In an exhibit at Mackerel Sky Gallery of Contemporary Craft, located at 217 Ann St., Barbara Hranilovich shows the depth of her artistic abilities in a range of mediums. The exhibit, "Unfinished Business," is a combination of individual pieces and smaller collections Hranilovich has created.
The inspiration for the exhibit - on display through Sept. 20 - came from Hranilovich's "red folder," a place where she stores ideas until she can work on them.
Her artistic statement read, "There are so many things I've wanted to try; themes to revisit, new surfaces to explore, images that won't quite let me rest."
The project supposedly emptied out her red folder.
Hranilovich has a distinct style; it's whimsical yet bold. Almost all of her pieces are intriguing because of their content and good quality.
One style of artwork Hranilovich experimented with is Tokonoma. Her series of four acrylic paintings called "Vivaldi Tokonoma" is derived from the Japanese practice of decorative wall scrolls and art objects normally reserved for formal tea houses.
The four pieces in her Tokonoma series give reverence to the four seasons. Each painting is very richly colored. The viewer can see the brush strokes in the painting, which add a certain texture.
Hranilovich also dabbled with a new form of medium - Yupo. Yupo is a synthetic paper which, according to its Web site, is durable, waterproof and has an extremely smooth finish that makes colors more vibrant.
The painting "I Can Fly" is an example of acrylic on Yupo. It illustrates a girl in a bright yellow dress who seemingly floats among the clouds. The blues and purples of the clouds are vibrant but do not overwhelm the focus on the girl. Large brush strokes and finger marks give this painting an impressionist effect.
There are a few smaller bronze sculptures in the exhibit as well. While not the highlight of the show, they offer the visitor another type of artwork to appreciate.
True to Hranilovich's technique, these sculptures are very stylized. The piece "Patience" is of a human figure with little birds perched on its outstretched arms. The figure's hips are large and exaggerated.
The hips of the sculpture mimic another one of Hranilovich's paintings, "So Self-assured," which hangs near it. The painting is a bit more abstract than her other pieces and shows a woman with enormous hips riding a horse. The colorful purples, pinks and yellows give the impression that the character is a circus performer.
While Hranilovich's work isn't controversial or edgy, her pieces are soft, sometimes romantic and very beautiful. A quick stop by the gallery is definitely worth the time. It's interesting just to see the range of mediums the artist works with.
