'DRAWN' CONSTRAINS ARTISTS WITH OVERSIZE MATERIALS

SALT LAKE CITY (Feb. 1, 2011) - What happens when six artists are put in the same room for an eight-hour work day and each charged with the task of creating a work of art out of a very limited toolset? Gallery visitors will find out at the premiere of the latest exhibit at Nox Contemporary, entitled "Drawn."

Opening Friday, Feb. 18, "Drawn" will feature controlled-environment work from artists Nathan Florence, Mary Toscano, Colour Maisch, Jason Lanegan, Jenevieve Hubbard, and Laura Sharp Wilson.

For the exhibition, all participants will be given the same timeframe and the same size paper on which to work. The catch: Each artist will be limited to using only a oversized No. 2 pencil and one other drawing medium of the artist's choice, the latter of which will be attached to a dowel the length of his or her body height.

"'Drawn' is an exploration of the art and craft of drawing - a skill that requires patience, technical mastery and intensity," said John Sproul, director of Nox Contemporary. "In giving artists a tool they have never used before, the process of creating a drawing becomes laid bare as the artist grapples with the uncertainty of the tools and the resulting image."

The public is invited to watch the drawing period in-person Saturday, Feb. 12, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the gallery, as the artists of varied mediums re-experience the learning curve involved with putting pencil to paper. The six resulting works, and documentation from each artist's process, will be on display during the February Downtown Gallery Stroll.

"Drawn" will run through Friday, April 1. For more information on the participating artists, visit www.noxcontemporary.com.