New Hampshire Art Association artist Barbara Mata will have her work displayed in an exhibit titled, “The Color Red,” at the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center beginning Aug. 24.
“Red is the color of emotion, power and strength,” Mata said. “Red inherently represents the dualities of passionate love and bitter hate, confidence and aggression, vibrant beauty and terrifying destruction. When red is applied to a work of art, it dominates the space it occupies, demanding attention.”
This body of work explores the power of red when introduced to the canvas. It can thrive, kill, enchant and torment. But never bore.
“The color red cannot be ignored,” Mata said.
In her artistic process, colors are chosen and graphite lines and shapes are forcefully applied to the canvas. A tumultuous application of paint explodes. It’s scratched, scraped, replaced, and manipulated. The image appears.
Mata is a mixed media abstract painter residing in Newmarket. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and completed her bachelor’s degree in sociology at the University of New Hampshire.
Primarily self-taught, she also pursued courses at The School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston where she applied and was accepted. Financial difficulties, however, prevented her from attending. Today she maintains a studio in the Newmarket Mills.
Mata’s exhibit will run at the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center, located at 49 S. Main St., in Concord, from Aug. 24 through Oct. 21.
The gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Check the Chamber’s website at concordnhchamber.com for hours before visiting as they may vary.
All work is for sale by contacting the N.H. Art Association at 603-431-4230.
