karen antonelli

“Figure/Ground is a two-person show that features the collaborative efforts of photographer Karen Antonelli and painter Maura Doern Danko.

The two artists began working together after Danko attended a photography workshop in 2003 at the Audubon Society's Beechwood Farms. The workshop was lead by Antonelli, who is an instructor at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Filmmakers.

“After the workshop, we decided that we would go out together on a weekly basis, to draw, paint and photograph,”  Antonelli says. “We found that we were fascinated by similar concerns, particularly the exploration of three-dimensional space in a two-dimensional medium.”

The results are two rooms filled with impressionistic interpretations of local landscapes that take the form of drawings, paintings and a video.

Having shared strong backgrounds in drawing, both artists' works revel in the notion of the sketch, picking up subtle yet defining nuances in minimal line and color. Danko's works are surprising -- they are rather recognizable interpretations given her use of rather unearthly colors. “Over the Monongahela,” for example, is unmistakable.

Antonelli's works, on the other hand, exist as mere suggestions of place. But nevertheless, she manages to get the most out of minimal lines. The black-and-white video titled “Creek” is a quirky and haunting interpretation of a forest floor. Being Antonelli's doing, it is a perfect accompaniment to her drawings, which in many cases have a powerful way of pulling the viewer inward despite their simple appearances."