June 23 - July 23, 2017
Dana Frostick and Donna Frostick – "Mirror Image"
Collaborative Paintings
Helena Davis Gallery
Opening Reception for the Artists
Friday, June 23, 2017
7:00-10:00 pm
Free and Open to the Public
Closing Artist Talk
Sunday, July 23, 2017
2:00 pm
Free and Open to the Public
Artist Statement
The Frosticks, who are identical twin sisters, grew up creating art side by side, but their artistic styles and interests shifted in art school. Donna paints with oils on canvas or board to capture the essence of the perceived natural world. By contrast, Dana's art, executed in acrylics and Sharpie pen, draws on an inner landscape of intuition and abstraction.
For "Mirror Image," the sisters decided to conduct a collaborative experiment: What would their art look like if they began with a shared idea and let it develop along the diverging paths of their individual interests?
Here's how it worked. For each of the diptychs in the show, the Frosticks began by sketching gestural lines in Sharpie across matching, side-by-side wood panels. They then each took one of the panels and began working separately in their preferred styles. In addition to working side by side in the studio, they also worked on each panel alone. However, the sisters always compared the pieces at their next joint studio session.
Each sister also adapted some of the other sister's techniques and materials. Donna set aside her oils and worked in Sharpie and acrylic, Dana's standard media. And rather than rotating her work, Dana kept one orientation throughout the creative process. This allowed her panels to connect to the horizon lines and representative imagery in Donna's panels.
The result is a fascinating show that ponders the common roots and creative differences behind the artistic impulse.
About the artists
Dana Frostick studied sculpture at VCU in the early to mid-1980s. She has won multiple awards in juried shows, and her work has been accepted into several national and regional exhibitions. She has exhibited her work extensively in solo and group shows around Virginia, as well as New York, Omaha and Washington, D.C. In 1999, Dana retired from her career at the Richmond Times-Dispatch where she worked in pre-press and digital publishing. She joined artspace in 2000, where her work is frequently on view.
Donna Frostick earned a bachelor's degree in painting and printmaking from VCU in 1984. Her work has appeared in multiple group and invitational shows in Richmond. Donna's career in the publishing industry includes running her own design and publishing businesses, as well as holding a variety of creative and managerial positions at The Richmond Times-Dispatch.
More about Dana Frostick at danafrostick.com
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