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Ophelia Cornet Art Exhibit March 8 & 9
Saturday March 8 reception from 4:00 - 6:00 PM & Sunday March 9 reception from 3:00 - 5:00 PM
$FREE
Ophelia is an award-winning artist whose lifelong passion for photography and oil painting has developed into a distinctive style pairing the two mediums. These surreal works fête female protagonists in snapshots of an intimate otherworldliness.
Ophelia Cornet was born in Belgium to a family of artists and designers. After moving to the United States, she pursued photography and painting at Rutgers University. Ophelia then made her home in New Mexico, where she served as Head Art Instructor of the Albuquerque Museum for 20 years. She now paints full time in her adobe studio, where she combines her lifelong passion for photography and oil painting into a distinctive multi-step technique she calls Fotura.
Artist Statement My work is Feminist, spiritual, and surreal. I create in response to a world that is excessively masculine, accelerated, and materialistic. The art comes forth from my desire for a sense of counter-balance, to remember that we can reconnect with ourselves, each other, and the natural world.
I portray women empowered in and by the fullness of their femininity—flourishing, resilient, and nurturing. I celebrate these qualities as not only vital for women, but for all people. My muses are often surrounded by powerful symbols. For example, pears are associated with individuality, fertility, and good luck. Eggs speak to me of the next generation. Being raised by my grandparents and raising three daughters, I see myself as one link in a long chain of ancestors.
The work also explores themes of a witness consciousness. This Eastern philosophy describes a calm state of awareness in which one doesn’t identify themselves with passing thoughts and feelings. My pieces often include symbolic hand positions called Mudras and symmetrically reflected figures to invoke this concept.
I reference recognizable sacred imagery from multiple cultures while simultaneously developing a personal, instinctive language of symbols. Each piece is an intimate reflection of my inner world, yet they are offered to viewers in an open-ended style, allowing each person to form their own emotional impressions.
The mode of art-making also lends itself to this sense of alchemy and fluidity, allowing the subconscious to flow into surreal compositions. I call the style Fotura (fotografía y pintura). It is a distinctive technique blending my lifelong passion for original photography and oil painting. The multi-step process involves posing and photographing the model; printing, cutting, assembling images; and applying layers of plaster and paint to actualize the vision.
More about the Artist: www.opheliacornet.com/
Contact Name: Sunset Parlor
Contact E-mail Address:
Contact Phone Number: 9153080037
