BEAMING, On view at the Dudley Cafe from May 5th- July 4th, 2019

BEAMING: Aaron, 2019, acrylic, crayon and yarn on canvas, 24in round

BEAMING: Aaron, 2019, acrylic, crayon and yarn on canvas, 24in round

 

BEAMING:
An Exhibition Affirming Joy by Chanel Thervil  

At the beginning of the year, the winter winds and lack of sunlight made me yearn for brighter days. When I got the opportunity to be the Featured Artist at Dudley Cafe all I could think about was how much I wanted to see more depictions of joy in the neighborhood.

Despite all of the curve balls life can throw at us, we still find moments that generate light. Especially at Dudley Cafe! Whether it be in sharing muffins with old friends, meetings with new collaborators for a passion project, being nostalgic at Trivia night, or finding solitude in people watching as you sip your coffee, joy takes many forms.

Parallel to that, Beaming uses vibrant colors, a juxtaposition of sketchy and smooth line quality, and multi-layered fleshtones to capture glimmers of smiles, smerks, and laughs flaunted by people of color. As things continue to change in Dudley, it’s important that there is visibility for positive, affirming images like this to combat the negative ones that are so easy to find.