Opening reception Friday, July 21 from 6-8 PM

West & TDP Galleries – Launchpad Biennial

Daniel Baird Miller, Christian Crowley, Casandra Cyr, Kyrsten Lane, Ethan Newman, Sydney Samele, and Megan Victoria.

The Five Points Launchpad was formed in partnership with the University of Hartford, Hartford Art School in an answer to the growing needs of art school graduates, and to encourage the cross-pollination of ideas. The Launchpad offers participants access to affordable shared studio spaces above Five Points Gallery, free access to the Five Points Arts Center, a serious arts community, mentorships, and exhibition opportunities.

Daniel Baird-Miller

Using a variety of old cameras and film, Dan creates alternatively processed photographs that combine cyanotype chemistry with hand-drawn details. Centered around his posthumous relationship with his father, he layers together vague memories, in an attempt to seek answers.

Christian Crowley

Crowley’s large, abstract, and energetic mixed-media paintings combine color, text, and symbols in an intuitive, unabashedly, and thoughtful manner. When talking about his work he simply states, “I am a vessel for creativity. I don’t like half-measures. I do not want art to be a part of my life… but my life to be a part of art.”

Casandra Cyr

Casandra’s ominous pen and ink illustrations speak to the horror and fantasy enthusiast; creating a sense of fear and paranoia in both the subject and atmosphere of the drawings. Her eerie depictions of the fictional monster, the “long-neck-man”, are part of an ongoing graphic novel she is working on.

Kyrsten Lane

Kyrsten’s mixed media paintings incorporate bold saturated colors, and organic line-work as a reflection of patterns she observes in nature. Using monochromatic palettes, Lane’s use of color possesses a quality that can command attention or divert the gaze while her linework creates sculptural illusions.

Ethan Newman

Ethan’s abstract expressionist paintings draw inspiration from his dreams and music influences. These layered gestural works oscillate between figuration and abstraction. Newman states, “I’m interested in these glimpses, and the feelings surrounding them, and that is part of what I’m after in my creative process. In my attempt to re-create them, however, I often discover something completely new along the way.”

Sydney Samele

As a printmaker, Sydney works between drawing and intricately carved multiple woodblocks to create her prints. She is greatly inspired by mythologies from around the world. While the importance of mythology is not always clear, these stories are rich in history, culture, and perspective. This series more specifically looks at flood mythos and transformations through water.

Megan Victoria

In her ongoing Extraterrestrial Series, Megan draws and paints chimera-like amalgamations that are inspired by the natural world, including plants, fungi, animals, and human anatomy. As the viewer draws their own narratives and questions around the origin of the figures, one may wonder if they originate from reality or fantasy.