CONTRARY

to the laws of nature  

Contrary to the physical laws of nature, artists Mitchell Friedman, Manfred Menz, Lothar Schmitz, Melinda Smith Althshuler and Carrie Ungerman redefine and reinterpret the so-called natural world.

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Mitchell Friedman, using traditional techniques and materials combines painting with printmaking to construct his own earthscapes with a delightfully ominous prescence and a bit of a Dr. Suessian sensibility.

Manfred Menz uses deconstructed photo imagery from sites of famous landmarks, restaging a crisp presence of the remaining natural elements. His film background in Germany informs his conceptual art practice

Lothar Schmitz' sculptures reconfigure and question suburban landscape elements using Astroturf among other materials. His almost topiary-like treatments of landscape draw from his installation and physics background.

Melinda Smith Altshuler works with unique materials and photo imagery addressing conditions of translucency and change. Altshuler's work combines photo etching on panels made from transluscent or paper from teabags resulting in an ethereal study of shelters.

Carrie Ungerman has created large scale landscapes "drawn" with the rub-on landscape elements previously used by architects. These lyrical works reference traditional Japanese landscape brush paintings.