"Sultan," acrylic on canvas. Noted painter and printmaker Curtis Bartone will be unveiling a collection of new and recent works at his exhibition entitled, "Succession," on display at the City of Savannah's Gallery S.P.A.C.E. Aug. 15 through Sept. 26. The opening reception will be held Aug. 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. Over twenty works in acrylic, silverpoint, graphite and intaglio will be featured.

Bartone's paintings, drawings, and etchings focus on the uneasy relationship between human beings and the natural world. The work explores the idea of "wilderness" and how it has changed from being a real place--a place mysterious, unknown, and pristine--to being a memory, one that is longed for, romanticized, mourned and desperately reconstructed. His current pieces stylistically fuse Italian Renaissance painting, 17th-century Dutch still life, 19th-century scientific illustration with a twenty-first century aesthetic informed by photography and mass media.

"I view the act of artmaking as a way to explore and to question man's attempts to tame, control, and consume his surroundings," Bartone explained. "My paintings and drawings, filtered through art history and mass media, attempt to make sense of seemingly disparate elements and create connections and order in what appears to be disharmony."

In conjunction with the exhibition, Bartone will conduct a collagraphic printmaking workshop with students attending the City's summer art camp at S.P.A.C.E. Works from this program will also be on displaxy.

Bartone received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Oh. and a Master of Fine Arts from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. His works have been shown in group and solo exhibi- tions throughout the U.S. and, more recently, in Mexico and Iceland. Bartone has been teaching drawing and printmaking for over 15 years as both a professor and through lectures and demonstrations. He has received several awards, including a Gil Society Studio Residency Fellowship to work and exhibit in Akureyri, Iceland in 2005.

An artist's reception is set for Aug. 15, from 6- 8 p.m. The exhibition and artist's reception are free and open to the public. Gallery S.P.A.C.E. is located at 9 W. Henry St. Gallery hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Free off-street parking is available.

For information, visit www.savannahga.gov/arts .

For information on Bartone, visit http://www.byronroche.c om or http://www.gallerys- tokes.com/110CurtisBart one/Bartonearchive.html