We are pleased to invite you to join us
for a wine and hor d'oeuvres reception
for Roycroft Renaissance Master Artist, CJ Hurley's
"Houses, Landscapes, Flowers and Dreams"
at The Graffiti Gallery in the
historic National Transit Building
Oil City, Pennsylvania
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ARTIST'S RECEPTION
Friday, April 20th
5-8 pm
free to the public
"Study nature, love nature,
stay close to nature.
It will never fail you."
- Frank Lloyd Wright
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Blood rain beats on the
hard cold ground turned to muck.
The white iris shines pure.
-CJ Hurley
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Houses, Landscapes, Flowers, & Dreams
is an exhibition of drawings, paintings, poetry & narratives. The art and words unite in an interactive & symbiotic relationship; the poems and narratives enhance the art and the art gives visual substance to the words. With nature as the inspiration, the work urges people to view our environment differently.
W
e are truly excited to
have the opportunity
to share this work in western Pennsylvania. The beautiful landscapes and natural beauty of this area
have provided inspiration for the newest pai
ntings in the series. We are thankful for the opportunity to share the exhibit with support
from our lo
cal business community
and an artist grant from Pennsylvania
Partners in the Arts, through Erie Arts and Culture Council.
What has become CJ's most popular ongoing series of paintings,
first debuted in Portland, OR in 2011, and has since been exhibited at Frank Lloyd Wright's Gordon House in Silverton, OR, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI, at the Chur Gallery on the historic Roycroft Campus, in East Aurora, NY and in Pasadena, CA.
The original exhibition consisted of 26 drawings and paintings, and the body of work has grown to over 50 pieces, allowing CJ to explore new territory and technique along the way.
The Oil City exhibition is composed of pieces drawn from the entire body of work, plus 10 new paintings.
To learn more about this body of work,
here is a link to an article
about the exhibition from when it appeared at Frank Lloyd Wright's Gordon House.
"Nature: The unseen intelligence which loved us into being
."
- Elbert Hubbard
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On exhibit at the Graffiti Gallery
in the historic National Transit Building
210 Seneca Street
Oil City, PA 16301
Reception
April 20, 2018
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Free and open to the public. Friends
and family are most welcome!
If you are unable to make the reception, the show will be open through May 26th,
Thursdays 4-6:30; Fridays 3-6:00; Saturdays 11-4:00;
or by appointment.
If you are driving from out of town and would like to enjoy a full day in the area, there are many great things to do. Come enjoy the art and then explore our region!
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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."
"I think humankind has disconnected itself from nature. We are so absorbed with our gadgets and machines that we often don't think about where we fit in the natural world. Instead, we are prone to two actions:
1. Shaping the the world to fit us, rather than fitting us to the world, and
2. Carrying on in a manner that absolutely disregards nature - and doesn't take into consideration our impact on nature."
"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."
In conjunction with the show, I'll be doing a lecture on the Romantic Period. The talk discusses this age in human history where nature was revered. I'll also point out aspects of this time period that I feel are pertinent to the sustainability of the world today."
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Save These Dates!
If you are interested in the educational events scheduled to accompany the exhibit, details are below. Both events are free and open to the public.
Location:
Auditorium - Rhoades Center, Venango College; 1801 W 1st St, Oil City
Art History Lecture: The Romantic Legacy In Art and Literature
Saturday, May 5th
10:30am-12:00pm
A discussion of the Romantic Movement of the 18th & 19th centuries, including Art, Poetry and Fiction. CJ will offer his insight into Romanticism's continuing presence in the modern world. More information here.
Documentary Screening--From Dystopia to Utopia: The Artistic Visions of CJ Hurley
Tuesday, May 15th
6:00pm-7:00pm
The 25 minute long documentary tells the story of CJ's primary artistic influences from childhood to today and highlights how his career has evolved to the work he is doing today, always focused on his core values as a person.
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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 exhibit. We are also honored to have support from our local business community to help offset expenses for the exhibit as well as our educational programs for the community and local students.
Bridge Builders Community Foundations
Short Street Motorcars
The Yellow Dog Lantern Restaurant
Clifford's Carpets and Rug Outlet
State Street Furniture
Baytree Farm
Special Thanks for Reception Assistance to:
Mary Beth Allio Dunn
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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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