An artist reception will take place November 12, 2022, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Visitors to the exhibit will be able to smell each unique scent that inspired the paintings, allowing for an immersive experience and a deeper connection to each artwork.
Abstract paintings by Reno artist, Erika Mayoral will accompany Joanna’s work in the 2-person show.
The idea for the painting series grew out of an inquiry Joanna received from an acquaintance who was launching a new perfume brand. He asked if she would interpret his olfactive creations as original paintings. That project was put on a back burner, but Joanna was intrigued about pursuing the concept independently.
In January 2022, Joanna received an artist’s grant from the Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts to partially fund the series. With this project, she was able to merge a personal interest with her professional painting practice. In 2016, she inadvertently fell into the hobby of collecting new and vintage perfumes. It satisfied the need for escapism from the daily mundane and that of a treasure hunt.
When the pandemic began in 2020, stories started to emerge of people losing their sense of smell. Joanna became interested in this unusual symptom, which was minor in comparison to the much more devastating outcomes of COVID-19, but nonetheless, caused diminished quality of life for those who suffered from long-term anosmia (the loss of the sense of smell) after infection. Anecdotally, people often dismiss the sense of smell because it’s in the background and invisible. But evolutionarily, it serves to protect us from danger and alert us to good things to eat.
For each work, Joanna sourced a perfume from her collection and scented her studio while she painted. Working intuitively, she used her senses to paint color and form. A diverse array of abstract paintings emerged from this experimental approach. She answered a call to artists for unique and innovative exhibitions from the Potentialist Workshop in January 2022. The curator was excited by the concept and asked to exhibit her experimental project.
The Potentialist Workshop Gallery is open by appointment only, but the artists will be hosting frequent “gallery hours” during the month of November. These times will be posted on Instagram, follow @joannadrakos.art and @do_you_have_wonder (Erika) and @potentialist_workshop for details and updates.
An artist reception is scheduled for November 12, 2022, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Source: Reno artist uses the sense of smell to inspire abstract paintings in new exhibit | Art | 2news.com
