Fantastic Narrative Brumfields Gallery April 12 - June 7

In keeping with Brumfield Gallerys exhibition schedule focusing on strong narratives, the gallery presents a group exhibition titled Fantastic Narrative. The show will feature the best artists, whose imagery and narrative border the fantastic and/or surreal art genres. These artists leave behind the more classic fantasty world of wizards, dungeons, and dragons, choosing instead their own other world reality, depicted through personal symbolism. Bill Carman produces work that both delights and astounds. Viewed as a whole, the artists work has some recurring imagery, a tendency that allows the work to come to life and draw viewers into an alluring alternative reality. Carman is unrestrained when allowing his subject matter to reveal itself and is able to execute his distinct imagery with an incredibly refined technique. His skill as a painter and creator of narrative combine in each work, as he balances humor and pathos.

Joseph Cowmans passion for art began in his early childhood and has remained the main driving force in his life. While he began creating with materials such as wood and metal scraps, he now focuses on painting. Growing up admiring fantasy artists, such as Arthur Rackham and N.C. Wyeth, spurred him to follow the genre. Like the other artists in this show, Cowman constructs surreal little worlds within each artwork. Meticulous detail and boundless imagination intermix in these watercolors to construct fantastic scenes. Doe-eyed heroines and lonely robots peer out, inviting us to share in their story. Gary McCauleys work explores the remarkable and unpredictable nature of the human condition. He utilizes universal matters, such as age or family, to lend a private complexity to his fantastical approach. His piece, Out of the Unremembered and Into the Unknown, portrays a character floating from a land of childhood toys and approaching the elements of technology common to adulthood, documenting his own passage from child to adult. While McCauleys artwork is skillfully rendered and visually fascinating, the use of significant life events draws viewers deeper into the artists work on very personal levels. Kyla Zoe Rafert focuses on scenes illustrating women and young girls. The characters, while outwardly exploring themes reminiscent of childhood and naievete, are meant to represent more mature themes. The artist means for these women to embody the perspective of a nostalgic adult, fictionalizing an overly romanticized past. She describes these scenes as exploring romantic notions such as the peril of curiosity, the potency of beauty, and the inevitable fall of innocence. In these confined scenes, she also explores the idea of perfectionism, largely inspired by Victoria era photographs and paintings. The female characters are trapped in a presumably perfect and beautiful world of color and pattern - brightly textured, yet inevitably static. Fantastic Narrative will open on Saturday, April 12 from 7 9 p.m. at Brumfields Gallery. The event will be open to the public and feature a no-host bar provided by 13th Street Pub & Grill. The show will continue through Saturday, June 7. For more information, please contact the gallery at (208) 333 0309 or gallery@brumfieldllc.com.

Brumfields Gallery 1513 N 13th Street Boise, ID 83702 www.brumfieldllc.com