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So this week has been productive and art-filled, to say the least. In addition to working on art and going to my friend's first solo exhibition in New York City, I also had my work exhibited in Montclair for the first time in a group exhibition titled "Across the Line". Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend the opening reception but I will stop by and sit in the gallery to greet guests in the coming weeks before the show comes down in April. The exhibition's theme highlights works utilizing lines in some form or another, whether the art is created with drawing or painting mediums.
Jay Golding, Keni at the Museum, 2022, Oil pastel on paper. Courtesy of the artist.
During my submission to this event, I thought about the theme and what types of works I had in my possession that I felt were a good fit. After going through my portfolio I remembered this loose and fun pastel drawing I did of my nephew Keni during our visit to an art museum a couple years ago. It just made sense so I submitted the drawing and went about my day, and now we're here.
To add some context to the words on the paper, the exhibit we saw was an animal exhibition that featured a video projection of an aquarium on the walls, and other immersive and visual displays of animals such as birds, big cats, etc. In the area with the aquarium projection were tables for parents to sit and draw with their children and this is where the paper came in asking to draw the animal they wish to save from a crisis such as palm oil pollution in the case of my drawing. At the time I wasn't paying much attention to what was written on the paper, I more so had a brief downtime moment and decided to draw Keni from life as he worked on his drawing of Sonic the Hedgehog (he's obsessed).
Across the Line is on view from March 15 to April 19, 2024, and features artwork from myself and 38 other artists at Studio Montclair Gallery.