Cloud 9

Exhibition Dates: September 28-October 8, 2021

Happiness is a journey, not a destination. The pandemic, that consumed much of this past year, made so many people assess their lives and determine what was truly important. If we polled the people who took stock, we believe things like family and friends would be at the top of the list but we think there would also be ideas like a clear work and life balance and taking time to rest. The coronavirus is a period of time for people to relearn how to create happiness within overlooked experiences. Josh and Emma believe that through their bright, colorful works documenting both experiences people still miss and the mundane experiences we continue to have, their works are great examples of celebrating joy in the small things. Emma’s work tackles the ideas of simple pleasures in knit and crochet objects. Through the use of bright colors and the absurd relationship of the material to the subject matter, Emma believes these objects obviously portray ideas of fun. She misses regular birthday parties most of all in the pandemic and wants to reference it in her pieces in the show. Outside of that, the knit shoes and the neon tiger rug have a clearer connection to decoration of our homes and our body. Emma is interested in how happiness is curated in our homes and in how people clothe themselves and believes both types of self-representation are crucial in our daily lives. Josh’s work also continues to tackle ideas of small joys but in mediums of paint, and occasionally glasswork. All of Josh’s pieces have elements of movement and intense color while harkening back to futurism. Included in this show are his paintings “College Still Life” and “Joy” as well as other acrylic paintings that show case experiences people miss. “College Still Life” showcases objects that, like Emma’s shoes and rug, express an individual personality and the feeling of being self-content. “Joy” illustrates the feelings associated with being away from home while at school which are always a mix of melancholy and happiness. It is in receiving photos from home, like a dog dressed up for Halloween, that we stay connected to places and people at home. Josh’s paintings in progress include dancers and musicians with both reference his personal heritage as well as his own passions for live performance. In the same way Emma misses parties, Josh misses dancing and live music. It is through these paintings that the experience of happiness is shown. The other connecting factor between Josh and Emma’s works are the use of color. Each piece references self-expression and satisfaction through work or a hobby and that reference is completed by bright colors. Josh is particularly attracted to using parings of colors like pink and blue, and orange and green. Emma uses the same color schemes of pinks, oranges and blues. Both artists believe that fun and simple joys are obvious in their collective color palette.