Artists' House: Group Show: Small Works, January 2011: Paintings by Michael Shelby Edwards

Hello my friends,

I'm happy to announce a showing of my work at Artists' House Gallery in Philadelphia once again. These nine miniature paintings were all created in my new studio in Seattle and shipped back to Philadelphia to be included in a large exhibition of small works from various artists connected to the gallery. To give you a sense of the Artists' House history and mission, here is a statement recently released by the gallery:

Artists’ House was founded in 1991 with the mission of creating a gallery that could help emerging artists get a start in the art world. The secondary, but equally important role, was to bring excellent art to Philadelphia art lovers at prices that were affordable.

Twenty years later, our mission remains unchanged,  except that many of our emerging artists have now become established artists.  Some have established reputations and connections far beyond Philadelphia, but continue to exhibit at Artists’ House.

This is great venue that has been supportive of my work ever since I emerged from the Pennsylvania Academy in 2008.

Responding to the call for small works, I used the opportunity to make some rather frank little oil sketches in preparation for upcoming larger paintings. The images may reveal my increased interest in mythological and religious themes from the Western tradition, weaving these ideas in a very personal way with my autobiography. The show opens Friday, January 7th, and I will be present at the reception from 6-8pm. Work remains on veiw through the month of January.