BONEMACHINE | Jason Borders, Michele Melcher, Wolfbat
We are very very excited to present BONEMACHINE
A three person exhibition featuring new works from a few of our favorites:
Jason Borders
Michele Melcher
Wolfbat
Save the Date!
Opening reception is Friday, April 5th 7-10PM at 940 Royal
Jason and Michele will both be in attendance
Contact us to receive a collectors preview. Works will presell
Michele Melcher- Michele Melcher is a dark surrealist painter from historic Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Her work is heavily influenced by themes of memento mori, strange history, old master paintings and a life long delight in ghost stories and the supernatural.
An editorial illustrator-turned-fine art painter, she has shown her work in galleries nationally and internationally and has collectors in many corners of the globe.
When she is not out exploring a forgotten corner of a dusty antique shop you can usually find her in her studio within a converted circa 1861 brick schoolhouse where she lives with her husband and two black cats. The schoolhouse is not haunted.
Jason Borders- “My work is a form of self-hypnosis. It’s a way of turning off cognitive thought and simply reacting. Its very meditative. It is escapism, though in a certain sense, it’s a form of hyper-existence- of living purely in the moment. In this way the work becomes a method of overcoming fears. That said, a large part of what I do involves a familiarization with death. My belief is that, as painful as it can be, looking directly at death helps you to live your life with intent and purpose. In this light, the work I do delves into a place where the lines between life, death, fantasy and reality are blurred.”
Wolfbat- Dennis McNett is an interdisciplinary artist whose work conjures a synergistic storm of printmaking, sculpture, storytelling, and community.
A multifaceted maker of large-scale wood carvings, print editions, skateboard graphics, and beyond, McNett is also known for his iconic, larger-than-life woodcut print-covered puppets and masks that are used to lead narrative ceremonies and public processions. His unique happenings and workshops have been hosted by diverse art institutions, universities, music festivals, and special events across the US and abroad, including over thirty visiting artist and lecturer appointments.
McNett has a BFA from Old Dominion University and an MFA from Pratt Institute, where he taught from 2004 to 2013. Dennis studied under Bob Blanton of Brand-X Editions where he later was employed between 2001- 2004 to print works by artists such as Chuck Close, Helen Frankinthaler, Alex Katz and many others. He founded Wolfbat Studios in 2007 as a nomadic DIY workspace encompassing a fully functional printmaking studio, wood shop, and puppet/sculpture shop that has held space in NYC, Houston, Philadelphia, Richmond, Austin, and now Luray, VA.
His work has been displayed internationally in museums and galleries including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Me Collection Museum in Berlin, the MOHS exhibit in Copenhagen, Galleria Patricia Armocida, Milano, the Museum of Print History, Houston, TX, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Jacksonville, FL, the Schneider Museum of Art, Ashland, OR, Joshua Liner Gallery, NYC, Jonathan LeVine Gallery, NYC, and Known Gallery, LA.
His imaginative creations have filled the window displays of Barney’s in NYC and have appeared on dozens of Antihero skateboards. His print-collage-like murals can be found in major cities including NYC, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Richmond, VA. Articles about his work have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Artsy, Juxtapoz, Widewalls, and Artnet, among others.
A complete catalog of his fine art prints along with several of his sculptures are permanently archived at the Ft. Wayne Museum of Art. Additional permanent collections include the Library of Congress in DC, the Dean Collection, the New York Public Library Prints and Drawings Collection, Schneider Museum of Art and The Mexicarte Museum in Austin, TX.