Opening Reception - Haile King Rubie: Speaking Colors

The Clara Francis Gallery is pleased to launch with a solo exhibition of works by Artist Haile King Rubie, featuring his paintings on canvases, paper & bottles. "Speaking Colors" offers us a swirl of personal memories and reflections on the mélange of cultures experienced in Harlem today. Haile King Rubie is a Harlem-based artist of Costa Rican and Liberian heritage, and has been strongly influenced by his Haitian-born and Jamaican-born artistic mentors. People he witnesses in the rich surroundings of Harlem, from street musicians to Caribbean Day Parade dancers to everyday folks, populate his paintings in many forms, from close-ups to silhouette depictions. Rubie is a product of voracious independent study. Images originating in his own personal vision are occasionally infused with stylistic elements he has observed in modernists, abstractionists, and contemporary artists such as Georges Seurat, Pablo Picasso, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Possibly due to his experience living with developmental issues, he has a heightened receptiveness to color, music, and movement that are elements reflected in his paintings. A unique perspective on the world, an expressive flexibility and a vibrant color palette unite all of his works. This exhibition attempts to savor the development of these influences, leading us to a greater understanding of his technique. The exhibition presents the work chronologically, encouraging viewers to fully comprehend the beauty and ritual of his daily life that he offers. Works from 2007 to 2015 tend to capture specific memories and emotions and re-tell them in paint, from a visit to the Central Park Zoo to a moment of overwhelming rage. Rubie’s experimentation with a new medium this past year - painting on recycled bottles - suggests an emerging exploration of mystery that is still in development. Haile's canvases and works on paper have been exhibited ten times in group shows and have brought him impressive awards and commendations. His work is permanently installed among 15 works by contemporary Harlem Artists in the Harlem River Park Etched Steel Plaques Project. He won second prize in the 2014 FEGS/Haym Salomon People's Choice Art Contest. For more information: http://www.clarafrancisgallery.com For the in-depth press release: http://www.jsnyc.com/season/haile.htm