Carey Corea earned a BFA from RIT College of Art and Design in 1969. He enrolled with the vision of becoming a painter. At the conclusion of his junior year, Corea embarked on a career in commercial art. Along with two fellow students, he formed a design agency while still attending college. After decades of serving the design and promotional needs of local and national businesses, Corea once again turned his attention to drawing and painting.
This exhibition, "Embracing Paradox," features Corea’s most recent work along with paintings from the last decade. The paintings have been painted with encaustic medium. Invented by the Greeks, it is one of the most ancient paints known to mankind. Encaustic paint is created with a beeswax binder, pigments and tree sap that acts as a hardener.
The show is on view from Aug. 28-Oct. 12 in University Gallery, with a reception set for 5-7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13 (artist remarks at 5:30 p.m.).
The paint is applied to an absorbent surface, usually a wood panel. During the painting process, the medium is kept in a molten state on a heated palette and must be rapidly applied. Each brush stroke of paint requires “fusing” which is a process of slightly re-melting the wax to ensure adherence to the layer underneath.
“I’m deeply concerned with the forces that surround and influence the artist. We live in a world where the process of disintegration occurs parallel to the process of integration. My work reflects this paradox. I believe that the inspiration that we are blessed to receive should be in the service of advancing the process of integration; to elevate the spirit of the beholder, to bring joy to their hearts, to provide a source of comfort and tranquility for troubled souls, and possibly to open the mind to reflect on the mysteries of life.” - Carey Corea
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