Upcoming Exhibition: GRRRLS Like Us (Nov 7 - Dec 3)

I'm excited to announce that I will be part of "GRRRLS Like Us" - an art exhibition at the Village Theater in Canton, Michigan from Tuesday, November 7 - Sunday, December 3, 2017. This is a two-person show I'm sharing with Mariel Collins, a fellow colored pencil artist (and someone I went to high school with), and we both will have several large-format colored pencil drawings on display.

The opening reception is November 7 from 7 - 9 pm. There will be free wine, cheese/crackers, and homemade cookies to enjoy while you look at our kick-ass colored pencil drawings, so if you are in the metro-Detroit area, please come check it out! (Click here to see the Facebook event.)

The drawings that I will be contributing to the exhibition include:

• 30 Days - Size 22"x30"
• 28 Years - Size 22"x30"
• Race Bouquet (Stronger Together) - Size 19"x25"
• Gender Bouquet (Stronger Together) - Size 19"x25"
• Sexuality Bouquet (Stronger Together) - Size 19"x25"
• Religion Bouquet (Stronger Together) - Size 19"x25"
• Class Bouquet (Stronger Together) - Size 19"x25"
• Ability Bouquet (Stronger Together) - Size 19"x25"
• White Poinsettia - Size 8"x10" (on tan paper)
• Hydrangea Hues - Size 8"x10"
• Endurance - Size 8"x10"
• Anticipation - Size 8"x10" (on tan paper)
• Shame - Size 8"x10" (on tan paper)
• Dying Roses - Size 5"x7"
• Norfolk Rose - Size 5"x7"
• Radiant Dahlia - Size 5"x7"
• Flowering Herb - Size 5"x7"
• Pink Impatiens - Size 5"x7"
• Purple Rose Trio - Size 5"x7"
• White Rose - Size 5"x7"
• Tulip Bouquet on Purple Ground - Size 5"x7"
• Rose with a Hint of Purple - Size 5"x7" (on tan paper)
• Rose with a Hint of Aqua - Size 5"x7" (on tan paper)

(Unless otherwise noted, the drawing is on black paper.)

All of these drawings will be matted and framed and available for purchase during the length of the exhibition. Anything that doesn't sell at the Village Theater I will be listing on Etsy in December.

In the meantime, you can purchase notecard prints of many of these drawings in my Etsy shop now.

"28 Years" Colored Pencil Drawing by Andrea Arbit - Size 22"x30"

Below are my bio and artist statement for these drawings that I submitted to the Village Theater.

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ARTIST BIO

Andrea Arbit graduated with a BFA in watercolor and graphic design from Eastern Michigan University in 2010. Her artwork has been exhibited at the Scarab Club in Detroit, in EMU galleries, in the pop-up Downtown Rochester Gallery Art Stroll, and at the Paint Creek Center of the Arts. Her award-winning senior honors thesis, "Flower Symbolism as Female Sexual Metaphor" - which infused historic and cultural symbolism into a series of watercolor paintings of radiant, concealed, wilting, and injured roses - was featured on ARTV's "L'Art Erotique" television program in Quebec in 2016. 

Andrea grew up in Canton and has loved drawing with colored pencils on dark backgrounds for more than a decade - ever since taking Intro to Art, Drawing/Sketching, and AP Art at Salem High School. She currently resides in Rochester Hills.

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ARTIST STATEMENT

I use symbolism in my artwork to add layers of meaning to traditionally beautiful floral scenes. These symbols come from art and literature created by different cultures throughout history, and from the explicit code the Victorian Era left us, which assigned plants to specific emotions, characteristics, or messages. On top of this foundation, I also build new metaphors, where I bring in my own interpretations, feelings, and aspirations by carefully considering a flower's color, appearance, age, or placement within a composition.

Some of these drawings tell personal stories, made more accessible through the use of flower symbolism. My drawing titled "30 Days" depicts my emotional and physical health over a thirty-day period. By contrast, "28 Years" attempts to chronicle my entire life to date, summarizing each year with a mini-drawing of two plant species.

Other drawings make political statements. My six-piece "Stronger Together" series uses an assortment of flower species to represent differences in race, gender, sexuality, religion, social class, and ability. Each drawing demonstrates the beauty found in diversity by grouping two dozen different plants into a single arrangement, and asserts that our society would be better off if we recognized, respected, and celebrated everyone - not in spite of their differences, but because of them. 

Though I put a lot of effort into infusing meaning into my works, I'm also open to other's unexpected interpretations. I'm a firm believer that art is about connection. Once art is released into the world, it does not live in a vacuum; it can change and grow with exposure, and becomes, at least in part, what other people make it. However, if you would like to read more about the symbolism I intended, and the process of creating these drawings - from conception to sketching to final product - please visit my blog at untilthewaterfalls.blogspot.com.

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I'm very excited to be a part of this exhibition alongside the talented Mariel Collins! Please come out to the Village Theater to check out our drawings - we'd love to see you there! :)