Opening reception: Saturday, February 6, 10 am – 6 pm
In keeping with our commitment to exclusively showcasing the work of female artists for 2021, Octavia Art Gallery is pleased to present a three-person exhibition featuring the works of Ann Marie Auricchio, Mia Kaplan, and Erica Larkin Gaudet. Employing the use of line as expression, these three New Orleans based artists convey stories of the energy existing in our everyday world, abstract representations of nature, and movement of female figures.
Ann Marie Auricchio uses the language of painting to explore a deeper perception of time, place and the complexities of emotional and cognitive associations we make with our world.
Auricchio’s paintings materialize from the convergence of frenetic energy, environment, light/shadow, obsession, anxiety, meditation, history, memory, and a pure visceral response to both physical and psychological places. The creation of Auricchio’s work relies on a balance of experiences and observations from both inside and outside of the studio.
Ann Marie Auricchio earned her BFA in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1994. She has participated in solo and group exhibitions in New York, Maryland, Colorado, and Louisiana. Auricchio has also worked extensively as a scenic artist nationally on film, television, and theatrical productions and is the owner of AM Creative Finishes LLC.
Mia Kaplan is a painter and sculptor. Her work is driven by an interest in transformational qualities and patterns found in nature as told through her personal process of documenting life in the marshes and swamps of her hometown, and through sculptural abstraction of natural borders, landscapes, wildflowers, and refuges.
Kaplan earned a degree in Drawing and Printmaking from the Memphis College of Art and is currently pursuing a dual Masters degree in Architecture and Preservation Studies from Tulane University. She exhibits nationally in galleries, museums, and public places. Her work has been included in many publications including Artforum, Food & Wine, Fitness Magazine, New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles, Country Roads Magazine, Modern Farmer, The Louisiana Review, and more.
Erica Larkin Gaudet is a sculptor who primarily creates abstract figurative forms in metal. She forges and transforms the rigid material until she achieves the appearance of fluid lines, soft curves and subtle gestural movements. She strives to portray expression, energy, movement, womanhood, motherhood, and fertility through her work.
Larkin Gaudet received her BA in Sculpture from Loyola University in 1991. Her works have been included in public exhibitions such as The Sculpture for New Orleans Poydras Corridor Public Art, LA; The Joan Mitchell Foundation Public Art, LA; Louisiana Presbytere Museum, LA; Downtown St. Joseph SculptureWalk, MO; Scope Basel, Switzerland; Hibernian Sculpture Park, LA; and the Walter Anderson Museum of Art, MS. Larkin Gaudet is the founder of the Erica Larkin Studio, Larkin Gaudet Furniture LLC, and Studio Waveland Gallery.