Hydrodynamics - the study of liquids in motion

A joint project & recent exhibition with Terrel of Lifted Spirit Photos.

The sixteen works in this exhibit are a celebration of the mountain streams originating in Colorado and winding across the country to either the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans.  As the water makes its way either east or west from the continental divide, losing altitude in the process, each water molecule excitedly picks a path on its journey.  The paintings by Jenn Merz CQ and photographic prints by Terrel (lifted spirit photos) offer a glimpse into the energy and motion of the flowing water through line, shape and form.  There is an evolution of time to be explored throughout the exhibit just as the motion of the water has evolved the landscape into what it is today, over time.

Jenn’s oil paintings highlight the textures and shapes that overwhelm the senses when witnessing the power of raging waters.  She's used a multitude of methods here including: scraping and layering both the brush strokes and painter knife marks combined with oil pastels, sand, and drywall compound.  Adding a three dimensional layer to the smaller images embellishes the sheer enormity of the water crashing against the boulders. The larger pieces illustrate the chaos but elegance of the water fighting its way through the broken pieces of earth.

Terrel’s photographic prints offer an evolution from painterly, silky water showcasing the lines of water to the action-freezing images of water suspended in time, still concentrating on the core elements of line, shape and form.  The images of the silky water were photographed with longer shutter speed exposures, but were also taken handheld – inducing a slight motion blur to enhance the painterly feel of the images.