OLD LYME, CONNECTICUT - "Fiery!", "Electric!", "Hypnotic!" are only some of the anticipated exclamations at this upcoming Cooley Gallery exhibition. Two Connecticut natives will be featured in All Lit Up!, pastel artist Gigi Horr Liverant and neon artist Mundy Hepburn.  

"This colorful and energetic exhibition is a perfect parallel to the season when the ordinary in nature transforms into the sublime. The electric colors in All Lit Up! are a siren call to a visual feast, enjoy and indulge before the season goes away!” says gallery owner Jeff Cooley.

Gigi has an impressive resume with a long list of accomplishments.  Her paintings of pastel and acrylic are ignited with color from her singularly recognizable palette.  Her choice of subjects can be confounding in their ordinariness: a simple suburban house or highway scene but through Gigi's hand these everyday subjects are elevated to an unanticipated status of beauty and significance.  Over fifteen new works by the Colchester resident will be on display at The Cooley Gallery.

Gigi has along list of awards and recognitions and a devoted following of collectors.  She attended the Paier School of Art in Hamden, Connecticut and studied under the famous portraitist and figure artist Robert Brackman.  This exhibition will feature scenes of Connecticut and New England.

Alongside, above and below Gigi's paintings are Mundy's neon sculptures: fantastic creations of lampworked glass so seductive you almost pity their poor "OPEN" sign neon cousins. They vibrate and prance as if echoing the playful and curious mind of their creator.  Mundy's been described as a pioneer of neon art successfully combining elements to create movement and colors previously unappreciated.  

"Everyone wants to be near Mundy's creations. People seem confounded by Mundy's work, startled by his open invitation to imagine and play through his fantastic visions in neon," observes the gallerist.

Mundy is an unabashedly self-taught artist who has had numerous gallery and museum exhibitions and lives and creates in Old Saybrook.

The show begins on October 10th at The Cooley Gallery, 25 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT with an opening reception from 5-8 p.m.  All Lit Up! runs through November 16, 2013.
  
 

Founded in 1981 and located in the heart of historic Old Lyme, the Cooley Gallery specializes in fine American paintings from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, including the Hudson River School, American Impressionism, and select contemporary artists. Regular gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10am to 5pm. Please call (860) 434-8807 or visit www.cooleygallery.com  for additional information. The Cooley Gallery is located at 25 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT 06371.