"In A Different Light"
at the
Oxford Gallery, Rochester, New York
The tree leaves in my new neighborhood are fast changing colors and yet we have to deal with daylight savings time once again - Spring Ahead and Fall Behind - and the countryside gets darker earlier... many changes to anticipate! Also, in this season the art exhibitions are picking up pace with some new and enticing shows to visit if you are game for it!
My "Dynamic Equilibrium" gouache on board is a work-in-progress
The important element that we are dealing with is light and it changes with the season in my studio on the fourth floor of the Hungerford Building, along the railroad yards in Rochester, New York. I am working on a series of abstract geometric paintings - many of which have isometric angles that create illusions of three dimensional space and overlaps of volume. Just finishing a piece I call: "Dynamic Equilibrium" and considering what comes next...
"Shoreline Light" print by Elizabeth Durand
from the show called: In A Different Light"
Take some time to visit the Oxford Gallery here in town for a new show called: "In A Different Light". I have a new print in this exhibition that I call: "The Importance of Light" and it features one of my mathematical visualizations of what looks like a green light bulb which stems from my writing out a formula in a software program called: "Cinderella". I took Jim Hall's prompt about light literally when I was invited to show my artwork in this new thematic exhibit. Each of the artists now on view through November 27th bring their own interpretations to the topic at hand.
When I walked into the Oxford Gallery I was immediately attracted to a small print by Liz Durand which features a waterfront and some swirling golden clouds and this marks an interesting departure for this printmaker. Nearby there is a painting by Tony Dungan that gives the impression of plunging into space with some intense colors and fragments flying. Tony calls his piece "The Light Beneath Your Feet" and while the painting is abstract - if you take the literal meaning of the title into account the image is something of a shock!
Tony Dungan and his acrylic painting " The Light Beneath Your Feet"
Not all of the artwork in this show is so intense, as you can see in the pastels of Ray Hassard - these works feature intimate details of unmade ( recently slept in? ) beds in darkened rooms and the passages in his art are really convincing. Materials in the hands of an artist do matter and the pastels he employs are subtle and sensitive to the situation.
"Motel Room 3AM". pastel by Ray Hassard
I was amused by the take on Rene Magritte by painter Jim Mott. It was only a few weeks ago that we went to hear a talk he gave at The Memorial Art Gallery and I would not have expected to see this portrait of some houses in Corn Hill showing the contrasting times of day that leaves a surrealist impression. Jim Mott is a poet in painting and has an eye for making connections and this work certainly does that!
"Corn Hill A La Magritte" painting by Jim Mott
Talking about materials once again, look at the abstraction by Barbara Mink - and there you will find gold and acrylic mixed in a storm of color and light. Or how about the materials employed by Barbara Page - these are old fashioned index cards that come from a library card catalog all decorated with images that reflect on the titles and content of the books that they are charged to represent.
"Golden Compass" by Barbara Mink
There are over 60 works in this new show at Oxford Gallery - and saying that there is something for everyone is not over-stating the case. Enjoy the show and look for images you can connect with.
At Axom Gallery in the South Wedge
paintings by Lanna Pejovic
At Axom Gallery we have a beautiful show of paintings by Lanna Pejovic, and we were lucky enough to stop in when she was giving a talk about this new body of work. I know Lanna from R.I.T. and she has had a recent showing at the Main Street Arts gallery in Clifton Springs that featured almost mural size paintings of trees in a landscape, and this current show at Axom Gallery continues with this theme. She treats her subject of trees in a light filled forest as almost akin to figuration. There is wonderful interplay of brush strokes and patches of smoky color that create an ambient texture that conveys a feeling of being alone in the woods.
Lanna Pejovic at Axom Gallery
Lanna's paintings are not necessarily paintings - as they say - made "en plain aire". These are mostly studio works which in a way relate to the structures of music and the development of compositions that are built piece by piece.
Have a look at her artwork and at Axom Gallery you can see how well her paintings work in the surrounding interior design with chairs and tables that make you feel you are right at home! As I once wrote in her catalog for the show at Main Street Arts, Lanna is a painter's painter. She is inspiring to listen to, but the art speaks for itself, a wonderful process to behold..
