YOU MIGHT be familiar with Stacie Jean Albano’s work, but her latest show at Location Gallery is quite unlike anything she’s shown before.
“Instinctual,” up now through Oct. 12, is a collection of 19 works that blend together animals and humans.
“This body of work is a little different from what I typically have had in the past,” explains Albano. “I’m traditionally known as a landscape painter. However, I decided to showcase more of my illustrative side with this show.”
Albano’s trademark style of landscape painting shines through in this show with her gentle, almost impressionistic brush strokes and use of light.
“I started showing my anthropomorphic drawings this past winter in group shows with Location Gallery. While brainstorming with Peter Roberts, Roman mythology seemed like a natural fit for my solo show, especially since I myself am of Italian descent,” Albano says. “I’ve always enjoyed the stories of mythology and their influence on artists, like Correggio’s ‘Jupiter and Io,’ so to take those stories and put my own spin on them was very exciting.”
The result is an inherently funny body of work, featuring donkeys wearing dresses and a fresh take on a classic, “Gods Playing Poker,” featuring crows and bulls arguing over cards.
“Another reason to love these mythology stories is that they are a perfect vehicle for my salty-sweet humor,” notes Albano.
To that end, one painting Albano points out is “Lil Miss Mint and Peas,” which perfectly shows off that slightly dark sense of humor.
“Fauna is the goddess of spring animals,” Albano says. “In the painting, she has the head of one of her sacred animals, a spring lamb. Atop her head is a wreath of mint and spring peas in her hand. While she is a celebration of spring animals, some people think spring lamb paired with mint sauce and peas makes a wonderful spring dinner – that might explain the not-so-happy expression on her face.”
Another example Albano shares is “Working Woman.”
“Juno was queen of the goddesses and responsible for whispering into the ears of the Roman women to have babies, while having plenty of her own children to take care of,” Albano explains. “Busy working mom in a metropolitan area, I immediately thought of the ‘80s power suit and movies that reflected that concept, shoulder pads and briefcase included.”
Notably, Albano blends oil, acrylic, graphite and pencil to achieve a unique look in her artwork.
“The work ranges from simple figurative works to fully developed landscapes, and everything in between,” says Albano.
“The title ‘Instinctual’ plays on the idea that the instincts of the animal and the human can sometimes be one in the same, as depicted in many of the images,” says Albano.
The exhibition has a second reception Oct. 6 with a pet adoption event with One Love Animal Rescue, which will also receive gallery profits.
“You could potentially leave with a 2D and a 3D pet,” laughs Albano.
