An invitation for our Northwest PA followers:
We are pleased to invite you to visit Karma Coffee Co.
to enjoy our latest project in collaboration with local students!
Paintings by CJ Hurley
paired with
Poetry and Narratives by
Venango Catholic High School Students:
Catherine Buchanan Zachary Gillispie
Allison Fry
Josh Puleo Jenna Ronchi
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"Art is born of the observation and investigation of nature"
- Cicero
The show at Karma is
a display of
poetry and other literary works that local studen
ts wrote in response to paintings they selected at our spring exhibit. This spec
ial collaborative exhibition marks the
final phase of our
"Houses, Landscapes, Flowers & Dreams" project which has been supported by Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts and Erie Arts and Culture.
In April, the students visited our solo exhibit which was dedicated to the importance of Nature, and with it, attendant concerns over the health of the environment, sustainability, and how to live alongside and in accord with nature.
Teacher,
Cindy Eckert, says the students really connected with the message of the exhibition.
"Our student body, on the whole, is globally minded, has respect for diversity in culture and beliefs, and are very environmentally conscious."
"Through studying art, our students have found a fine sense of the place that art and nature holds in the grand scheme of what is important in life - things that go beyond basic book learning and actually help to deepen life experiences, heightens the appreciation of things, and makes deeper spiritual connections to the world around us."
"Look deep into nature, and then you will
understand
everything better
."
- Albert Einstein
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We are pleased that we made this collaboration a part of our project and got the support needed to pull it together. The students really did a terrific job. There is a lot of insight in their writing, and some very well written passages. What they wrote is very different from the writings CJ has done to accompany his own art, and that's what makes this project so compelling --
"
the opportunity to see how others respond to my artwork, interpret the paintings, and handle the art through their own creativity."
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Local emerging artist, Ashley Ramos, visited the exhibit and shared her response to the creative writing.
"I highly recommend those who haven't already to stop by Karma Coffee Co. to see CJ Hurley's work exhibiting there. I was SO IMPRESSED and inspired by the words of these young writers. The freedom and individuality represented really made my heart swell. I'm proud of the students and thank Barbara and CJ for shining a light on our local youth!"
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If you visit, you will find the student work in the back corridor (Elm Street entrance) where it is easy
to get up close for reading. To round out the show and fill the rest of the venue, a greater selection of paintings from "Houses, Landscapes, Flowers & Dreams" was hung on the Seneca Street side of Karma to accompany the student exhibit.
On view now, through August 19th.
Karma Coffee Co.
Hours:
237 Seneca Street
M-F 7am-4pm
Oil City, PA 16301
Sa-Su 8am-2pm
More information and questions:
Our Studio: 814.493.8642
Karma: 814.493.8628
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Insight From CJ
"I created Houses Landscapes Flowers & Dreams as an expression of my love for Nature. Whether by studies of individual flower species, landscape paintings, images of houses acting in harmony with nature, or attempts at expressing a mystic understanding of the natural world, the work stresses the importance of humankind's relationship to nature, the relevance of nature to our well being, and the health of the earth."
"My paintings in this series suggest a kind of lost idyllic that we need to get back to. I think the world is sorely in need of a mind-shift - one that hearkens back to late 18th century Romanticism."
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Thank you to our Supporters!
Putting on a professional show takes a tremendous amount of work and a budget that is most often out of reach for independent artists.
We are grateful to Erie Arts and Culture for awarding us a grant to cover a portion of the expenses related to this project. We are also honored to have support from our local business community to help offset expenses for for the community engagement and student collaboration portion of the exhibit.
Bridge Builders Community Foundations
Short Street Motorcars
The Yellow Dog Lantern Restaurant
Clifford's Carpets and Rug Outlet
State Street Furniture
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|  hand-painted friezes, interior and exterior color, design and consultation, watercolor paintings, mixed media art CJ Hurley Century Arts; 503.234.4167; www.cjhurley.com  All Design ©
CJ Hurley Century Arts 2018
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