Opening Reception: August 16, 5-7pm
Artist Talk: August 23, 3pm

The Gallery at Flat Rock is excited to present “In the Land of Dreams,” an exhibition of paintings by artist Cynthia Wilson, from Aug. 16 – Sept. 9. Cynthia, a native of Washington D.C. who has exhibited widely in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, will present a new body of work related to the world she inhabits while in a dream state. 

“Most people who know my work think of me as a nature painter which is partly true,” says Cynthia. “I consider my paintings to be emotional expressions of things I see every day, so what could be a more natural extension of this idea than painting what I see and feel in my dreams.”

Primarily working in acrylic paints, Cynthia looks to tap into the realm of dreams and the distinct imagery and uncanny emotion they evoke. Some years ago, while at the Kanuga Dream Conference, she learned that dreams are for wholeness and healing, and that at least some of the dream symbols are universal to all people.

Two of Cynthia’s early dream paintings will be included in the solo exhibition, along with more recent paintings that she says have evolved into “expressions of my emotions around certain dreams rather than illustrations of symbols in the dreams. Some of them are soft and colorful, while others are dark with hard edges and others are energetic and joyful.”

Many of the paintings have collage elements incorporated into them, partly because of the symbolism, according to Cynthia. “Torn paper, hand painted paper, and odd bits of newspaper are fragments of something larger just as the dream paintings are fragments of the life I enjoy in my dreams.”
    
An opening reception for “In the Land of Dreams” will take place from 5-7 p.m. on Aug. 16; the reception is free and open to the public. On Aug. 23 Cynthia will present an artist talk at 5:30 p.m.