SHANNON NOVAK'S LATEST INSTALLATION IN NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand artist Shannon Novak, whose work was recently featured in our summer exhibition "Merge," has installed a new series of paintings and sculptural works in the exhibition "Augmented Chords" at White Heart in New Plymouth, New Zealand.  Take a look at this unusual space and what Novak has done with at

http://www.shannonnovak.com/works/Pages/Augmented_Chords.html

Shannon Novak - "Augmented Chords" installation view

SHANNON NOVAK - SEMITONE SHIFT and MY MENDING HEART CD's AVAILABLE AT PLUS IN CONJUNCTION WITH "MERGE" EXHIBITION

Semitone Shift 

This is Shannon Novak's debut album, an experimental album that seeks to blur the lines between music and fine art. It is made up of nine instrumental piano tracks that explore the emotional change in a piece of music when a note is shifted up one semitone. With each track, Novak created an artwork that was exhibited in Auckland, New Zealand. The audience could view a work and listen to the accompanying track at the same time. The compositions have been designed to allude to the leaf form found in nature, starting off with single notes (the stem of a leaf), moving into a greater breadth of notes (the middle of the leaf), then tapering out at the end with single notes again (the end of a leaf).

My Mending Heart

This is Novak's second album and is more of a traditional album made up of tracks written a number of years ago but never recorded until now. They were written during a time in Novak's life when he was much younger, more isolated, and wrestling with new and emotionally intense experiences with the heart. 

Both albums are available on iTunes and CD.

PLUS GALLERY UNVEILS THE "CHARNIVAL" AND OTHER EXQUISITE, AFFORDABLE ARTWORKS TONIGHT FOR "MERGE" 11 YEAR ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION

Join Plus Gallery tonight from 7-10pm to celebrate our 11 year anniversary with the unveiling of the exhibition "Merge," one of our most unique endeavors to date, a show that surrounds the viewer with a major massing of small-scale artworks by three distinct artists.  Matt O'Neill delivers a set of sketchbook drawings that are odd and intricate, merging a contemporary vibe with the influence of some of the artists European painting heroes. Eric Shumake unleashes his "Charnival" series of study paintings on the public for the first time, a body of work with deep philosophical and social implications, and one of the more fascinating we've had the pleasure to watch unfold to date. New Zealand artist Shannon Novak surrounds both artists with works from his experimental installation "One Song, Three Composers," a mind-blowing interpretation of sound through form and color that was first presented at CentralTrak gallery in Dallas earlier this year.

Each artist has over 40 works on view in the space, the installation of which has been designed to weave the artists works together in its own distinct way.  The scale and nature of the artworks lend them to being some of the most affordable we've ever presented in one exhibition, providing a little something for every pocketbook. Novak has sent us multiple copies of his two music cd's "Semitone shift" and "My mending heart," which will also be available for purchase. There is much to take in with this singular experience that closes out the summer calendar at Plus Gallery, on view through August 17th.

Susan Froyd with the Westword previewed the exhibition on her Show and Tell Blog yesterday, which can be viewed at

http://blogs.westword.com/showandtell/2012/07/merge_plus_gallery_shannon_nov.php?fb_action_ids=3962952365105&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582

The statements about each artists works for the exhibition are as follows:

Eric Shumake - The Charnival

"My current artistic practice is a series of paintings mixing ash and acrylic entitled Charnival: a carnival where everyone is on fire, painted in the style of old carnival posters. They poignantly bring to light the burning ephemera of our existence from our mortality, our identity, our environment, to our yearning for spiritual truth. In life everyone walks around like everything is fine, but often are secretly on fire with fear, jealousy, passion, anger, or whatever. Things that seem like harmless fun turn into addictions. It's like candyland after adolescence. Just as global warming takes time to appear, painting them as turn of the century carnival posters makes them like warning signs from 100 years ago, ironically painted with the very ashes from the apocalypse they predict."

JOIN PLUS GALLERY NEXT WEEKEND TO CELEBRATE 11 YEARS IN DENVER

FRIDAY, JULY 27TH FROM 7-10PM

"MERGE" EXHIBITION RECEPTION AND 11 YEAR CELEBRATION

Featuring a wide assortment of excellent, super-affordable small-scale works by Denver artists Eric Shumake and Matt O'Neill, along with New Zealand's Shannon Novak.

SATURDAY, JULY 28TH @ 8PM

JANET FEDER AND SUSAN ALCORN MUSIC PERFORMANCE

$10 suggested donation, RSVP to ivar@plusgallery.com to reserve a seat for that night.  Learn more about the artists performing that night at http://www.janetfeder.com  and  http://www.susanalcorn.net 

SUNDAY, JULY 29th @ 2PM
DENVER FILM CENTER PRESENTS "TASTEMAKERS ON TASTE

Plus Gallery owner Ivar Zeile is joined by Robin Rule and Tina Goodwin to share films that are influential on their contemporary aesthetics.  A singular program that should be highly entertaining.

MATT O'NEILL DRAWINGS ON VIEW AT GREAT DIVIDE BREWERY...PRECURSOR TO PLUS GALLERY SUMMER SHOW

Where are you going to find one of the best exhibitions of drawings in town?  At Great Divide's most popular watering hole, the Tap Room at 2201 Arapahoe St. just a couple of blocks from Plus Gallery. Denver artist Matt O'Neill began a series of sketchbook drawings in ballpoint pen during time spent in South America in 2011. The resulting "South America" series is a wellspring of artistic flair and spontaneity, engaging in a broad range of symbolism that capitalizes on O'Neill's fluid artistic language. When asked to contribute the works to this exhibition at Great Divide, O'Neill crafted several directly in response to the unique "brewery" environment in a way that honors the complexity and joy found within.


Matt O'Neill has been a prominent part of Denver's contemporary art scene for over 20 years, with works in the permanent collection of the Denver Art Museum and an exhibition record that includes the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, the Aspen Art Museum, the Singer Gallery at the Mizel Center for Arts and Culture, Rule and T-Judish Arts and most recently the group exhibition "Invincible Cohort" in 2010 at Plus Gallery.  O'Neill's sketches will also be featured in the upcoming Plus Gallery summer exhibition "Merge" along with works by Denver artist Erik Shumake and New Zealand artist Shannon Novak.

SHANNON NOVAK FEATURED IN DALLAS EXHIBITION OPENING APRIL 21st

New Zealand artist Shannon Novak will be featured in the exhibition "Polar Sonar" at the Ro2 Art Downtown Collection in Dallas, TX from April 21st through May 31st. The exhibition addresses polar, distinct ways of working. Shannon Novak's (New Zealand) hardedge minimalist approach contrasts Mary Benedicto's (USA) organic, raw form approach, yet there are touch points that connect the two. Polar/Sonar will explore these distinct yet connected practices through sound, colour, and form.

The exhibition is located at

Ro2 Art
Downtown Collection
1408 Elm Street at Akard
Dallas, Texas 75201
www.Ro2Art.com | 214.803.9575

Novak will be featured in the spectacular three-person summer exhibition "Merge" along with Erik Shumake and Matt O'Neill here at Plus Gallery this July, one that will be full of surprises.....more details to come in a future newsletter!

MAJOR ARTICLE ON SHANNON NOVAK IN MARCH ISSUE OF LEBANESE PUBLICATION RAGMAG

It's not often that a Plus Gallery artist gets mentioned in a Lebanese lifestyle and fashion magazine, but we are pleased to report that Shannon Novak has a full 4-page featured in the March issue of "Ragmag" which also features an image of the his "Winged Crescendo" piece that graces the exterior awning here at Plus.

SHANNON NOVAK BRINGS HIS UNIQUE BLEND OF ART AND MUSIC TO TEXAS THIS WEEKEND

Plus Gallery artist and New Zealand native Shannon Novak unveils a unique installation this Saturday as part of the University of Texas at Dallas Artist's residency program. "One Song, Three Composers" is Novak's latest installation that explores the interrelationships between three distinct approaches of mapping color to sound. Novak references three prominent figures in the field: Louis-Bertrand Castel (France), Richard Merrick (USA), and Michael Smither (New Zealand). Three electronic pianos form the focal point of the exhibition, each chromatically altered to represent these theorists' approaches. The keyboards form a triangle in CentralTrak's gallery, corresponding to the connection and intersection of Castel's, Merrick's and Smither's individual hypotheses. This configuration of musical instruments acts as a birthing point, propagating geometric forms imitating the unseen movement of sound. One Song, Three Composers links three schools of thought through visual abstraction, and uses duration, volume and spiritual content to reconsider the effects and nature of sound beyond pitch. Check it out if you happen to be in Dallas!

Opening reception: Saturday, November 19, 2011, 8 - 10 pm
Exhibition runs through December 17

The University of Texas at Dallas Artists Residency - centraltrak.org

CentralTrak Gallery
800 EXpOSiTiON AvE., DALLAS, TX 75226
Gallery Hours: Wed. - Sat., 12 - 5 pm

SHANNON NOVAK'S "SOUND FRAGMENTS" NOW OPEN IN NEW ZEALAND...PLUS GALLERY COMPONENT TO BE INSTALLED APRIL 6th

Plus Gallery is pleased to announce our participation in a unique and far-reaching installation by New Zealand artist Shannon Novak.  The three-phase project creates a global scenario in which the artist's "Sound Fragments" make their way to select locations across the globe.  The first phase commenced on March 11th in the artists hometown of Auckland, New Zealand, to be followed by Phase two on March 21st in which fragments are unveiled across New Zealand at select galleries, and finally internationally on April 6th including Plus Gallery in Denver.

In his latest study, Shannon Novak has sought to explore the link between colour, sound, shape, time, emotion, and social context; it is a study that examines the interrelationship between spatial form and social activity; it is a study that will both construct and make manifest a sound wave that spreads sound fragments throughout gallery spaces around the world.

“I began to feel more and more that this is what I was meant to do…to create works that through a simple combination of colour and shape, I would realize the very abstract notion of sound implied through the geometric forms I utilized.  It also means I am combining, in a unique and vocational way, my two great loves – music and art.”

For Novak, the realization of this show meant the beginning of a long journey.  Initially, he asked himself; how could he contribute to, or incorporate into his work the complex dialogue New Zealand abstraction presented. For example, how could he engage with, or address the dominant, and yet spartan aesthetic pioneered by the likes of Gordon Walters with which his work was so much aligned.  While the similarities with Walter’s work are undeniable, Novak’s work also has much in common with the aesthetic and concerns of Michael Smither who has been interested in the relationship between music and colour for some forty years. It was the abstract sound/colour work Smithers produced that first piqued Novak’s interest. Since both artists also share a musical background, Smithers’ investigations were not only interesting to Novak but combined the same motivating aesthetics from which he could learn.  It is through this rich, complex and sometimes daunting field of art history that Novak has sought to carve a niche, in terms of addressing, assimilating and yet, being distinct from, the likes of Smithers and Walters.

To see more about this fascinating and far-reaching installation, visit the artists website at http://shannonnovak.com 

Galleries participating in the second and third phase include:

Phase 2 National: March 21 - May 2 (New Zealand)

Whare Tapere

Whitianga, New Zealand

Art at Wharepuke

Kerikeri, New Zealand

http://www.art-at-wharepuke.co.nz

Yvonne Rust Gallery

Whangarei, New Zealand

http://www.quarryarts.org/

Salamander Gallery

Christchurch, New Zealand

http://www.salamandergallery.co.nz

Wai Art Space

Carterton, New Zealand

http://www.waiart.org.nz/

JJMorgan and Co.

Wellington, New Zealand

http://www.jjmorganandco.blogspot.com/

Phase 3 International: April 6 - May 2 (outside New Zealand)

Giudecca 795 Art Gallery

Venice, Italy

http://www.giudecca795.com/

Plus Gallery

Denver, Colorado

http://www.plusgallery.com/

galerie TRANSIT

Mechelen, Belgium

http://www.transit.be/

Oriel Q - Queens Hall Gallery

Pembrokeshire, Wales

http://www.orielqueenshallgallery.org.uk/

Arthur Gallery

Ballarat, Australia

http://www.arthurcreative.com.au/

PrintPlus Art Gallery

Amawbia, Nigeria

http://www.printplusng.com/

Guildford Lane Gallery

Melbourne, Australia

http://www.guildfordlanegallery.org/

Galleri Fold / Art Gallery Fold

Reykjavik, Iceland

http://myndlist.is/