Denice Bizot's "Hella Hearts" Opening Reception

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, In-Town Gallery presents Denice Bizot’s show Hella Hearts! Riffing on the motif of the heart symbol, metal artist Bizot has created a multitude of unique interpretations of this common shape, sometimes playful, sometimes dramatic and sometimes 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. Both fun and provocative, “Hella Hearts” will be on display through the end of February. The opening reception is Friday, February 7th, 5-8pm.

Denice Bizot graduated with a BFA from Loyola University. Her work can be seen in public spaces around Chattanooga and is found in corporate collections in Amsterdam, New York, and New Orleans among other cities. She has also had her work purchased for private collections throughout the United States and she numbers the actress Catherine Zeta-Jones among her collectors. In 2014 Bizot was asked to create work for an exhibit at the Tennessee Art Commission’s gallery in Nashville. In February 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 current show at In-Town Gallery, Hella Hearts, is based on my signature style of piercing metal to create patterns of irregular line movements and abstract shapes.” Allowing her intuitive sense of design to flow freely, Bizot cuts the metal without prior drawing. She moves quickly, the her plasma torch sensitive to the slightest movement of her hand. “I like organic, curvy lines, unusual shapes and forms. I don’t sketch. I try not to overthink. I like disharmony and asymmetry. I like to be spontaneous, wander, get lost, to be inspired.”

Examples of Bizot’s latest work include “Redhrt” and “Steel”. “Redhrt”, a lacey, sensuous design was cut from18 gauge copper which was then enhanced with alcohol inks. The eye dances around the many twisting cuts, delighting in the surprises it finds even as it is beguiled by the dramatic red of the surface. “Steel”, as befits its title, is more solid, contained, Bizot’s torch cuts enhancing and expressing the material’s enduring quality.

The metals Bizot uses to create her hearts vary widely. Patinated copper, bare steel and oxidized steel, sometimes enhanced with alcohol ink, are part of this collection. “I have made some of my hearts so they can be hung on the wall and others I’ve mounted on textured wood in ways that I feel work well with the piece.” Hella Hearts includes work in a wide range of sizes, materials, and prices. There is truly something for every taste.

Hella Hearts is a perfect opportunity to pick up something out of the ordinary for that special person in your life! Bizot’s unique artistry can be seen year round at In-Town Gallery. Hella Hearts, however, will run for the month of February with an opening reception Friday, December 6th, 5-8pm.