Intersection: A Duo Exhibition, June 7 to August 31, 2019

Intersection: A Duo Exhibition
BOJUart gallery is pleased to present Intersection, A Duo Exhibition featuring new works from international fluid acrylic painting artist Shay Amanda Broughton and Virginia Beach ViBe photographer Bob Petersen. BOJUart artists Broughton and Petersen explore their interpretation of our coastal waterways, and the result when those views intercross in a collaborative work of art that bridges the lines between the photographic image and the abstract application of paint. The exhibit opens First Friday June 7 and is on display until August 31, 2019.

Through abstract expression, Broughton’s painting explores the depths of human awareness. Her fluid process allows her to let go of expectations and connect with intuition in order to express purely from the heart. She carries the energy of life into her work by adding a small amount of water gathered from a natural water source: river, ocean, stream, pond or lake. Additionally, she moves the paint with air (an air gun or her breath) and fire (a torch) to add texture.

For Intersection, a duo exhibition, Broughton’s work introduces a new color palette exploration that expresses her connection to the Atlantic Ocean in Virginia Beach and North Carolina where she grew up visiting. Broughton says, “Color is a powerful tool that connects us to our emotions and memories. It is more about capturing the feeling than anything else. This coast feels like home and that’s probably one of the best feelings I can find.”

Petersen’s photographic series is a Virginia coastal interpretation of the patterns and repetitive nature of the water and coastal landscape. He looks to push the potential of photography as a medium, resulting in large-scale work that flirts on the threshold of abstraction and recognition. Interacting with these photographs oscillates between discovering them close up as a somewhat abstract and textural view that invites stepping back for perspective, while viewing the work from a distant conversely invites viewers to explore close up the textures and elements that enfold the piece. Intersection, a duo exhibition will include his latest series on the coastal landscape that furthers Petersen’s formal and material consideration of the natural world.

BOJUart donates a portion of each piece sold to the artists’ chosen cause: the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. “Save the Bay™” is a regional rallying cry for pollution reduction throughout the Chesapeake’s six-state, 64,000-square-mile watershed, which is home to more than 18 million people and 3,000 species of plants and animals.

All work exhibited is available for sale at the gallery, our eGallery or by phone.

Shaylen Amanda Broughton
Broughton was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia which is also where she currently works and resides. She obtained her Bachelor of Fine Art from The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in 2011. Her artistic ambition, however, began long before college and is also her current livelihood; pulsating in the plethora of artwork on canvas. She has exhibited in group and solo shows in the US, as well as in the UK and Australia. Broughton is also a solo and duo muralist with projects in Richmond and most recently for Something in the Water and Smartmouth Pilot House in Virginia Beach, VA. In addition to exhibiting her work, Broughton works with several nonprofits in Richmond VA, leading community art projects such as large-scale interior murals and after-school art programs.

Bob Petersen
Petersen works and resides in Virginia Beach. Petersen received a BFA in Visual Communication Design and Illustration from Kent State University with a curriculum including film photography that has provided a base for his current use of digital medium format photography. As an advertising Creative Director for over 30 years working on regional and national accounts, Petersen has won over 75 creative advertising awards. As a Creative Director, he has collaborated with renowned commercial photographers. Exploring creative self-growth now leads his current path in photography, blending his fine art and advertising art background. His coastal Virginia inspired “Coastal Waterways” series is an abstract interpretation of the natural and repetitive nature of the water and coastal landscapes, while his “Floral” series uses narrow depth of field with large-scale images to draw a startling response. He recently introduced his new creative work at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Boardwalk Art Show. Petersen has also shown in the MOCA Waterways exhibit, Capital One, and the Norfolk Botanical Garden, as well as personal shows in the BOJUart Gallery.

Shown courtesy of the artist: Divona, 2019. Shaylen Amanda Broughton, fluid acrylic and Atlantic Ocean Water on canvas, 30 x 40 x 1 ¼ inches.