We are very excited to have a two day show with Cassie Marie Edwards. Her work straddles an odd visual world so she fits perfectly with my interests. Artist statement by Cassie is below….

All Day Artist’s Reception: Saturday, April1, from 12 noon – 8 PM.
Show Hours: Saturday, April 1, 12 – 8 PM
Sunday, April 2, 12 – 5 PM
Gallery Talk: Sunday, April 2, 1 PM

Cassie Marie Edwards / Figurine
One of my earliest memories was in my great-Grandmother’s house. She had an entire wall filled with shelves of figurines. I was fascinated by these tiny porcelain objects that were strange and exaggerated versions of the animals they represented. When we visited I’d always spend time looking at them, while being instructed to keep my hands behind my back (of course). Even then, as a very young child, I remember finding such quiet joy in looking closely and carefully at these small mesmerizing forms.
My family moved often throughout my childhood and my possessions became a much-needed source of stability in my constantly shifting world. Ibegan collecting small porcelain horses and unicorns from garage sales and secondhand shops that I frequented in Milwaukee with my grandmother. I havealways been interested in the past lives of the objects in these places – and enjoyed scouring the remnants of peoples’ possessions for these mass-produced treasures.
In recent years, my desire to collect figurines was rekindled, which led me to begin using them as subjects for this series of paintings. I was interested in playing with the boundaries between the genres of still life and portraiture, and high and low art. I am also interested in exploring the limits of representation. Making this work is like a visual telephone game – they are paintings of painted porcelain objects. Many of the figurines are so distorted and exaggerated that sometimes it becomes hard to determine the animals they originally reference. I am intrigued by our ability to discernwhat these abstracted forms represent.
Within my paintings, I focus on subtly shifting color, composition, scale, and light within the still lives I paint directly from until I am content with how they impact the personality of the figurines. The figurines I am most drawn to are strange, comical, and sometimes slightly discomforting. In some of these works I intend to heighten the personalities of the figurines, and at other times I’m looking to completely alter the inherent qualities of these inanimate objects.

Cassie Marie Edwards is a Painter and Educator based in Oshkosh, WI. She holds a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Painting & Drawing from Northern Illinois University, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Painting & Drawing from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Currently she is an Instructor of Art at University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh and an Adjunct Online Professor at Dakota State University. Prior to her current positions, she was an Instructor of Record at Northern Illinois University in the School of Art.

Her paintings have been exhibited in Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, New York, Las Vegas, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis. Regionally, her work has been exhibited at the South Dakota Art Museum, the John A. Day Gallery at University of South Dakota, the Visual Arts Center at the Washington Pavilion, The North Dakota Museum of Art, The Dahl Arts Center, and the Isaac Lincoln Gallery at Northern State University.

Concord Fifty Five offers a stunning raw space that provides the pliancy and flexibility to facilitate a variety of events. Concord Fifty + Five’s talented and experienced team will work closely with you throughout to ensure that your event is seamless and outstanding. Conveniently located between Lincoln Park and Wicker Park, Concord Fifty + Five is just off of the Kennedy Expressway (90/94) at the North Avenue exit. Generous free street parking is available in the early evenings and all day on the weekends.
Aron Packer
Aron Packer Projects
7445 N. Campbell
Chicago, IL 60645

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