Billboard Clouds by Johnny McKee. Acrylic on panel.

Six favorite Harrison Center artists have come together to create a wonderful exhibit that will hang in the Harrison Gallery during January 2021. Johnny McKee, Kate Oberreich, Kipp Norman, Josh Rush, Megan Jefferson and Alicia Zanoni have joined forces to display a collection that manages to be consistent and diverse at the same time.

The name of the show is “Pareidolia”, which refers to the “tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern.” (Merriam-Webster) Warning: if you Google the word pareidolia, prepare to fall down a rabbit hole. There is even a YouTube video tutorial on how to pronounce the word.

An often used example of pareidolia is the experience of being able to see different shapes in the clouds, hence the artists took the theme of clouds as their prompt for the work in this show. Artist Johnny McKee explains why this created such a thought provoking display.

He writes, “Using clouds as a subject allows for a greater sense of experimentation with materials, technique, imagery and content. The prompt led me to create paintings using house paint, spray paint and rollers from the local hardware store, adding to the idea and spirit of experimenting. The concept of clouds and what they represent in regards to creating a personal narrative was similarly limitless. In one painting they can represent loss and grief, and in the very next can evoke feelings of foreboding, loneliness or hope.”

May New Suffering Torment Your Soul by Johnny McKee. Acrylic , Shellac on canvas.

The resulting exhibit is fresh and exciting. Standing at the doorway to the gallery feels like I am stepping into an imaginary vacation on an island in the sea. The colors and textures I am met with are refreshing and alluring! These artists used the opportunity to express their own unique voices while pushing themselves into uncharted territory. For example, I’m a fan of the lovely pleine aire landscapes that Josh Rush is famous for, and so it’s intriguing to know that his inspiration for work in this show was a cloud painting done by a six-year-old artist named Linnae. He used her child’s eye view to create work that is playful and intuitive.

All of the artists created highlights within this collection. Kate Oberreich’s work is so fresh and bold that I want to wrap it all up and take it home with me to energize my living space! Her masterful use of color and texture produces dramatic results, and the imagination that saw fit to do what she did to that globe is a gift.

Megan Jefferson’s work is dreamy and ethereal. Her take on clouds is that she isn’t as concerned with rendering images that are accurately representational of how the clouds actually look. Rather, she works to express the emotions that the clouds create. Her pieces are airy and evocative.

I Want to Pass it on by Megan Jefferson. Oil on canvas.

Kipp Norman’s collages are simple but rich. It’s as if he shows us that clouds could be seen anywhere and in anything, and then he splashed them with a healthy helping of his always present humor. Like, what’s a cloud without a blimp floating by?

I don’t want to meet the person who isn’t drawn to Alicia Zanoni’s luscious landscapes. It feels as if she has mixed colors that never existed before she came to her palate and got to work. It’s as if I am entering a fantasy world, even as her skill and technique remind me of the work of Renaissance masters. I can’t say enough about her beautiful artwork.

A Thrill of Hope, the Weary World Rejoices by Alicia Zanoni. Oil on linen.

I can’t close without paying homage to one of my favorite pieces in the show. The found object assemblage done by Johnny McKee hangs immediately inside the gallery entrance. It was made using corbels from a house that was built in the eighteen hundreds, and combined with the shadows it casts on the white wall behind it, it is a wonderful representation of a wispy little cloud and a perfect example of the concept of pareidolia.

Each of these artists have their own very unique and even recognizable styles, and each has created cloud studies that reflect their own voice. The energy that is formed by the juxtaposition of these styles is fresh and joyful. If you’re able to make an appointment to mask up and come to the Harrison Center to see this and other shows, I don’t believe you’ll be disappointed!