Looking Glass Gallery presents ‘DESCANT’ art exhibit by Elizabeth Shanahan

View larger image — This untitled painting by Elizabeth Shanahan is part of an exhibit at Appalachian State University.

Posted Oct. 26, 2015 at 1:05 p.m.

BOONE—The Looking Glass Gallery (LGG) in Appalachian State University’s Plemmons Student Union presents “DESCANT,” an exhibition featuring work by Elizabeth Shanahan.

“DESCANT” will be on view through Thursday, Nov. 12. There will be a reception on Friday, Nov. 6, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in conjunction with ArtWalk. Refreshments will be served.

“Descant is a Middle English word meaning a variation or comment on a subject, or a countermelody in music,” Shanahan said in an artist’s statement. “In these exploratory works, the application of paint varies from impasto to bare canvas; and color, along with composition and stroke quality, functions to create a visual language that seeks to transcend words. These paintings follow in the footsteps of millions of works that came before, across all genres of study, and explores what it is to be human, to feel consciously and not to understand.”

Shanahan is a studio art major from Western North Carolina. She is known for her built-surface lyrical paintings. She deals with issues of personhood, timelessness and decay.

Shanahan has shown work in venues in North Carolina, New York City and Paris, most recently at a reception at the Musée Louvre. A Chancellor’s Scholar she will graduate with university and Department of Art honors in December.

For more information, contact curator Ariel Moran in the Office of Student Programs at 828-262-3032.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the state of North Carolina, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls more than 19,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.