Just in time for Valentine's Day, In-Town Gallery will open Denice Bizot's exhibit "Hella Hearts!" with a reception on Friday, Feb. 7, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the gallery, 26-A Frazier Ave.
Riffing on the motif of the heart shape, metal artist Bizot has created numerous interpretations of the symbol - some playful, some dramatic, some a bit of both. Cutting her designs from a variety of metals with a plasma torch, her work covers a wide range of style, size and price.
Bizot's work can be seen in public spaces around Chattanooga and is found in corporate collections in Amsterdam, New York and New Orleans. She has had her work purchased for private collections throughout the United States, and her collectors include actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Bizot was asked to create work for an exhibit at the Tennessee Art Commission's gallery in Nashville in 2014. In 2017, Montclair Art Museum purchased her work to include in a special exhibit, "Inspired by Matisse: Selected Works from the Collection." She was one of only three living artists so honored.
"My show at In-Town Gallery is based on my signature style of piercing metal to create patterns of irregular line movements and abstract shapes," says the artist.
Allowing her intuitive sense of design to flow freely, Bizot cuts the metal without prior drawing.
"I like organic, curvy lines, unusual shapes and forms. I don't sketch. I try not to over-think. I like disharmony and asymmetry. I like to be spontaneous, wander, get lost, be inspired," she says.
"Hella Hearts!" will remain on view through the month of February. Gallery hours are 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. For more information: www.intowngallery.com.