Venerable Shi De and Joe Ferriso: Solace

Qualia Contemporary Art is pleased to announce Solace, a group exhibition of new works by the Venerable Shi De and artist Joe Ferriso. The show explores the practice of art making as it relates to the artist’s journey toward personal and spiritual contentment. Artists are often depicted as solitary figures, yet the fruits of such isolation in thestudio often bring about the purest joys. Ven. Shi De’s seal carvings and works on paper are closely tied to her Buddhist faith. Referencing the five aggregates, Shi De views art as a transcendent state that links thousands of years ofhuman existence. Greater than the traces left by brush, ink, paper, or stone, Shi De’s paintings, calligraphy, and carvings are created with the essence of life itself, producing truthfulness, goodness, and beauty. For artist Joe Ferriso, the architectural and natural beauty of Sea Ranch, CA, has offered the perfect environment through which to explore the landscape of the psyche. Using the architectural lines of the Sea Ranch as a framework to fill with color, Ferriso’s ensuing paintings hover at the edge of non-objective painting and pictorial painting, never fully revealing whether to be viewed as elevation or plan view, mental space, or physical space. Both Shi De and Ferriso find refuge and creative fodder in isolation. Solace at Qualia Contemporary Art presents the work of these artists to the public; produced in quiet solitude, the works on view will engage viewers, empowering them to find peace within.