PROCESS: Batista, Dugas, Turri is an art exhibition presented at the Irma Freeman Center for Imagination from June 30 through September 2, 2022. The paintings of three contemporary artists; Kenneth Batista, James Dugas and Scott Turri are displayed in adjacent interplay in the beautiful gallery rooms of the Freeman Center and share the poetic mystery of their creators' process.
Kenneth Batista’s “paintings live in the world between realism and abstraction. When viewed at a close distance, the work appears to be a random array of abstract squares with color being an additional unifying factor. However, as the viewer steps away from the painting, the squares morph into a recognizable image creating an entirely different relationship with the work. This phenomenon is of particular interest to me as it invites the viewer to be an active participant in the piece completing the viewing cycle. The work also draws from impressionism where I use light to define form and space. However, instead of defining form with individual brush strokes as the Impressionists did in the 19 th century, I employ digital technology to pixilate the original image. From there, the paintings take on a life of their own.”
Jim Dugas’ works were outcomes of his daily art exercise with paint and brush seeking the intrinsic, poetic and spiritual, some with resultant paint surfaces built up over decades like Albert Pinkham Ryder, with whom he identifies. “I have spent my entire career trying to understand and be directed by that which is fleeting and passing and never under control for too very long although I am sure that it sings perpetually within us all and is of profound substance and power when grasped intuitively and for a moment expresses itself in true harmony and beauty in the forms of music, literature and painting.” Three different and never previously exhibited series will be represented. During the time of tis exhibition we lost Jim suddenly, and so we will continue to celebrate his life through his art with the duration of this exhibition.
Jim Dugas passed away on Sunday, July 17. The 9”x9” 2003-2022 Untitled series represents his final finished works.
Over the last 20 years Scott Turri’s process has entailed making digital images that become the model for his handmade paintings. “For Shelter in Place, I set extremely restrictive design parameters, having used the industrial design of a laundry basket as the source. The basket has evenly sized and spaced pill-shaped cutouts. This domestic household container is a metaphor; it constrains movement; therefore, working inside this structure signals a type of confinement. This intentional choice of using an industrial design, typically made and used for its functionality, as opposed to its beauty, behaves like a ready-made for me and indicates a distancing from the self. The repetitive positioning of the pills and circles is the underlying architecture for all the paintings in this series. Endless possibilities exist within this limited framework, implying mental freedom within a physical boundary.”
It is with profound loss and sadness that the Irma Freeman Center for Imagination acknowledges and mourns the loss of artist James Dugas with the Pittsburgh and national arts community. Jim died on Sunday, July 17, at his home studio at the age of 72. One of the most talented, provocative and prolific artists of his generation, Jim was disciplined and passionate about his craft and kind and generous and a consummate gentleman. A skilled printmaker and sculptor, Jim was noted for his "thick acrylic" paintings, foundations and surfaces built up by repetition over days, months and years and then often subsequently manipulated, rearranged and over-painted again creating worlds of visual and physical depth and intrigue. These works were equally interesting from the reverse and Jim would have them professionally photographed before framing to record them. He would often pull molds of works and surfaces he found interesting and made many sculptures that way. Thank you Jim for your friendship and your incredible work. We love you.
PROCESS: Batista, Dugas, Turri opens on First Friday, July 1 and runs through First Friday, September 2. It will also be open First Friday, August 5. First Friday Gallery Hours are 7-9 pm and Saturdays from 2-5 pm and by appointment. The Irma Freeman Center for Imagination welcomes groups to book events and tours to experience this captivating exhibit during its 2 month tenure. For information call: (office) 412-924-0634,
Art by Ken Batista