Mia Araujo
“Into the Woods”
Featuring guest artist Nouar
Opening Reception Saturday, May 12, 2012 from 7‑10pm
On View May 12 – June 2, 2012
Corey Helford Gallery
8522 Washington Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232
T: 310-287-2340
www.coreyhelfordgallery.com
On Saturday, May 12, Los Angeles artist Mia Araujo returns to Corey Helford Gallery to unveil her first solo exhibition at the gallery, “Into the Woods.”
Mia is known for her beautiful and ethereal imagery, tempered with the darkness and horrors of reality. “The worlds I create are heavily charged with mysticism, magic, and mythology — things that I find mostly lacking in contemporary times,” she notes.
For “Into the Woods,” Mia drew inspiration from a variety of sources: Miyazaki’s film Princess Mononoke, the writings of John Muir, and Timothy Egan’s book The Big Burn. Her newest body of work is about connecting with the outdoors to go inward and discover your truest self. Nature is a sanctuary, and “a place to heal from all the exhaustion, stress, and wounds that each of us carry in our daily lives.” Mia adds, “I feel that people today need to be reintroduced to the raw power and beautiful honesty of nature, an experience that no manner of technology can ever replicate.”
Layered with the emotions, ghosts, memories, and dreams of the main figure in each piece, her narratives have matured in every sense – color, anatomy, detail and composition. “I love to tell stories with many facets, like a diamond,” Mia adds. The main floor of the gallery will showcase seven new paintings and ten drawings, including her largest piece to date, a 60” x 40” painting.
The upstairs gallery will feature “Confectionary Affections” a new body of work by Los Angeles artist Nouar. The title of the exhibition alludes to how “the sweet things in life can seamlessly lead into the not so sweet,” Nouar adds. “Dissolved,” is one of ten new works in the show illustrating this concept. In the piece, a bubbly bottle of pop bounces along with the remains of its hapless victim inside.
Nouar continues to feature confectionary-themed resin works created from a unique process of casting and then painting each one. However, For “Confectionary Affections” Nouar embeds objects inside, producing seamless combinations to further push the medium. For the exhibition, Nouar’s signature brightly-colored, sugary-sweet works are infused with darker flavors such as skeletons, apparitions, and symbols of mortality.
Nouar adds “It creates a literal sense that the good things and bad things in life, two opposing forces, can collide and meld into one.”
The opening reception for the “Into the Woods” and “Confectionary Affections” takes place Saturday, May 12 at Corey Helford Gallery. The reception is open to the public, and both exhibitions will be on view through June 2, 2012.
Mia Araujo
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Mia graduated as valedictorian from Otis College of Art and Design with a BFA in Illustration and a minor in Creative Writing. Fascinated by story and character, Mia’s paintings are “personality portraits” that illustrate the spirits, inner demons, conflicting emotions and imagination of her subjects. Mia currently shows her work in prominent galleries across the U.S., and her work has been published in ImagineFX, Spectrum, the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles, and the Creative Quarterly. For more information about Mia, please visit art-by-mia.com.
Nouar
In 2004, Nouar graduated from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. She has since worked in many artistic facets, including work as a background painter in the television animation industry, and as a freelance illustrator. As a painter, her love of animation, food and vintage ephemera, coupled with darker personal narratives continually act as an inspiration for her work, and her work has been exhibited in galleries worldwide. For more information about the artist, please visit noirnouar.com.
