Armadillo Art Exhibition: Paintings by Carl Clark and Mike Harris Jr.
Author: Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts
Published: 2024/05/08 - Updated: 2024/05/10
Publication Type: Announcement
Topic: Disability Art and Artists - Publications List
Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main
Synopsis: Landscape paintings by Carl Clark and Mike Harris Jr. will be featured at Armadillo Art Exhibition, Interact Gallery From May 11 to June 15, 2024.
• Carl Clark has presented work in galleries throughout the Twin Cities, including The White Page, Artspace Jackson Flats, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, HGA Architects and Engineers, and Interact Gallery.
• Mike Harris Jr. has presented work in exhibitions at The White Page, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Minneapolis Institute of Art, and Interact Gallery.
Introduction
Clark and Harris share an interest in rolling hills, expansive skies, and vigorous swaths of color. Both use painting to commune with the environment. They treat their subjects gently; bees rest in psychedelic swirls of pink, orange, and yellow; little palm trees line the edges of dark and peaceful lagoons. One imagines wandering these places, cloaked in tangerine and cerulean hues, seeing things as the artists do.
Main Item
Carl Clark has presented work in galleries throughout the Twin Cities, including The White Page, Artspace Jackson Flats, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, HGA Architects & Engineers, and Interact Gallery. His work is collected both nationally and abroad. In 2021, he presented work in Cordially Invited at MAKE Studio (Baltimore) and in WILD GOOSE, a two-person online exhibition with New York-based artist Jack Arthur Wood Jr. He has practiced at Interact since 2016.
Clark's beautifully stark landscapes are known for boundless, wide-open skies. He applies pigment in columns and rows, creating flat patchworks of color. Both wistful and matter of fact, the paintings whisk us away to shorelines, mountains, pastures, seas. "I like the scenery," he says. Working with his advocate, Joli Grostephan, Clark sources reference images from calendars and the internet, infusing his subjects with mystery and charm.

Mike Harris Jr. has presented work in exhibitions at The White Page, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Minneapolis Institute of Art, and Interact Gallery. In 2018, he received an Emerging Artist grant from VSA Minnesota, and in 2022, he presented a solo display at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Harris collaborated with New York-based accessories label KARA in 2020 to develop imagery for the release of their Spring 2021 capsule collection. He has practiced at Interact since 2010.
Harris's work is deeply concerned with pollinators. In his acrylic and watercolor paintings, yellows, oranges, and greens compose vibrating skies; worker bees pollinate in effervescent swirls of color; and rolling hills are laced with luminous rows of corn. He hopes that his paintings encourage viewers to contemplate the interconnectedness of bees and humans, as well as rural and urban environments. "We have to work together to get what we need," he says.

Both artists have been devoted to their current subjects for years (Clark 8, Harris 14) and have singular archives to prove it. Their steadfast routines and prolific bodies of work signal a commitment to something greater that may be, like the show's title, ineffable. Armadillo puts words to the sublime. When asked why he's an artist, Harris says, "Maybe because I fit into the artist community." Clark says, "It's somethin' to do."

Mark your calendars and save the date - this show is not to be missed. We look forward to celebrating with you!
Opening Reception
Saturday, May 11, 4 to 6 p.m.
Interact Gallery
755 Prior Ave N, Suite 002D, St. Paul, MN 55104
(651) 756-1246
Open by appointment May 11 - June 15, 2024
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Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts and published on 2024/05/08, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity. For further details or clarifications, Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts can be contacted at interactcenterarts.org NOTE: Disabled World does not provide any warranties or endorsements related to this article.