September featured artist Amerinda Alpern, First Friday and more!

Aritst Amarinda Alpern

Amerinda Alpern joins us in September with “Connections”, a very personal journey expressed through, and in, fiber arts, paintings and kinetic sculpture. Meet Amerinda at our artist’s reception this Friday, September 7th at 6:00 pm.  “Connections” runs through the month of September.

More about “Connections”

Mindscapes 1

Mindscapes are two large felted quilts, conceived after I had brain scans for old traumatic brain injury (TBI) issues I discovered in grad school in 2002. Each stitch symbolizes new neuro-connections being formed in the brain as I worked with several systems to strengthen and heal old injuries.

 

 

Neuroscapes 3

Neuroscapes are a series of paintings revisiting brain injury, memory and aging, as I watch my father navigate dementia and slowly fade away. I am aware that people with head trauma have a higher rate of falling in the pathways of my father and so many others, effecting families everywhere including myself.

Thanks to recent brain research, my understanding of neuroplasticity is my new best friend. Neuroscapes is an artistic expression of my understanding of neuroplasticity as the ability to heal the human brain, whatever stage of life we are in. As with Mindscapes then; in Neuroscapes now, I am my own canvas of universal brain patterns common to us all, and my personal history.

It is the layering of connections to these patterns of brain and being, science and personal story that has captured my attention. There are between 20 and 30 layers in each painting. Each new layer, I imagine my brain recreating itself through growing new neuro connections. Artistic creativity and neuroplasticity fuse together into “Neuroscapes” of healing, artistic synergy.

The process of working in a grid, deconstructing and reconstructing each completed pattern, is a metaphor. The human spirit dedicated to recreating oneself over a lifetime. – Amerinda Alpern

Kinetic sculpture by Amerinda Alpern

First Friday – Open Late!

Meet Amerinda Alpern at our First Friday artist’s reception Friday! As always, our artist’s receptions are free and open to the public, starting at 6 pm, First Friday, at Village Frame & Gallery, 7808 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland, OR 97219.

Village Frame & Gallery, 7808 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland, OR 97219 ● (503) 245-8001
Open Tuesday - Friday, 10am - 5pm, and Saturday 10am - 4pm, or by appointment.