SYNC Art Gallery Presents: Clark Valentine

Clark Valentine’s artwork deals with devotion, ritual, and connection to the Sacred. Through abstract, experimental drawing and printmaking practices, Valentine draws on traditions of Religion, Philosophy and Art History to investigate relationships between Divinity and the contemporary spiritual practitioner. In this body of work, never exhibited before, Valentine uses pipe tobacco in a variety of ways to explore concepts of ritual, process, and prayer.  As exhibited in the Japanese Tea Ceremony, Valentine is considering the use of “secular rituals” as an opportunity for contemplation and reflection to thrive. Pipe smoking has been used by many as a form of secular ritual. Valentine attempts in this body of work to capture a relic of this personal practice.  The visual of rising smoke has symbolized prayer for millennia. Perhaps contemplative rituals such as this offer opportunities of dialogue with the Sacred. Image attached: Tobacco Circle 1: 8.5 x 5.5”; Tobacco Smoke on Paper; clarkvalentinefineart.com