FIRST FRIDAY at The Chase Gallery!
Come experience the celestial work of Drew Cliness from January 3 through February 28 at the Chase Gallery, and meet the artist on First Friday Jan 3 from 5:00 to 7:30pm!
Drew is an artist, builder, welder, fine craftsman, gatherer of knowledge and techniques. He grew up in the Midwest, learning art from the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown Ohio. From there, he moved to New York City and developed as a visual artist becoming active making and showing work for the next decade. His work is in private collections both nationally and internationally.
Since moving to Washington in 2007 he deliberately began focusing on star imagery in his artwork to hone his creative vision and experiment with a vast array of materials and techniques. Drew fully realizes the truth that the star shape and concept offer infinite possibilities and the manifestation of this is evident in his pieces. The results are, and continue to be, a large and varied body of work that spans mediums and forms, from graphite and colored pencil drawings to 3-dimensional mixed media wall pieces and sculptural works in a range of sizes and materials.
His works exemplify graphic design and industrial influences, while sustainably reimagining discarded and offcut pieces of functional objects into surprising artistic mediums. Crumpled Monopoly money becomes filler for empty glass vessels, sliced pool noodles suddenly become strong structural elements, and an 8-pointed star vibrates with the trapped energy of unlit matchsticks. Wood, concrete, steel and wire mesh in a choreography of assemblage and design, taking on a new elegant lightness in Drew’s starry visions. More recent works of steel, concrete and wood point to celestial shapes and motifs.
One senses Drew is playing with all things elemental and seeing just how far he can push each material and medium, while paying homage to the mysterious forces of nature that shape our world.