FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHOP SUEY BOOKS is pleased to announce an exhibition of works by artist SHERYL HUMPHREY. "'Drawling, Stretching, and Fainting in Coils': Art Inspired by the Alice Books of Lewis Carroll" showcases Humphrey's oil paintings and pencil drawings. Humphrey takes her title from the Mock Turtle's "art lessons," a classic example of Carroll's inventive wordplay.

Show dates are February 9 - March 4, 2007. An opening reception will be held on Friday, February 9 from 6-8 pm.

Sheryl Humphrey is known as a visionary painter with a style akin to Magic Realism. Her art celebrates the beauty of light and color, but a surreal edginess keeps the work from slipping into sentimentality. Her themes of fantasy and spirituality often include images of children. "Alice in Wonderland" was a major influence on her personal and artistic development. "Showing this series in a bookstore setting seems especially appropriate," Humphrey states. "Chop Suey Books is a wonderful place to explore, filled with serendipitous finds. Alice herself would approve!"

The Alice books are masterpieces created by Carroll and the illustrator John Tenniel, and Humphrey's new illustrations are intended not to supplant them, but to pay homage. "The fact that these books are still inspiring new interpretations is testament to their greatness," Humphrey says.

Humphrey's works include the familiar Carrollian characters of Humpty-Dumpty, the Cheshire Cat, and the Red and White Queens. But she also interprets some lesser-known passages of the Alice books, offering a new twist on the old themes. "This is an ongoing series," notes Humphrey. "Eventually I'll publish the complete suite of illustrations."

For more information, please contact Chop Suey Books at 804-497-4705. See more of the artist's work at www.SherylHumphrey.com.


ABOUT THE ARTIST

Sheryl Humphrey is a painter living and working in Staten Island, New York. She attended Yale University, received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, and earned her Master of Fine Arts degree at Brooklyn College in 1998. Her work has been exhibited extensively in New York and across the country. Paintings by Ms. Humphrey are included in many public, private, and corporate collections, including Prudential Insurance, the El Paso Museum of Art, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, and the Williamsburg Art & Historical Center in Brooklyn.

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