Sharon Feder: Open Allegory April 1 - April 29, 2023

Billis Williams Gallery is pleased to present Sharon Feder: Open Allegory, the gallery's third solo exhibition of the artist's oil paintings. The show opens on April 1st with an artist reception from 4-7pm and continues through April 29th.

This new body of work marks a significant evolution in Feder's work. Grounded in her earlier urban landscapes, these new compositions explore the intersection of the urban and the natural world as a metaphor for the complexities of the the human experience. These paintings speak to the angst of our post-industrial world; as the forms we construct and the terrain we inhabit mirror our notions of self, these images are thereby explorations of our solitude, our history, and our interconnection. In subject matter and through rhythmic compositions of form and color, the paintings document and celebrate the our existence.

Feder draws inspiration from specific cities (Denver and Los Angeles) however the location become irrelevant as she teases out the universal - these paintings could be anywhere. Their vibrant textured surfaces are created through the skilled manipulation of paint. Within each composition lies a tension between realism and abstraction; representation and the geometric. The linearity of these forms becomes the structure for her study of color, light, shadow, and reflection.

Feder writes, "The paintings are about the work of living: showing up for each moment - fearlessly and unconditionally - to discover what lessons are being offered and seeking the wisdoms within each experience."

Sharon Feder completed BFA coursework at the University of Washington, Seattle and received her BA in Fine Art from Regis University, Denver. Feder has exhibited extensively in the metropolitan Denver area and has shown with George Billis Gallery Los Angeles and New York. In 2014 Feder exhibited a large body of work at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art. She has painted over 60 murals and painting installations in commercial and residential venues, both interior and exterior in Aspen, Denver, Telluride and Palm Beach. She currently lives and works in Denver, CO.