northern Kentucky area in our exhibition, Stillness in Motion: Still Life Art and its Reflection on Human Existence. This show features artists including Samantha Haring, Bley Hack, and Laura Elizondo. 

Samantha Haring is an artist and educator from Des Plaines, Illinois. Haring earned her MFA from Northern Illinois University and her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She spent a summer in Italy at the International School of Drawing, Painting, and Sculpture; it was there that she fully developed her commitment to light, color, and observational painting. Haring was one of the 2015-16 Artists-in-Residence at Manifest Gallery. She teaches drawing and design courses in the School of Design at the University of Cincinnati, and she has been a Resident Instructor at Manifest Drawing Center since 2016. Haring’s work is published in issues #119 and #123 of New American Paintings, as well as in several recent Manifest INDA and INPA publications. She is represented by Gallery 19 in Chicago. Her studio practice is currently based in Cincinnati, where she spends an inordinate amount of time staring at the color of dust.

“I make quiet paintings in a noisy world. My work is an intimate meditation on humble objects and the detritus of studio life. I aim to promote a reengagement with the mundane while creating a moment of reflection for the viewer.The artist’s studio is full of memory; its history is evident in the residue layered on the walls and floor, as well as in the dusty objects scattered around the room. These remnants serve as a metaphor for the imprints people leave behind on each other and on the world. By painting forgotten corners, blank expanses, and abandoned objects, I explore the duality of absence and presence while questioning the intangibility of loss.My current work is a series of single-object portraits of packing materials and other containers. I’m interested in contemplating the things we use to fill empty space. Bubble wrap, air pockets, and other kinds of recycled paper are temporary objects by design: they are intrinsically important while something is in transit, but immediately disposable once the destination is reached. These objects offer a literal form of cushioning, protection, or armor; yet when seen in isolation, they become as much about the space around them and the things unseen as they are about themselves. I am forever striving to make the invisible visible. Emptiness is an illusion. Even in silence, there is a tremendous amount of noise.”

Bley Hack is a watercolor and oil painter based in Xenia, OH. She paints from her historic farm where she lives with her husband, six children, and some chickens. Like artists of the past, Bley paints outdoors, en plein air, to capture the feeling and energy of a scene. She loves to paint local scenes, as well as commissions of places special to people. 

“Using mainly watercolor and oil paints, I aim to communicate my passion for Place. This encompasses not just items or objects found at a place, but the feelings and memories that a place evokes, the history of a place, and often the flora and fauna of a location.Working from my studio on the family farm, I study and forage for ideas, memories and plant and flower specimens from a location to use in my watercolor collages and oil paintings. My plein air oil paintings are vibrant and all about the beautiful colors in a landscape. The pastoral nature of country life never gets old for me and I hope to record the beauty of rural landscapes and the small everyday scenes of daily life there.”

Laura Elizondo is an acrylic painter based in Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati. With a deep connection to her Mexican heritage, she draws inspiration from the vibrant palettes found in her culture. Through her art, Laura seeks to capture the inherent beauty and colors that exist in ordinary objects, offering viewers a fresh perspective on the world around them. Her dedication to her craft and passion for artistic expression are evident in each of her paintings, inviting audiences to appreciate the magic in the everyday.

“My paintings of an Ale8 bottle and a Topo-Chico bottle in this still life exhibition exude tranquility, capturing the intricate details of their form, texture, and the interplay of light and shadow. Through thoughtful composition and a harmonious color palette, these artworks invite viewers to appreciate the beauty in everyday objects. Skillful brushwork brings the bottles to life, encouraging contemplation and reflection on the significance of often overlooked items. Together, they add depth and serenity, offering a moment of pause and nostalgia amidst the bustling world.”

The Fall 2023 Exhibition will be on display August 28th – November 16th, 2023.

Multiple pieces in this exhibition are for sale. If you are interested in purchasing any artwork from the show, please contact us at art@1628ltd.com.