Raleigh Artist's Exhibition To Open In New York City September 10

RALEIGH, N.C. - Aug. 18, 2014 - PRLog -- An exhibition of new works by Raleigh artist Jason Craighead (http://www.jasoncraighead.com/) will open in the Cheryl Hazan Contemporary Art Gallery (http://www.cherylhazan.com/) in New York City on September 10 and run through October 4.

His work, of varying sizes on canvas, will be shown along with paintings by Santa Fe, New Mexico, artist Michael Kessler in the exhibition entitled “Shifting Process.”

Jason Craighead is one of Raleigh’s most illustrious artists and a member of the City of Raleigh Arts Commission. On the Cheryl Hazan Gallery’s website, his paintings are described as “dynamic and animated [and] emotionally charged with raw and expressive lines. He has the ability to activate a psychological space in his work that creates its own abstract narrative.”

Craighead is keenly aware that his work can be challenging to first-time viewers:

“The work that appears so sparse is not really as empty as it looks,” he said during a recent visit to this studio in downtown Raleigh. “There are beautifully subtle things happening in those spaces -- traces of me, my hands, my feet. My whole process has revolved around trying to make work that is appealing and beautifully composed, while being highly conceptual and poetic. I am not unaware that people struggle a bit at first, but my work requires my own patience and understanding and, in turn, calls for the audience to slow down and realize that the work is not what you see in front of you but something much richer -- a man trying to find himself in this life.”

Cheryl Hazan compares Craighead’s work to “the expressionistic gesture painters of the mid 20^th Century, such as Cy Twombly. Traces of hands, smears, and marks become excavations in Jason conceptual and poetic mixed media paintings. Drop cloths in his studio catch action, movement, and play that metamorphose beautifully into energetic arrangements. Kinetic marks express self-discovery, renewal, and personal truths. Foot and hand prints, hidden words, explosive scribbles are all able to breathe in the open space of the canvas.”

Located at 35 N Moore Street in TriBeCa, Cheryl Hazan Contemporary Art Gallery exhibits abstract, contemporary, and process-based works by regional and international emerging, mid-career, and established artists. Founded in 2001, the gallery specializes in placing medium and large-scale work in residences, corporate offices, hotels, and public spaces. For more information: www.cherylhazan.com.

For more information on Jason Craighead, visit www.jasoncraighead.com.

About Jason Craighead:

Jason Craighead is a recognized leader in the southern art scene and maintains his studio in Raleigh, NC. His work has been included in many solo and group exhibitions throughout the Southeastern United States. He has received numerous awards and served as a juror for various art shows. He has been selected as Signature Artist for charitable art auctions, and his work has been featured in a number of publications, including Artists & Art Galleries of the Southeast. He has also been an active participant in the Raleigh arts community for many years and is a member of the City of Raleigh Arts Commission. He is represented by Flanders Gallery in Raleigh, by Broadhurst Gallery in Pinehurst, NC, by Thomas Deans Fine Art in Atlanta, GA., and by Cheryl Hazan Contemporary in New York City. For more information: www.jasoncraighead.com.