Roads, Rivers, Paths (& other places I love)
When we asked Harrison Center studio artist Jed Dorsey to create a body of work for the Harrison Gallery last year, he was working full time with a high school mentoring program and painting when he could find the time. This summer, Dorsey made the leap to full time artist. We caught up with him recently to talk about the transition and about the work in his upcoming solo show.
Dorsey comes from a long line of artists that includes both of his parents and several siblings. He said that the decision to make art full time has deepened his sense of connection with the other artists in his family. In fact, six pieces in his new show are the result of a collaboration with his sister, painter April Nelson. This was a first for Dorsey and it was clear that he took great delight in the experience, which found them sometimes passing work back and forth, but often working on a large canvas simultaneously. He said, "I learned a lot because we paint very differently. We both have a very strong sense of what we like." Dorsey brings his knowledge and experience of working in acrylic, while Nelson brings "a real eye for design and a more aggressive approach."
Rose Study (l) and Bouquet Study (r), Jed Dorsey and April Nelson
The title, Roads Rivers, Paths (& other places I love) reflects Dorsey's love of the idea of a journey—he enjoys walking, and described a real appreciation for the path, for example, that a river takes. He describes the paintings themselves as "a journey for the eyes." Much of the work in this show was inspired by familiar Indianapolis places—Holliday Park, Eagle Creek and also camping and road trips driving from Indy to his home state of Washington.
Yesterday's Road
His favorite painting in the show? Yesterday's Road (shown above) because it reminds him of so many roads he has traveled, and the way the sunlight streams through the trees.
Roads, Rivers, Paths (& other places I love) opens this Friday in the Harrison Gallery with an artist reception from 6 to 9pm. The work hangs through August 26th.