August 17, 2009 (DURHAM, NC) -- Somerhill Gallery in Durham, North Carolina, will premiere a major exhibition of recent works by Taos, NM artist Donald Gialanella, with paintings by Jason Craighead. The artist’s reception will be held on Sunday, August 30th, from 2-5 p.m. The public is invited. The show runs through October 2.

Gialanella is known for his life-like steel depictions of animals and humans which he constructs from individually forged elements welded together to form his sculpture. About his recent work, the artist says,
"We live in a dynamic visual world—Earth’s landscapes and creatures alongside man’s cities, roads and manufactured objects. As an artist, all of these elements vie for attention. Amid the cacophony, I organize sculptural form with steel as my ally. It allows me to fluidly express ideas with the bold permanence of metal. To help achieve my vision, I’ve adapted an array of metalworking techniques to suit my needs and temperament, including blacksmithing, repoussé (hammering to create convex forms in metal plates), welding, cutting, assemblage and casting."

The artist just returned from Australia where his monumental design, "The St. George Parallax Cross" was named a finalist for the $500,000 St. George's Cathedral sculpture competion in Perth.

Somerhill Gallery is located in the Venable Center in Durham, NC at 303 South Roxboro Street. For directions visit the website at [link].

For more information about Donald Gialanella and to see more of his work, visit [link]

About Donald Gialanella:
The sculptor has exhibited in sculpture parks, public spaces, museums and galleries. His diverse clients includes personalities such as Uri Geller, Howard Stern, Angelina Jolie, Jimmy Buffet, TV host Dr. Keith Ablow, and owner of The Atlantic Monthly, David G. Bradley.

Gialanella is recognized by the following organizations:
Member of the Sculptors Guild NYC, Member of National Audubon Artists NYC, Who’s Who in American Art and Strathmore’s Who’s Who.