Being subjected to continual noise has an adverse effect on our health. It can affect blood pressure, heart rate and glucose and cholesterol levels. It can impede learning. The mixed media paintings in Alex Lago\u2019s \u201cLiquid Forest\u201d series are a reaction to the constant din of everyday life. They attempt to carve out stillness and presence amid this turbulence by probing unseen connections to nature and the universe. In addition to pleasing aesthetics, they remind viewers not just of the sound of silence, but its physical and psychological benefits.<\/p>\n
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WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n
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WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n
Viewer examines paintings in ‘Liquid Forest’ exhibition during opening night reception. <\/p>\n
MORE INFORMATION:<\/p>\n
\u201cLiquid Forest,” by Alexis Lago, is on view in the main gallery of the Alliance for the Arts through Nov. 29.<\/p>\n
The exhibition is a riff on the importance of silence in a world filled with constant demands for our attention.<\/p>\n
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WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n
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WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n
Viewers examine paintings in ‘Liquid Forest’ exhibition during opening night reception. <\/p>\n
A study conducted in 2014 out of the University of Michigan found that more than 100 million Americans are exposed continuously to an average of 70dB, up from an average of 55 dB in 1972. That is the equivalent of a washing machine or gas-powered lawnmower or leaf blower, except the noise persists without abatement.<\/p>\n
For most Americans, the chief culprits are traffic from nearby highways, airports and elevated trains. <\/p>\n
The drone of cars, trucks, planes and trains triggers our \u201cfight or flight\u201d instinct and \u201cwatchman function.\u201d That, in turn, results in heightened pulse rates and blood pressure levels, sleep interruptions and, for children, reduced reading rates. Several studies have shown that frequent awakenings raise levels of glucocorticoids, which inhibit insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity. Reducing these two factors leads to diabetes.<\/p>\n
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WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n
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WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n
‘The Illusionist’ by mixed media painter Alex Lago.<\/p>\n
Noise pollution hits lower income earners harder since they are more likely to live in housing complexes near interstate highways or in the flight paths of airports.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy series is a meditation on the chaotic fluidity of contemporary life, where everything is transient and noisy,\u201d states Lago in his artist statement.<\/p>\n
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WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall<\/p>\n
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WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n
The paintings in this series depict quiet environs such as forests as depicted here in ‘Protector.’<\/p>\n
As expected, the paintings in this series depict quiet environs such as forests (\u201cProtector\u201d), gardens (\u201cThe Illusionist\u201d) and riverbanks (\u201cFishing Moments\u201d). But to underscore the exhibition\u2019s theme, \u201cMy Garden Demon\u201d shows someone shattering the silence of a bucolic garden setting with a gas-powered lawnmower.<\/p>\n
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WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n
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WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n
Gas-powered lawnmowers like the one depicted in ‘My Garden Demon’ are the nemesis of quiet weekends in most neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
\u201cRooted in my experience of living on a peninsula, the series also evokes a sense of insularity, introspection and timeless exploration,\u201d Lago\u2019s artist statement continues. \u201cNature is a constant presence for me, not only in its physical form but as a metaphor for the inner landscapes shaped by reflection, aspiration and mystery. Through this lens, spirituality \u2013 with its moments of illumination and difficulty \u2013 manifests as a guiding force in my visual language.\u201d<\/p>\n
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WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n
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WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n
‘Fishing Moments,’ by Alex Lago, depicts the serenity associated with casting a line into a local watering hole at dawn or dusk.<\/p>\n
The paintings included in \u201cLiquid Forest\u201d are mixed media. For Lago, mixed media means a blend of materials and methods, including oils, acrylics, pencil, printmaking, watercolor and ink.<\/p>\n
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WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n
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WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n
Mixed media artist Alexis Lago utilizes a blend of materials and methods, including oils, acrylics, pencil, printmaking, watercolor and ink.<\/p>\n
\u201cA deep interest in artisanal processes and self-made supports further anchors my work in a tactile, handcrafted tradition,\u201d the artist statement goes on to read.<\/p>\n
His influences span Far Eastern painting \u2013 particularly the spatial sensitivity and restraint found in Japanese and Chinese art \u2013 as well as Persian miniatures, medieval manuscript illumination and select modern and contemporary masters.<\/p>\n
Support for WGCU\u2019s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Being subjected to continual noise has an adverse effect on our health. It can affect blood pressure, heart…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":51647,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":["post-51646","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51646","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51646"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51646\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}