October 25 2021 - February 11 2022

My show 'Face to Face: Contemporary Portraits' is at the Carson City Courthouse. The exhibit includes paintings from different periods of my career, ranging from formal portraits to more intimate depictions in the various geographical and cultural settings in which I have been based (Basque Country, Jerusalem, Nevada, Berlin, Florence..).

https://www.ccainv.org/bray-portraits/ 

The reception will be on November 5th, 5-6.30pm.

I am excited about showing in a public venue as it offers the opportunity to present artwork to people who may not usually go see art. Visitors to the Courthouse usually come simply for administrative matters, and I love that this public can enjoy art while they run their perhaps rather tedious errands! I am very conscious however that art exhibits and simply the act of looking and contemplating an artwork can be quite intimidating to many people, especially today in our world of constant flashing digital images and ever-attention-seeking social media.

So I will be creating a so-called 'fun-guide' featuring simple questions and exercises that invite the visitor to engage with the artworks. I received an American Rescue Plan grant from the Nevada Arts Council which will cover my costs of producing this 'fun-guide'. Paper copies of the guide will be available to visitors for free in the exhibit in English and Spanish. The goal is to encourage the public to feel empowered to look at artwork more closely. It will hopefully inspire viewers to reflect further on what they are seeing and to connect it with their own lives. It will address in an open-ended way several themes related to the Humanities and STEAM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics): 1. Identity and Relation to Place and Time. 2. Technicalities of Drawing and Painting, and a focus on the Fine Art of Portraiture. 

Come, see and have fun!