Harvey Preston Gallery

Harvey Preston Gallery is pleased to present a two-person exhibition featuring works by artists Jeffry Mitchell and Jeanne Quinn. This marks the first opportunity the gallery has had to show either of these artists and the pairing came about in a rather straightforward way—when asked who she would like to show with Jeanne simply replied—Jeffry Mitchell. As it would happen, the gallery had been wanting to do a show of Jeffry’s work for a number of years.

Jeanne Quinn’s large-scale installation True and Reasoned and Impure and Inexplicable was first exhibited at the Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI. This is its second iteration and marks the first time it is being exhibited in a contemporary gallery space.

Jeffry Mitchell’s direct approach to art making has with in it the essential gift of being able to include universally relatable and accessible story lines. For Jeffry, ceramics is a material best suited to translate the rich fluidity embedded in his continued engagement of the complex and the exuberant. To that end we are proud to announce that a number of the works included in this exhibition have recently been highlighted in an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK.

Below is an excerpt from a text written by Mitchell about the works in the show, the artist’s friendship, and how they settled on the title of the exhibition—I’ll Be Your Mirror.

One time I sent Jeanne a Tom of Finland postcard: two Leathermen, face-to-face, bulges touching. Exquisitely drawn in pencil on paper, the couple embraces in an almost-but-not-quite mirror image. From cap to back to rump to bulge their silhouettes create Baroque curves and counter curves. The material sheen of graphite echoes the sheen of their black leather jackets, with bright white highlights revealing turgid muscles. Undoubtedly hot, but not merely pornographic, we love this image because it is all these things: erotic and beautiful and playful and sweet.

Jeanne and I discussed the work we would include in this show, wondering if we should come up with a title. We talked about the influence of ceramic and textile histories, the call and response between the decorative and fine arts. Both Jeanne and I employ symmetry as a compositional/structuring device and as a subject.

Jeanne texted a list of notions to consider for a title:

The mirror, To mirror, Mirroring, Reflection, Reflecting, Cast back, Black and white, Gray area, Other/same, Twin, Twinning, Parallel, Translation.

Or—something about textiles, fabric, material?
You’re showing works on fabric and works of clay; I’m showing clay work and drawing about textiles…

Matter/material…

Patterning…reproduction, additive…

We settled on “I’ll Be Your Mirror”, taken from the Velvet Underground song. Sweet and simple, it matches the formal and conceptual concerns in our work, but I think the title of our show is really about our friendship.

I’ll be your mirror

Reflect what you are, in case you don’t know
I’ll be the wind, the rain and the sunset
The light on your door to show that you’re home

When you think the night has seen your mind
That inside you’re twisted and unkind
Let me stand to show that you are blind
Please put down your hands
‘Cause I see you

I find it hard to believe you don’t know
The beauty that you are
But if you don’t let me be your eyes
A hand in your darkness, so you won’t be afraid

When you think the night has seen your mind
That inside you’re twisted and unkind
Let me stand to show that you are blind
Please put down your hands
‘Cause I see you

I’ll be your mirror

JEFFRY MITCHELL
JEANNE QUINN

ASPEN TIMES