THE TEA HOUSE: Melanie Parke Solo Exhibition

THE TEA HOUSE:  Melanie Parke Solo Exhibition

November 5 - 26

Opening Friday, November 5, 5pm-8pm

For her first solo exhibition at Meyer Vogl Gallery, Michigan-based artist Melanie Parke focused on feelings of comfort."The Tea House suggests what I want to convey in my still lifes and this body of work in particular: a welcome respite," Parke says. "Especially after a hard year. A place where the viewer can metaphorically slow down, pull up a chair, and feel welcome, wanted, and nurtured. Share in the warmth that tea brings."

Parke adds, "Light is the main character in my work. I find magic in watching refractions move across a table holding just a few objects. Composing a still life with the obvious identifiers -- a bouquet, a bowl of fruit -- what I want to give my viewer is that feeling of chasing light in a contemplative state of mind. I’m curious how light effects can make a chimera of things - a mutation - as if lifting the weight of what something is into something less knowable.

"Interiors and garden motifs are reconstructed through ideology and memory, from halcyon days spent in island cottages and Roman villas. Flowers, which represent friendships and the women in my life, center most of my work. The presence of birds suggests curiosity and wonder, sometimes allegories of fragility, sometimes euphoria. I’m looking for visual lushness. By alternating tonal moods and vivid ornamentation I aim to convey sensations of consolation, longing and desire."