Seventeen on Being 17 at the Cannon Art Gallery

by Patricia Frischer

Christine Schwimmer - I wish the night would last forever

I love Cannon Gallery Art Exhibitions. I am a bit prejudice as I like Karen McGuire's taste in art and it and the Lux are my closest gallery spaces. But what I like most is how I seem to always discover new talent there. In this show about a teenage Prom, the hidden desires along with the frustrations of expectation of romance are explored.  Prince Charming was absent but his ghost did seem to haunt this show. 

I found the work of Christine Schwimmer  trended that wonderful line between visually appealing and emotionally challenging. I have chosen to feature four of her works here. I have included titles which strong clues as to why this are not simple fashion illustrations. 

Kathleen Kane-Murrell jump starts the party with a pattern like rendering of every little girls fantasy dress.  Julia San Roman surprised me with this group of bird related works...I have a friend with a newly adopted cockatoo and I more fully understand now the romance between bird and women so I could relate this work to the theme of the show. 

You wonder if  Maite Benito Agahnia haunting shadow figures even make it to the prom, while Theresa Vandenberg Donche's abstracts seem to capture the twirl of a skirt and the giddiness of the dance itself. 

Julia C R Gray dissects a ceramic corset and her deep cuts reveal painted agendas within. The wall flowerish Manuelita Brown figure tears at your heart. Let's let Christine Schwimmer  have the last word of most teenage girls...a little truth and a little delusion:  My Life's a mess, but I look pretty in this dress

Cannon Art Gallery (1775 Dove Lane, Carlsbad, 92011) presents Seventeen on Being 17 where seventeen female artists evoke and interpret being 17 years old through the great American Prom. In their work, the artists explore this girlhood rite of passage and all its uncertainty, excitement, doubt and hype. Featuring the work of Maite Benito Agahnia, Manuelita Brown, Diana Carey, Bronle Crosby, Susan Darnall, Ellen Dieter, Kaori Fukuyama, Julia C R Gray, Diane Hall, Kathleen Kane-Murrell, Kathy McChesney, Lori Mitchell, Gillian Moss, Alison Haley Paul, Julia San Roman, Christine Schwimmer, Gail Titus, Theresa Vandenberg Donche, Brenda York. Showing until June 17.Free Gallery Hours Tuesday - Saturday 11 am - 5 pm Sunday 1 - 5 pmMore info: Chase Dougherty 760-602-2021

Kathleen Kane-Murrell

Julia San Roman

Maite Benito Agahnia

Theresa Vandenberg Donche

Julia C R Gray

Manuelita Brown

Christine Schwimmer - I do feel like a Princess even though I should be a Prom Queen

Christine Schwimmer - My Life's a mess, but I look pretty in this dress

Christine Schwimmer - Teenage Dream ...to be a Prom Queen