By Lauren Cohen
The Visual Arts Department at Oak Hall School is opening its new gallery exhibit, “Color Theory: A Celebration of Color in Art”, on Jan. 17, with a reception from 7 – 9 p.m. This celebration of color welcomes artists from across the state of Florida, who are displaying colorful paintings and photographs, amongst other media, in the Cofrin Art Gallery on Oak Hall’s campus. From Jan. 17 to Feb. 21, Oak Hall students, faculty, and community are highly encouraged to attend this exhibit, as art culture is an integral part of the school.
The gallery name, “Color Theory”, is all-encompassing. There are many different types of the concept, given that it is both a science and an art. It explains how humans perceive color and the visual effects of how colors mix, match, or contrast with each other. Terrence Ho, Oak Hall Fine Arts teacher, noted that the differences between colors is all relative. “For instance, if you put a gray next to a black, it will appear darker than if you put it next to a white,” he said. “You can make one color look like two different colors just by the way you place them next to each other,” Ho continued.
Yvonne Ferguson, one of the artists showing in “Color Theory” is fueled artistically by the people of the African diaspora and the persistence of the African people. Another exhibitor, Gary Borse, focuses on capturing the soul and essence of Florida’s natural beauty. This group of artists is multigenerational, ranging from around 20 to 80 years old. “Here are all of these artists who deal with color, or are interested [in] color, and the way it interacts as a thing,” Ho explained. Other artists include: Tyler Pierce Haile, Blake Harrison, Donna Drake, Terrence Ho, Frank Barone, Robert Ponzio, Wendy James, and Kate Würstlin.
Oak Hall students Hailey Kramer, Ty Raulerson, Connor Clarke, and Jack Peggs will also have sculptures from their sculpture class on display in the gallery as part of the exhibit.
“We have installation sculptures, flashing lights, non-representational color theory paintings, experimental renditions of natural Florida in bold colors, photographs showcasing fruits and decay, paintings of Tom Petty, portraits inspired by the African diaspora, and many more,” Ho concluded.