In Loft 1: Solo Exhibition by Daren Kendall
Daren was born in Buffalo, New York, and currently lives and works between upstate New York and Norman, OK where he is Assistant Professor of Sculpture at the University of Oklahoma. Daren says, “I like to think my artistic process is a dynamic and sensual exchange with the physical environment… Motivated by a sense of presence and connection with others, I construct sculptural frameworks to improvise, collaborate, and stage cinematic events…”
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In Loft 2: Group exhibition of paintings and photographs by Natalie Harrison, Alex McClurg, and Orlando Thompson.

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Natalie Harrison and Alex McClurg are artists living and working in Birmingham.
Natalie says, “Materiality and femininity are embedded in my work and practice. I am drawn to the aesthetic qualities of fabric and jewelry. This interest stems from the color, texture, variety and the association with the female body that they contain. I experiment with various manipulations of paint in which the paint strays away from the picture plane and becomes a three-dimensional form. In my current body of work, I mold paint into bead, lace and floral forms. While the molds themselves remain consistent, the paint allows each bead to have individuality. These pieces are meditatively collaged together to create a tapestry/quilt of paint. The detail of each piece urges the viewer to slow down and take a closer look.”

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Alex says, “My work is informed by my attraction to geometric illustrations from book covers created in the 1960s and 1970s, quilt patterns and the idea of displacement. I continually question my compositions as I strive for simplicity. The size of my work hints at the size of a book, which invites the viewer to become intimate with them. The patterns are intuitive and are generated in the moment, similar to the traditional way of designing a quilt. Creating these patterns becomes a meditative process. Areas of the paintings show shapes in positive and negative form. Certain shapes and lines are off-kilter and seem to be moved from their original location or expanding off the surface. These paintings are my attempt to show tradition combined with the moment of displacement.”
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Orlando Thompson is a movie maker, photographer, and podcast host based in St. Louis.
Regarding his work, Orlando says, “I am black… I am American. This is how America defines me. What I make explores being black, American and the space in-between. Race, ethnicity, religion… The art I produce wants to find and place me in worlds I am a part of but not emotionally attached to. My photography is documentation of places my body has existed. For the last three years Iʼve used 35mm half frame cameras to make photographs. Two images on every frame, each frame is a diptych. These photos are moments Iʼm compelled to stop, compose and make a picture. Two photographs living in a single frame, here to tell their story as one. They are like tarot cards, I donʼt just look at them, I read them for a greater understanding of the photoʼs subject, and myself.”

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