Modified Arts: Carrie Marill::Dirty Bird

Modified Arts: Carrie Marill :: Dirty BirdShow Dates: September 21 - October 26, 2007407 E. Roosevelt, Phoenix, AZ 85004. tel: 602.462.5516"Modified Arts is pleased to present a new body of work by local artist, Carrie Marill. This series of twenty small-scale gouache on paper paintings reflects her abiding interest in the plight of her immediate environment and the wildlife that inhabits it. This is her first solo exhibition at Modified Arts.Marill's bright palette and Pop sensibilities are a pleasing and balanced contrast to the often darker implications of her subject matter. Marill collects bits of Styrofoam from the canal near her home. The material wears down, like rocks, into smooth biomorphic shapes that Marill finds attractive. Marill says these Styrofoam pieces remind her of the sculptures of Hans Arp, and incorporates them into her paintings by tracing their outlines on richly hued papers. She then cuts and applies the paper shapes to her works to create colorful masses that become little 'trash islands' for her meticulously painted birds.These finely rendered birds have appeared before in Marill's work, and are also closely tied to her interest in the world around her. She bird watches in her own backyard and recently created a series of seventeen larger works that featured local threatened and endangered species.'They say the best place to start bird watching is in your own backyard,' says Marill, 'so that's what I do. The challenge in this work is drawing out the beauty in the mundane and frankly tragic things I see every day.'Marill has shown her paintings in New York, Miami, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Her paintings will be on view at Modified from September 21st through October 26th. For more information about Carrie Marill's work and gallery hours, please contact Kimber Lanning at (480) 835-7131."