Paintings by artist Heather Layton at first look familiar as her characters assume roles as spouses, parents, and children in real-life situations. But then their masks take you aback and call to mind the absurd. Layton's exhibit, titled "Too Much Attention, Not Enough Food," opens Monday, Nov. 15, at the Gallery at the Art & Music Library on the University of Rochester's River Campus. It is free and open to the public.
Layton's most recent series depicts fictional characters involved in psychologically charged interactions. She sees them wanting attention, but then rejecting it with equal force. "The most difficult part of creating the work is resisting the constant temptation to divide the characters into heroes and villains," she says. "The characters in the paintings suggest a world more accurate than our own, a world where contradictions can coexist and where everyone knows that the very accomplishment of taking a deep breath in requires the act of pushing it back out."
The artist earned her master of fine arts degree in painting from SUNY New Paltz. Currently, she is teaching painting and drawing courses at the University of Rochester, and is studio coordinator of Sage Art Center on campus.
Her exhibit in Rush Rhees Library will continue through Dec. 10 with an opening reception set for 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 18, at the gallery. Exhibit hours are 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday; noon to 5 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday. For more information, contact the library at (585) 275-4476.