LASTING IMPRESSIONS
ANDREA DONNELLY & LANA STEPHENS

We are surrounded by a physical world that bestows upon us a multitude of experiences. Though most of these experiences are not unique to any one individual, they do impress us in unique and distinctly personal ways. Intrigued and inspired by this dichotomy, Andrea Donnelly and Lana Stephens endeavor to give visual voice to their internal narratives, while encouraging others to reflect on their own feelings, thoughts and memories spawned by our shared experiences.

Andrea Donnelly’s elegant and meticulously handwoven textiles exude an aura of quiet and personal reflection. Fascinated with psychology and her own mental space, Donnelly gazes inward and becomes a curious onlooker to her own inner life, all the while gleaning bits and pieces of ephemeral visions into the physical presence of image woven in cloth. According to Donnelly, “These works come from a desire to understand and explore my own emotional states and the experience of being in my own head and body. I make this work, sharing this experience, because I believe these concerns are shared and experienced by everyone.”

Upon first glance, Lana Stephens’ sky and cloudscape drawings appear to be realism at its best; but when taking a closer look, the imagery begins to morph into something rather fantastic and significantly more abstract. Questioning the realm of reality and how it is defined, Stephens ‘creative efforts explore what she calls “the blur” that exists between what is real and what is imaginary. Intrigued by the quintessentially human experience of staring up at the sky and enthralled by the sky’s forever changing landscape, Stephens seeks to capture “the beauty of its ephemeral impermanence and the invitation it presents to daydream aimlessly.”