Tom Owen, Emily Moores, Cedric Michael Cox, and Lindsey Graff

“Abstract art” is an extensive term that sprawls throughout the archives of art history. It has a deeply rooted history across the world, and as centuries pass, we are still drawn to the unseen and the imagined. It spans all art forms and can be interpreted endlessly by each person that views the work.

There is no unchangeable formula to abstraction. Expressionism and even geometric abstraction provide radical freedom from principle, and in doing abstract work, artists are in a sort of conversation with the surface. Rituals and processes are created and sustained by the artist, not solely by the rules of the past. Color and shape are essential—they guide our eye, are loaded with meaning, and unlock the emotions of each image. Bold hues catch our attention while subtle tones provide a sense of peace, drawing each person deeper into the artist’s narrative.

This summer, 1628 is thrilled to be showcasing 19 local and regional artists in our first exclusively abstract show, Not Quite Seen: Investigating How Artists Perceive the World. Presenting new ways of looking at the world, it is an exploration of form, color, and emotion, created and interpreted uniquely by artist and viewer. Featured in this show are artists Tom Owen, Emily Moores, Cedric Michael Cox, and Lindsey Graff.

 

Tom Owen is an abstract artist living and working in Northern Kentucky. Largely self-taught as an artist, he holds a B.S. in English literature and an M.A. in psychology, both of which inform his art-making and provided him successful careers in both the secondary and corporate education sectors. He left the corporate world in 2021 to paint full time. His work has been shown for the last twenty years in New York, Miami, Santa Fe, Cincinnati, the San Francisco Bay Area, and in private and corporate collections across the US. Owen’s art practice is influenced by both abstraction and minimalism, particularly aspects related to nature, identity, and the subconscious.

“My work has evolved over time, moving from organic shapes that floated on the canvas to more minimalistic, geometric forms that fill the entire space. My work is inspired by landscape, primarily, that is highly abstracted and distilled down to minimalist forms. I use subtle texture and layering to reflect the psychological experiences of the subject, sometimes a glimpse into childhood experiences or into the political realities of the current day. Within these forms is a subtle interplay of color and movement, inviting the viewer to look closer.”

 

Emily Moores is a visual artist living and working in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her work consists of hand-cut and ornately layered materials to create both wall works and large-scale installations. Her work investigates the playful engagement of the body as essential to understanding and experiencing spaces. Emily was selected as one of the Women to Watch 2020 by the Ohio Arts Council in collaboration with the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Emily has shown her work regionally and nationally, including at the Akron Art Museum, the Contemporary Arts Center, the Riffe Gallery (OH) the Loudon House (KY), and the Dougherty Arts Center (TX). Moores was a recipient of the Ohio Cultural Arts Individual Artist Award, the Summerfair Individual Artist Grant, and the ArtPrize Seed Grant.

“My intricate patterns and design elements playfully change and transform as individuals walk closer to my works. Play increases energy and releases positive endorphins to engage the viewer. The modern world is filled with constant stress. My goal is to empower an individual’s imagination. Simply looking and observing abstract art is play.”

 

Cedric Michael Cox is best known for his paintings and drawings that merge surrealism and representational abstraction. Cox’s paintings catapult color into rhythmic action with abstract and recognizable images that create compositions inspired by themes in music and the natural world. Working under several influences which include architecture and art history, Cox’s work ranges from the geometric, to the curvilinear, to floral-like forms, all dancing within surrealistic shapes. Cox’s past exhibitions include The Contemporary Arts Center of Cincinnati, The Weston Art Gallery, The Columbus Art Museum, Dayton Art Institute, Five Myles Gallery in Brooklyn, Museum of Science and Industry and Gallery Guichard in Chicago, and The Taft Museum of Art. In 2019, Cox’s work was on exhibit at 21c Museum Hotel in Cincinnati, and in 2020, he had a solo exhibition at James Ratliff Gallery in Sedona, Arizona. He recently had a 20-year retrospective exhibition at Caza Sikes Gallery and installed a body of commissioned work at the New Kinley Hotel Cincinnati. In 2021, a series of 64 paintings for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital was installed.

 

Lindsey Graff is an artist from Cincinnati, Ohio, and she currently resides in Newport, Kentucky. She attended Ohio State University and the College of DAAP at the University of Cincinnati for Fine Arts as well as a teaching certification in Art Education. She now does art therapy with people with special needs. She makes art because it is expressive, therapeutic, challenging, and fun. She greatly values meaningful connections with others through art.

“What shows up on the canvas may not represent anything recognizable. It comes entirely from a place of intuition where I abandon myself to color and movement. I become lost in placing feelings onto canvas, lost in the texture of the canvas and worlds created from the depths of value and hue. At the deepest level, the creative process arises from a single source: a kernel, a flame, a catalyst from within, birthed from the spirit of the universe. Intuitive painting allows me to listen to my inner truth and hone my emotional intelligence which I then try to carry with me daily. It helps me to truly be myself and trust my inner wisdom as I move through the world.”

 

 

Multiple pieces in this exhibition are for sale. If you are interested in seeing our most recently scanned exhibition Queen City Visual Narrative virtually, click here. If you are interested in purchasing any artwork from the show, please contact us at art@tamaras.wpenginepowered.com.”

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