The McCaig-Welles Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of new works by the artist Craig LaRotonda titled “Grotesque Beauty.” An opening reception will be held Friday April 18th, 2008 from 7pm – 10pm.

Craig LaRotonda has been painting and drawing his whole life. Since childhood, he has been fascinated by the figure, which remains the focus of most of his works. In LaRotonda’s paintings, humanity is tethered to the earth through the body, where we are forever seeking to quench the burning passion of the flesh; his paintings explore the struggle of the flesh and the dominance of carnal desire over the spirit.

LaRotonda creates paintings and sculptures, sometimes uniting both forms. The materials vary but the substance is the same. Texture, color, and shape are the elements of his construction. He also finds beauty in found objects, their hidden history and the ways in which they show signs of some other life before he found them. Often LaRotonda puts them in his work; bits of old documents or diagrams find their way into his paintings. Though they may be subtle elements, they carry a lot of weight.

Through images of the figure, LaRotonda explores the ineffable nature of consciousness and the struggles of humanity. He is ever aware that existence is more than what can be perceived with the senses, as they do not always impart the whole story. He is engaged by the liminal, the spaces in between: the passage between life and death plays continuously in his work.

LaRotonda sees his art as transportation for the mind, rooted neither in time nor place.