Don’t miss the current exhibit at Mattawoman Creek Art Center, “Nature Shining,” sculptured mixed media paintings by Thomas Xenakis. Mr. Xenakis’ series XYPSO (Gold) is an ongoing body of work inspired by the scarred and defaced surfaces of the Medieval Byzantine iconographic image. The technical layers of the panel are wood (sometimes paper, acrylic or glass), glue, linen, gesso, bole, gold, paint, and varnish. Manipulation of the surfaces create dimension through sculpting, carving, punching, weaving, incising, and stamping using both additive and subtractive methods. His work is about the dimensional vectors of contemporary life and the world we live in. In this exhibition these works visually address the nature of our planet with an ecological, biological, and cosmic visual focus. These works address creation in the human and the divine. The relationship between ourselves and our planet in our quest for beauty and wholeness is investigated. The gilded panels address the nature of light. Gold is symbolic of divinity but it is real, inner, and reflected light as well. Creativity (creation), enlightenment (light), and beauty (goodness) all are echoed through the use of gold leaf in these works. Mr. Xenakis teaches painting, drawing, and design at Georgetown University and Marymount [...]
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