Sunday afternoon opening at Kehler Liddell Gallery

Kehler Liddell Gallery
873 Whalley Ave., New Haven, (203) 389-9555
Scene/Seen: Photography by Rod Cook & Paintings by William McCarthy
Through Sept. 27, 2009
Artists Reception: Sun., Sept. 13, 3—6 p.m.

Press release

Scene/Seen is about the landscape observed and imagined. Rod Cook and William McCarthy are artists who throw open the notion of landscape and nature genre by evoking intimacy and recognition in their subject while balancing on the edge of other-worldly.

Rod Cook's photographs are an ethereal earthy documentation of the natural world. This exhibition features a selection of closely framed Botanicals—delicate, sensual and glowing with available light, mixed with a series of his "moving landscapes" shot from assorted vehicles in motion. All are printed in the rich tonalities of platinum palladium, sometimes appearing to have been rendered or hand tinted toward the slightly surreal.

William McCarthy paints "atmospheric landscapes". These too, are luminous and mysterious—trees against sky, field and river, subtle variations of light and atmosphere. And what would appear to be painted in the plein aire tradition is actually all comprised from memory, imagination and thumbnail sketches in a basement studio. Traditional techniques of cadmium red base, a quick sketch, and thin layers of oil color and glaze result in these imaginary landscapes, which contain an inner light and "speaks about spiritual places... an ethereal whisper of the places we see every day."

There will be an artists' reception on Sun., Sept. 13, from 3—6 p.m., featuring live music by cellist Julie Ribchinsky (5—6 p.m.) And meet the artists and join the conversation at the artists' talk on Wed., Sept. 16, at 7 p.m.