Layers of Light & Tension
The Art of Jim Irvine & Katie Truk
About the Exhibit
Opening Reception
Thursday, September 26th
6:30-8:30pm
Closing Party & Artist Talk (Salon des Artistes)
Sunday, November 3rd
1:00-3:00pm
Explore a captivating interplay of light, movement, and material in this unique exhibition featuring the works of Jim Irvine and Katie Truk. Irvine’s mixed media creations on canvas and paper invite viewers into a dreamscape where memory and imagination intertwine. His pieces distill the essence of experiences into multi-layered visual stories, encouraging an intimate exploration of structure, color, and mark-making.
In contrast, Truk’s innovative use of pantyhose and wire crafts a powerful dialogue of strength and vulnerability. Her sculptures, free from traditional constraints, reveal the complexity and resilience of human experience. Through the manipulation of everyday materials, she exposes the beauty found in tension and the grace within struggle.
Together, Irvine and Truk offer a dynamic experience that challenges viewers to look closer and engage with the unexpected depths of their work. This exhibition invites you to explore the boundaries of perception and the rich, textured layers of human existence.
Jim Irvine
I was born in Chicago, grew up in Pennsylvania, and currently reside in New Jersey with my wife, two teenaged boys, and a high-energy dog who occasionally eats my acrylic paint, specifically cerulean blue.
I started my creative journey early. Unlike other toddlers who might color on walls, I found a paperclip and began etching into the doorway and banister woodwork. My need for creating art continued and has always had a strong sense of mark making, which was further amplified at Pratt, leading to a BFA in Fine Arts. I have created work featured in magazines and in group and juried shows, as well as commissions by private collectors.
Many of the themes I am exploring were based on my experiences growing up. I was fortunate to spend summers hiking in the Allegheny National Forest, being dragged around to different churches and studying stained glass windows on Sunday mornings, and working at an amusement park.
In one of my first experiences in New York City, I went to a show at the Met, where I became fascinated not only with the artwork but also with its audience. It was the dead of winter, and there was a group of women wearing fur coats and too much perfume. Chatting like they knew Picasso personally, they were discussing the meaning of every single brushstroke. They were so caught up in the discussion that they got too close to the artwork, almost touching it, and a security guard had to step in. It was at that point I started thinking about the tension between the art and the people who view it.
“Abstraction is real, probably more real than nature. I prefer to see with
my eyes closed.”
– Josef Albers
Meet the Artists
Katie Truk
Katie Truk has exhibited throughout New Jersey and the surrounding region. She appeared on News 12's On The Scene as a fresh, emerging artist, featuring her award-winning pantyhose-and-wire creations. In her role as a multimedia art teacher, Truk has won grants to lecture and teach children and adults in New Jersey schools and art centers. She has also curated, judged, and juried events for schools, clubs, and organizations in the state.
Artist Statements
Jim Irvine
My aim was to create an art experience that captivates people and encourages them to engage with the art in a new immersive way, allowing the viewer to establish a personal connection with the art.
I have consistently sought out contrasts between opposing elements and integrated them into my work. This has led to the creation of art pieces that explore the interplay between the natural and the abstract, as well as the emotional and the representational. I also focus on the relationship or tension between layers of paint and pastels, color and white space, brush strokes, and other marks, resulting in artwork that offers something unexpected and draws the viewer in, compelling them to examine it closely until they are almost touching it.
Ultimately, what's crucial is not the art itself but the conversation it sparks with the individual.
Katie Truk
Malleable yet fragile, strong yet resilient—these paradoxical qualities define both humans and pantyhose, and they fuel my artistic exploration. Through the translucent textures and vibrant hues of pantyhose, I abstractly visualize moments of introspection, akin to examining the delicate interplay of water droplets under a microscope. Each piece aspires to transcend into three-dimensional forms, inviting viewers into a dynamic interplay of light and shadow that deepens the narrative of my interpretation.
Central to my artistic process is the transformation of pantyhose—a distinctly human-made material—into shapes that resonate with organic complexity. As I imprint this material with my hand, I engage in a dialogue with its inherent fragility and strength. This act not only conveys personal emotions but also encapsulates the essence of the water droplet metaphor I aim to evoke. The interplay of light on these forms highlights their intricate textures, while the shifting shadows cast by their contours introduce an element of tension, mirroring the delicate balance between vulnerability and resilience.
In this interplay, the viewer is encouraged to explore the depth and nuance of each piece from varying perspectives, uncovering layers of meaning through the ever-shifting dance of light and shadow. The result is a multifaceted narrative that reflects both the beauty and the fragility of the human experience, encapsulated in the seemingly simple yet profoundly complex material of pantyhose.