Two shows open Friday, Jun. 7, at Giampietro Gallery in New Haven

Giampietro Gallery—Works of Art
315 Peck St., New Haven, (203) 777-7760
Riley Brewster: Works
The Self-Portraits of Samuel Rothbort
Jun. 7—29, 2013.
Reception: Fri., Jun. 7, 5—8 p.m.

Press release from Giampietro Gallery

Fred Giampietro Gallery is pleased to present work by artists Riley Brewster and Samuel Rothbort (1882—1971). The two shows will be on view from Jun. 7—29, with an opening reception on Fri., Jun. 7, from 5—8 p.m.

In an artist’s statement from 2005, Riley Brewster writes, "My paintings most often employ an initiating form which operates spatially, metaphorically and structurally as a threshold space. It is a form that measures the painting space in terms of scale, point-of-view, and metaphoric, symbolic identity. It is this form that keeps the paradigm of the reading of the painting hermetic: the viewer is kept on one side of this initiating form; the rest of the paintings spatial relationships occur within the painting space on the far side of this form. This form operates as the hinge between these worlds—the viewers and the paintings. I have become interested in the thought, the possibility of the whole painting operating, functioning as this hinge. This is among my present concerns."

Riley Brewster: Untitled

Brewster received his M.F.A in Painting from the Yale University School of Art and his B.A. in Studio Art from Bowdoin College. Brewster's work has been exhibited throughout the United States as well as Alaska. Brewster has accepted many of prestigious awards including the Louis Comfort Tiffany award, the Maine State Commission on the Arts Biannual Award in Painting, the Bowdoin Faculty Research Award, and Highest award for excellence in painting from Yale University. Brewster has also been awarded many residency and fellowship opportunities including the Visiting Artist Residency from Vermont Studio Center, Painting Fellowship from the Ingram Merrill Foundation, Painting Fellowship from the Pollock/Krasner Foundation, and a Painting Fellowship from the Esther and Adolf Gottlieb Foundation. Brewster's work can be found in both private and public collections including the Davis Museum of Art, the Museum of Art (Portland, Maine) Vermont Studio Center, and the Yale University Museum of Art.

Samuel Rothbort (1882-1971) maintained an intensely personal vision during his long career as an artist. His body of work is best known for his wood and stone sculpture and his painted scenes of Long Island and New York. Fred Giampietro is pleased to present a rarely seen glimpse into Rothbort's eccentric life through his self-portraits.

Samuel Rothbort: "Profile in Shadow"

Artist's reception Sat., June 1, at New Haven Public Library for lively Zallinger painting show

New Haven Free Public Library Art Gallery
133 Elm St., New Haven
Color Out of the Blue: Paintings by Kristina Zallinger
May 30—Jul. 2, 2013.
Artist's reception: Sat., Jun. 1, 2—4 p.m.

Press release from Azoth Gallery

Paintings by Kristina Zallinger will be on view in the gallery of the New Haven Free Public Library from May 30 through Jul. 2. An artist's reception will be held Sat., Jun. 1, from 2—4 p.m.

Kristina Zallinger: "Flash in the Pan"

"My paintings are all about color and texture," says Kristina Zallinger. "I live in a world surrounded by it. With each of them I try to dazzle the viewer with delight! I have been told that my work makes people happy. That is my intention. Often people miss the presence of color. I like to remind them of it. I isolate a flower garden, a piece of glass, my approach to a waterfall and any images that I see in my mind. The color and texture both create a feeling of depth within the canvas. I often quip that 'color is my middle name!'"

"Local Industry" show reception at Seton Art Gallery Sat., May 25

Seton Art Gallery at the University of New Haven
Doods Hall, University of New Haven, 300 Boston Post Rd., West Haven, (203) 931-6065
Local Industry: Reflections on Nearby Desolation
May 18—Jun. 15, 2013.
Reception: Sat., May 25, 6—8 p.m.

Press release from Seton Art Gallery

Local Industry is an illustrated encyclopedia of responses to the remnants of industrial Connecticut. Whether stepping through the rubble to capture the best vantage point for a photograph, meticulously painting a distressed surface or constructing a sculptural analogy to abandoned buildings, each artist evokes a different sense of both appreciation and longing.

J.D. Richey: "91 Shelton"

The featured artists are Michael Angelis, Anna Held Audette, Roland Becerra, Laura Boyer, Joy Bush, David Coon, Claudia Cron, Phyllis Crowley, Matthew Hester, Brent Howard, Aniko Horvath, Keith Johnson, Todd Jokl, Nathan Lewis, David Ottenstein, Chris Randall, J.D. Richey, Cindy Tower, Maria Tupper and Tracy Walter Ferry.

Local Industry will be on view from May 18 through Jun. 15. There will be a reception for the artists on Sat., May 25, from 6—8 p.m.Local Industry was curated by Stephen Vincent Kobasa and Laura Marsh.

"Spectra 2013" opens Thursday at Sumner McKnight Crosby Jr. Gallery

Sumner McKnight Crosby Jr. Gallery
70 Audubon St., 2nd floor, New Haven, (203) 772-2788
Spectra 2013
May 17—Jul. 5, 2013.
Artists' reception: Thurs., May 16, 5—7 p.m.

Press release from the Arts Council of Greater New Haven

The Arts Council of Greater New Haven presents Spectra 2013 in the Sumner McKnight Crosby Jr. Gallery, at 70 Audubon St., 2nd floor. The exhibition will be on display from May 17 through Jul. 5. An artists’ reception is scheduled for Thurs., May 16, from 5—7 pm. The public is invited to attend.

Jim Fiora: "Nine Trees"

Spectra is the annual members’ show of the Photo Arts Collective, an Arts Council program whose mission is to cultivate and support a community of individuals who share an interest in photography, through workshops, lectures, exhibitions, portfolio reviews, group critiques, and special events.

Open to Arts Council members, the Photo Arts Collective meets the first Thursday of each month at the Kehler Liddell Gallery, 873 Whalley Ave., New Haven. Members include local professional and amateur photographers that employ a wide variety of photographic styles, which will all be represented in the exhibition.

Saturday opening for "Strange Natures" show at Institute Library in New Haven

The Institute Library
847 Chapel St., New Haven, (203) 562-5045
Strange Natures
May 18—Jun. 15, 2013.
Reception: Sat., May 18, Noon—2 p.m.

Press release from Stephen Vincent Kobasa

Strange Natures, an exhibition curated by Clint Jukkala, will be on view at the Institute Library from May 18 through Jun. 15, 2013. There will be a reception on Sat., May 18, from noon—2 p.m. The show features work by Melissa Brown, Fritz Horstman, Joseph Smolinski, Anahita Vossoughi, and the collaborative team of Johannes DeYoung and Natalie Westbrook.

Taking landscape imagery and natural forms as their subjects, these artists present images that are far from everyday and familiar. Instead, they reveal strange worlds filled with aberrant forms, odd behaviors and unusual occurrences.

Johannes DeYoung and Natalie Westbrook: "Diamond Head"