Woodcut show opens at Institute Library in New Haven Sat., Jan. 11

The Institute Library
847 Chapel St., New Haven, (203) 562-5045
In Relief: A Small History of the Woodcut
Jan. 11¬—Feb. 8, 2014.
Reception: Sat., Jan. 11, Noon—2 p.m.

Press release from Stephen Vincent Kobasa

In Relief is curated by master printer James Reed from his own collection. The show of woodcut prints will be on view from Jan. 11 through Feb. 8 at the Institute Library. There will be an opening reception on Sat., Jan. 8, from noon—2 p.m.

Emil Orlik: "Die Naherin"

According to printmaker Fritz Eichenberg (1901-90), "The woodcut deserves the most honored place in the history of the print, since it is the most ancient, the most direct and—by virtue of its great simplicity—easily the most democratic medium of graphic multiplication and artistic expression."

Jukkala, Granwell shows opening Friday at Giampietro Gallery in New Haven

Giampietro Gallery—Works of Art
315 Peck St., New Haven, (203) 777-7760
Clint Jukkala: Off Course
Alexis Granwell: Ghost Stories
Oct. 11—Nov. 2, 2013.
Reception: Fri., Oct. 11, 5—8 p.m.

Press release from Giampietro Gallery

Fred Giampietro Gallery is pleased to present new work by artists Clint Jukkala and Alexis Granwell. The two shows will be on view from Oct. 11—Nov. 2, with an opening reception on Fri., Oct. 11, from 5—8 p.m.

Clint Jukkala’s paintings combine color, geometry, and textured surfaces to create images that hover on the edge of nameable things. Ostensibly abstract, his work evokes real world references, suggesting figures, architecture, and landscape elements. Eye-like openings and framing devices orient the viewer, making them question their own perceptions. A play between part and whole ensues as the paintings configure and reconfigure through the act of looking.

Clint Jukkala: "Oracle"

Jukkala received his BFA from the University of Washington in Seattle, and his MFA from Yale University. His work has been shown at Feature Inc., and Envoy Enterprises in New York, The deCordova Museum and Sculpture Park in Lincoln, MA, Tiger Strikes Asteroid in Philadelphia, PA, VOLTA NY 2013, The Currier Museum, and Soil Gallery in Seattle. He lives and works in New Haven, CT.

Alexis Granwell will be presenting sculptures and monumental prints made during a summer residency at one of the only ten foot-presses in the country, at AS220 in Providence. The works in Ghost Stories depict metaphysical structures that have an ancient quality with imagery that convulsively expands, erases, and erupts.

Granwell received her BFA from Boston University, College of Fine Arts and her M.F.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. Her work has been exhibited throughout the United States including the State Museum of Pennsylvania, the Delaware Center for Contemporary Art, FSU Museum of Fine Arts, Art Basel, and the University of Richmond Museum. Granwell has also received many prestigious awards and honors including the Joan Mitchell Grant Nominee, the Woodmere Art Museum Maurice Freed Memorial Prize, the University of Pennsylvania Neil Welliver Award, University of the Arts Professional Development Grant, Ragdale Artist Residency, AS220 Artist in Residence, and the Europos Parkas Artist Residency.

Susan Weinreich show at Reynolds Fine Art opens Friday

Reynolds Fine Art
96 Orange St., New Haven, (203) 498-2200
Breaking the Boundaries: The Art of Susan Weinreich
Oct. 4—29, 2013.
Artist Reception: Fri., Oct. 4, 5—8 p.m.

Press release from Reynolds Fine Art

Reynolds Fine Art is pleased to offer a hand picked selection of early Vintage Drawings executed by the artist, Susan Weinreich, in the 1970’s. Raw and Frenetic, these drawings were created on the cusp of the artist’s descent into schizophrenia. Also included in this exhibition is a selection of signed black and white woodcut prints, powerfully bold and unique, produced from the 35 original blocks executed by Weinreich during the acute phase of her illness. A corresponding selection of the original blocks, themselves, will also be on display throughout the show. The exhibit concludes with significant and highly compelling large-scale pastels and mixed media works created during the early phase of Weinreich’s recovery.

"Art is the noblest way to make a seeming tragedy into the occasion of triumph. Susan Weinreich's drawings and paintings have that redemptive quality: they reach unabashedly into darkness and thrust into shattering clarity, telling the story of their sometimes tortured inspiration from a hard-earned place of safety. These brave pictures, suffused with intimacy, elaborate her unstinting gaze at both the smoothness of the world’s surfaces and the jagged turmoil of the human mind. Susan Weinreich is remarkable for the art she has made in sickness and in health, for the profound emergence from schizophrenia she has achieved, and for the intense self-awareness that has marked her recovery." — Andrew Solomon, PhD, is a writer and lecturer on politics, culture, psychology and the arts.

Woodcut by Susan Weinreich

Susan Weinreich is a celebrated American Artist, Lecturer and Mental Health Advocate whose paintings and drawings have been exhibited across the nation. At the request of galleries, universities, public corporations and private non-profit organizations, Susan has spoken in the United States and Canada about her art and the impact of her past illness on her life. Her art and life story have been featured in the national press, including the New York Times.

Originally diagnosed in 1975 with paranoid schizophrenia while attending the Rhode Island School of Design. Weinreich's recovery from her illness provides an important lesson for us all in the power of heroic commitment, perseverance and healing to affect change. Her work both as an advocate for those less fortunate and as an artist has made much impact on the lives of many people and their energy.

Ms. Weinreich's artwork is in the collection of numerous individuals, public and private, including, The William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas, the World Corporate Headquarters of Eli Lilly in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the Four Winds Hospital, in Katonah, New York.

The show will be on display from Oct. 4—29 at Reynolds Fine Art located in New Haven’s historic 9th square on 96 Orange St. The show's opening reception will be held on Fri. Oct. 4.

Summer exhibits open July 28 at Silvermine

Silvermine Guild Art Center
1037 Silvermine Rd., New Canaan, (203) 966-9700
Charles Hinman and Gary Lichtenstein: Kites
Where Are We (Going)?
Viewing Room: Roger Mudre and Jason Gardner
July 28—Sept. 7, 2013.
Opening Reception: Sun., July 27, 2—4 p.m.
Artist Talk: Charles Hinman and Gary Lichtenstein: Tue., July 30, 6:30 p.m.
Artist Talk: Jason Gardner: Sat., Aug. 10, 2 p.m.

Press release from Silvermine Arts Center

Silvermine Arts Center is proud to announce its summer exhibition, Kites, a collaboration between painting pioneer, Charles Hinman and master printer, Gary Lichtenstein, and Where Are We (Going)?, a Silvermine Guild group show organized by independent curator Emily Cheng. Silvermine’s Viewing Room will feature new silkscreen prints by Guild Artist, Roger Mudre and photography by Brooklyn based artist, Jason Gardner. The exhibitions will open on Sun., July 28, with a reception from 2—4 p.m., and will run through Sept. 7. The reception is free and open to the public. Along with the exhibitions, there will be several artists' talks. Charles Hinman and Gary Lichtenstein will be giving an artist talk on Tue., July 30,at 6:30 p.m. and Jason Gardner will give his talk on Sat., Aug. 10, at 2 p.m.

Kites is an exhibition premiering a new body of work born of the collaboration between artist, Charles Hinman and master printer, Gary Lichtenstein. Their artistic partnership began in 2011 and this new series continues their exploration into translating the visual vocabulary of Hinman's signature hard-edged, shaped canvases into the realm of prints. By combining color and the use of subtle hand embossing, they have created a suite of prints that epitomizes the core of Hinman's ideology: "Though the works at first glance appear serene and placid, they are ever changing as the surface of the ocean or the expanse of the sky. Ever dynamic, they are ever alive."

Charles Hinman: "Suspension (Blue and Yellow)"

The prints faithfully reconstruct Hinman's paintings down to the inclusion of subtle lines referencing the support systems of his three dimensional work. As the viewer gazes at the work, the profound complexity of the arrangements of space unfolds into an ever- changing visual experience.

Where are We (going)?, organized by independent curator and artist Emily Cheng, marks a new direction for Guild group exhibitions at Silvermine. This change is evidenced in the show's title and theme, which are inspired by Guild Artist Susan Sharp’s painting, "Where are We?" Unlike the traditional model of submitting work to a predetermined theme, this group show is selected from curatorial threads found in the paintings, prints, photographs and objects currently being produced by the Silvermine Guild membership.

Susan Sharp: "Where Are We?"

In her exhibition statement, Ms. Cheng suggests that the show can be thought of in philosophical terms akin to Paul Gauguin's prophetic image, "Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?" However, unlike Gauguin's tableau, which visually expresses his contemplation on the meaning of existence, Ms. Cheng writes, "The theme of uncertainty in this exhibition is not so much found in the overt content of the individual art works, but uncertainty as it is experienced through the viewing process…As in, 'What am I looking at? Where is this situated?'

"A prime example of this experience can be seen in the selection of images by Guild photographers Karen Neems (Stamford), Sandi Haber Fifield (Westport), Torrance York (New Canaan) and J. Henry Fair (New York City), all of whom create work inspired by the world we know, their photographic processes eschewing the familiar." Other Guild Artists exhibiting include: Hanneke Goedkoop (Rowayton), Robert Gregson (Orange), Shelby Head (Madison), Liz Dexheimer (Washington), Eve Stockton (Alexandria, VA), Tina Blackburn (Santa Fe, NM), Amanda Duchen (Woodbridge) and Susan Sharp (Easton).

Silvermine Galleries’ Viewing Room will debut a selection of new abstract silkscreen prints by Guild Artist Roger Mudre, which he produced in collaboration with Master Printer, Gary Lichtenstein, from July 28 through Aug. 4 and Aug. 28 through Sept. 7. Photographer Jason Gardner will present a "visual anthropology" of the culture, music and rituals of the authentic folkloric Carnival festival in Pernambuco, Brazil from Aug. 7—25. The exhibit will be part of Silvermine's 3rd annual ArtsFest.

"Handful of Art" opens this week at John Slade Ely House, reception on Sunday

John Slade Ely House Center for Contemporary Art
51 Trumbull Street, New Haven, (203) 624-8055
Handful of Art
Jun. 19—Jul. 21, 2013.
Opening Reception: Sun., Jun. 23, 2—5 p.m.

Press release from the John Slade Ely House

The very best New Haven artists working in painting, sculpture, drawing, collage, printmaking and photography have made one remarkable deck of playing cards. Please join the John Slade Ely House in celebrating the culmination of a Partnership for CT Cities project over a year in the making. Handful of Art will be on view from Jun. 19 through Jul. 21. An opening reception will be held on Sun., Jun. 23, from 2—5 p.m.

The participating artists are Michael Angelis, John Arabolos, Amy Arledge, Cat Balco, Ethan Boisvert, Riley Brewster, Frank Bruckmann, Susan Clinard, Megan Craig, Jan Cunningham, Leila Daw, Steven DiGiovanni, Karen Dow, Eileen Eder, Silas Finch, Dean Fisher, Amanda Fornal, Josh Gaetjen, Michael Galvin, Elizabeth Gourlay, Rachel Hellerich, Cham Hendon, Lisa Hess, Danny Huff, Clint Jukkala, John Keefer, Zachary Keeting, Janet Lage, Martha Lewis, Nathan Lewis, Linda Lindroth, William Lustenader, Barbara Marks, Christopher Mir, Adam Niklewicz, Jason Noushin, John O’Donnell, Perry Obee, David Ottenstein, Hank Paper, J.D. Richey, Lyn Bell Rose, Joseph Saccio, Charles Santarpia, Martha Savage, K Levni Sinanoglu, Joseph Smolinski, Kevin Van Aelst, Thuan Vu, Jonathan Waters, Marjorie Wolfe and Aicha Woods.

Opening of "Water's Edge" show at City Gallery in New Haven Sun., June 9

City Gallery
994 State St., New Haven, (203) 782-2489
Susan Newbold and Brooke Smith: Water's Edge
Jun. 6—29, 2013.
Opening Reception: Sun., Jun. 9, 2—5 p.m.

Press release from City Gallery

City Gallery is presenting Water's Edge, an exhibition of prints, paintings, and drawings by Susan Newbold combined with photographs by her daughter, Brooke Smith, from Jun. 6—29. The Opening Reception is Sun., Jun.9, from 2—5 p.m.

Susan Newbold: "Rock of Ages" detail

The work focuses on the magic that occurs where land meets water. Paintings, prints, and drawings are combined with the photography of Newbold’s daughter, Brooke Smith. The two have a shared passion for this amazing aspect of nature and the infinite variety of ways it is expressed. The combination of media lend original definition to this phenomena which has intrigued artists for centuries.

Artist's reception Friday, May 3, at Reynolds Fine Art in New Haven

Reynolds Fine Art
96 Orange St., New Haven, (203) 498-2200
Horizons: New Work by Robert Reynolds
May 3—Jun. 4, 2013.
Artist Reception: Fri., May 3, 5—8 p.m.

Press release from Reynolds Fine Art

Reynolds Fine Art is pleased to present Horizons, new work by gallery owner and namesake, Robert Reynolds. Stemming from numerous visits to the Netherlands, Reynolds’s new body of oil paintings and monoprints boasts vivid Dutch landscapes as its subject. Horizons will be on view from May 3 through Jun. 4; an artist's reception is scheduled for Fri., May 3, from 5—8 p.m.

Robert Reynolds: "Giethoorn, Netherlands"

The unique, tabletop flatness of this region sparked the artist’s curiosity when he noticed a recurring, and often over looked, feature that was unavoidable in each vista: the horizon. Thus, Reynolds was prompted to investigate the idea of the horizon in history and how we experience it everyday, whether we realize it or not. Questions such as if this line acts as a joiner or a divider between heaven and earth motivated the artist and come through each work to evoke feelings of longing and wonder in the viewer. These works challenge the mundane concept of a horizon line to become a desire to know the unknowable and mystery of the distance.

Gallery talk and show openings Saturday at Gallery on the Green in Canton

Gallery on the Green
Corner of Dowd and Route 44, Canton, (860) 693-4102
Robert Cottingham: Viewing America—Lithographs, Woodcuts and Etchings
Six Generations of American Artists from the McKay Family Tree, 1883-2013
David Holzman: UMM Evolution
Apr. 26—May 26, 2013.
Robert Cottingham Gallery Talk: Sat., Apr. 27, 5—6 p.m.
Opening Reception: Sat., Apr. 27, 6—9 p.m.

Press release from Gallery on the Green

Join us for the Annual Maxwell Shepherd Memorial Invitational Exhibition at the Gallery on the Green, on display from April 26 through May 26. We are thrilled to have as our guest artist the internationally renowned painter and printmaker, Robert Cottingham. Works were selected from the artist’s personal collection by co-curators Walter Kendra, Professor Emeritus of Art at Central Connecticut State University and John Willis, Professor of Printmaking at the Hartford Art School, University of Hartford.

The show is entitled Viewing America: Lithographs, Woodcuts and Etchings. The curators were struck by the variety of printmaking techniques employed by the artist, including the use of multiple techniques on a single print. Robert Cottingham is one of the pioneers of Photo-Realist art. His work explores themes and images of the urban, industrial American landscape, focusing on the two cities of Los Angeles and New York. Examples of his work can be found in major museums (Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art), galleries and private collections.

Robert Cottingham: "One Way"

The artist will give a gallery talk on Sat., Apr. 27, from 5—6 p.m. An opening reception for the show will follow from 6—9 p.m. Both events are free and the public is cordially invited.

In the upstairs galleries there will be two very different solo shows by members of the Canton Artists’ Guild.

David McKay and his co-curator and niece Sarah McKay present Six Generations of American Artists from the McKay Family Tree, 1883-2013. This fascinating exhibit explores the dramatic changes in American art and life over a period of one hundred and thirty years and the role of the artist through the continuum of one family. As is stated in the comprehensive show catalog, "Throughout history, art has been influenced by the social, political and technological world in which it was created."

The second upstairs exhibition is UMM Evolution, work by artist and art educator David Holzman. David’s relief carvings are based on his watercolor series, The Book of UMM. Both his watercolors and carvings will be on display. The basswood carvings are highly imaginative, brightly painted and inspired by the art of indigenous cultures, medieval wood-carving and the work of outsider artists.

Friday reception for printmaking show at Creative Arts Workshop

Creative Arts Workshop Hilles Gallery
80 Audubon St., New Haven, (203) 562-4927
Chad Erpelding & Megan Moore—Prizewinners of the 2012 National Juried Exhibition Boundless: New Works In Contemporary Printmaking
Apr. 1—22, 2013.
Opening reception: Fri., Apr. 5, 5—7 p.m.

Press release from Creative Arts Workshop

Creative Arts Workshop (CAW) features new work by Chad Erpelding (Boise, ID) and Megan Moore (Chico, CA), prizewinners of the 2012 exhibition Boundless: New Works in Contemporary Printmaking, juried by Anne Coffin, founder and director of International Print Center New York. The exhibition will be on view in CAW’s Hilles Gallery from Apr. 1—22, 2013. An opening reception is scheduled for Fri., Apr. 5, from 5—7 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

While the core techniques of printmaking are centuries old, this medium continues to evolve and offer artists a wealth of opportunities for imagination, innovation and experimentation. The jurying process for Boundless was highly selective, with nearly 400 entries submitted by over 125 artists. From the forty-five artists featured in the show, Erpelding and Moore were chosen for the depth of concept and strength of technique in their work, ideal examples of contemporary printmaking.

In this exhibition, Chad Erpelding presents a selection of work from his series Sister Cities, a project that explores the complexity of communication and connectivity in our increasingly globalized world. The artist collects information from maps and satellite images and places the visual material regarding one city in the form of the respective sister city. For instance, a satellite image of Villa Carlos Fonseca, Nicaragua is cut into the shape of Moscow, Idaho. These images are then stacked between thick layers of resin, emphasizing a separation of place that is countered by the overlap of information. Erpelding describes his work as an investigation of "the physical and mental spread of culture on a global scale through references to maps and charts. I am interested in the movement of people, business, and organizations, and the effect this has on contemporary perceptions of place."

Chad Erpelding: "Sister Cities: Port Townsend, Ichikawa"

Work in the exhibition by Megan Moore uses the technique of collage to re-examine and reconstruct images of plant material that has been visually distorted by the artist. Drawing on a small library of botanical images she has collected from various landscapes, Moore assembles micro images of plants into gorgeous abstract constructions that speak to the ephemeral nature of dreams and memory. She explains, "In some sense my process is an attempt to re- organize and contextualize the world while the conglomeration of images I use are the pieces of an unconscious narrative. In putting them together I seek to create an environment that is beautiful, richly layered and intricately woven."

Megan Moore: "Garland"

Concurrent with Prizewinners: Chad Erpelding | Megan Moore, photographs by Bart Connors Szczarba will be exhibited in the Creative Works Gallery. Box Shots! features photographs from Box 4A at the New Haven Open, capturing an instant in time when form and athletic elegance intersect.

Saturday reception at Gallery on the Green in Canton

Gallery on the Green
Corner of Dowd and Route 44, Canton, (860) 693-4102
Word Art Show
Deborah Sacks: Cats, Etc.
Jim Koplar
Mar. 22—Apr. 21, 2013.
Opening Reception: Sat., Mar. 23, 6—9 p.m.
Evening of Readings: Sat., Apr. 13, 7:30 p.m.

Press release from Gallery on the Green

The Gallery on the Green in Canton presents the eagerly awaited Word Art Show running from Mar. 22—Apr. 21. In the fall of 2003, the Canton Artists’ Guild and the Writer’s Asylum joined forces to present the very first Word-Art Show at Gallery on the Green. Since then, this exciting and thought provoking show has become a biennial event.

The concept of the show is to explore the synergy between writing and the visual arts. Writers and artists collaborate with each other, and the visual artist creates a work of art in their choice of medium that is inspired by the written work. The show may also include paintings or sculpture that incorporate letters or text in the piece. This is a unique show that you will not want to miss. There will be an opening reception on Sat., Mar. 23, from 6—9 p.m. There will also be an evening of readings on Sat., Apr. 13, starting at 7:30 pm. Writers will recite their pieces while the audience views the corresponding art work. The public is warmly invited to both of these events. There is a handicapped access entrance to the Main (lower) gallery.

Jane Irene Johnson: "Grief"

Also showing at the same time are two new exhibits: Jim Koplar in the Spotlight Gallery and Deborah Sacks in the Upstairs gallery. Deborah’s show is entitled Cats, Etc.. Besides cats, her subject matter includes birds, natural objects and the human figure. Sacks concentrates in various methods of printmaking using steel plates, solar plates, linoleum blocks and digital prints. The prints are often further enhanced with pastels, charcoal or paint. Her images are mostly representational but also include the highly decorative use of color, pattern and design.

Collinsville artist Jim Koplar is showing recent work that reflects a mood of stillness and contemplation. Most of the work is done in pastels in his signature style that has been emerging over the years. He focuses on local subject matter which includes landscape, seascape and still life.

Murdoch prints show reception Thursday at A-Space Gallery

West Cove Studio Gallery
30 Elm St., West Haven, (203) 627-8030
Andrew Murdoch: Recent Work
Through Mar. 24, 2013.
Artist Reception: Thurs., Mar. 7, 6—8 p.m.

Press release from A-Space Gallery

Through darker imagery and altered found photos, Andrew Murdoch depicts fragments of scenes, taken as snapshots through the filter of his psyche. Dreamlike and sometimes unsettling, the works force the viewer into the murky headspace of the artist. Works shown cover a variety of printmaking techniques including intaglio, lithography and woodcut. Murdoch is the Assistant Printer at Milestone Graphics in Bridgeport, CT.

Andrew Murdoch: "She Hates"

The exhibition of Murdoch's recent works will be on display through Mar. 24. An artist's reception will be held Thurs., Mar. 7, from 6—8 p.m.

Thursday opening of Ronnie Rysz show at Kohn-Joseloff Gallery

Kohn-Joseloff Gallery at Cheshire Academy at the John J. White Science & Technology Center
10 Main St., Cheshire, (203) 439-7227
Opting Out: Collages, Paintings and Prints by Ronnie Rysz
Feb. 4—Mar. 31, 2013.
Opening Reception: Thurs., Feb. 7, 5:30—7:30 p.m.

Press release

An exhibition of works by Ronnie Rysz (Web) will be on view in the Kohn-Joseloff Gallery at Cheshire Academy through March 31. There is an opening reception for the show tomorrow, Feb. 7, from 5:30—7:30 p.m.

Artwork by Ronnie Rysz

Anna Held Audette retrospective opens this Friday at Reynolds Fine Art in New Haven

Reynolds Fine Art
96 Orange St., New Haven, (203) 498-2200
View of the Past: Anna Held Audette
Feb. 1—Apr. 3, 2013.
Artist Reception: Fri., Feb. 1, 5—8 p.m.

Press release from Reynolds Fine Art

Reynolds Fine Art is pleased to present Anna Held Audette in her first solo exhibition at the gallery. View of the Past will showcase a selection of Audette’s paintings, prints and drawings that came out of her illustrious career as an artist, writer, and teacher, spanning over fifty years.

Anna Held Audette: "Italian Forms"

Subjects such as abandoned factories, ships, bridges, and the dilapidated space launch site, Cape Canaveral, have been memorialized through Audette’s canvases. Stemming from her underlying interest in structure, Audette’s paintings are an exploration of the speed and effect of decay on modern industrial powers. These objects and locations, however, are not depicted as foreboding omens of the demise of industry, but rather, the artist has approached them with sympathy in feeling their neglect and emptiness. Audette’s paintings possess reverence for their subjects and act as symbols of hope for rebirth. These works are both realistic and abstract as her tendency is to focus on shapes, spaces, shadows and light. This technique has allowed the artist to capture the spirit of her subjects. Audette said of her work, “The relics remind us that, in our rapidly changing world, the triumphs of technology are just a moment away from obsolescence. Yet these remains of collapsed power have a strength, grace and sadness that is both eloquent and impenetrable. Transfigured by time and light, which render the ordinary extraordinary, they form a visual requiem of the industrial age.”

In addition to Audette’s paintings, Reynolds Fine Art will be showing a selection of works on paper by the artist. Where Audette’s canvases tend to convey auras of resilience and power, despite their subjects declining condition, her prints and drawings possess the softer quality of a delicate, personal narrative. These works create an intimacy with the artist and reveal more of her internal conflicts; lighthearted and simple thoughts are juxtaposed with images that elicit a darker, more contorted, emotional response.

In 2008 Anna Held Audette was diagnosed with Fronto-Temporal Degeneration, an extremely rare form of Alzheimer’s. Since her diagnosis, Audette’s cognitive functions have declined, but with the assistance of a former student she has carried on with painting and drawing.

Reynolds Fine Art, located at 96 Orange Street, is part of the 9th Square’s historic district in downtown New Haven, a new up and coming area to shop, dine, and experience art. The mission of Reynolds Fine Art is to contribute to the economic and cultural ecosystem through vibrant samples of artwork, not only in our home neighborhood, but also in the Lower Chapel district and in New Haven as a whole. Periodically shows, demonstrations, lectures and workshops are held to infuse New Haven with diverse aspects of the art world.

Sunday artists' reception at Kehler Liddell Gallery

Kehler Liddell Gallery
873 Whalley Ave., New Haven, (203) 389-9555
Blue Matters: John Harris & Kristina Kuester-Witt
Jan. 10—Feb. 3, 2013.
Opening Reception: Sun., Jan. 13, 3—6 p.m.

Press release from Kehler Liddell Gallery

Blue Matters: John Harris and Kristina Kuester-Witt share the subjects of blue and matter, in two distinct exhibitions. The works are on view Jan. 10 through Feb. 3, 2013 with an Opening Reception on Sun., Jan. 13 from 3—6 p.m.

Harris frequently focuses his attention and ours on natural and organic abstractions. In this exhibition he explores water’s physical properties including reflection, turbidity, rhythm, and pattern by isolating a moment in time in a subject that knows nothing of constancy. The large-scale paintings expose various environmental complexities revealing the disguises of water. A repetitive process of applying paint and glazes results in a visual dramatization conceptually harmonious with water.

John Harris: "Gyro 2"

Kristina Kuester-Witt, a painter and a printmaker, explores the duality in aspects of human life. Neutral colored figures interact with various blue colored, undefined, material substances. The interactions occur with a variety of matter reflecting the counterpart or duality evident in the scene. Frequently an upside-down figure is employed as a metaphor further exploring the complexity of particular aspects of human experience.

Kristina Kuester-Witt: "The Matter II"

In a new series the possibilities and dangers of DNA research are explored. A dialog is opened through a use of visuals exploring what choices may mean in an area once the purview of biology without the interference of personal preference.

Artist reception Saturday for Vanilia Majoros at New Haven Public Library

New Haven Free Public Library Art Gallery
133 Elm St., New Haven
Vanilia Majoros: Blue
Through Feb. 15, 2013.
Artist's reception: Sat., Jan. 12, 2—4 p.m.

Press release from Azoth Gallery

Vanilia Majoros came from Hungary to the US in 2003. She lives in New Haven, and teaches Printmaking at Creative Arts Workshop. An exhibit of her prints, Blue, is now on view at the New Haven Free Public Library. There will be an artist's reception for Majoros on Sat., Jan. 12, from 2—4 p.m.

"I love to explore my own self and image; this is the culmination of the fusion of science and art for me," writes Majoros. "I try to see things in my own way, shaped by my life and my experiences. For each viewer this experience an entry into this personal world through visual or mental images, can be uniquely his own."

"When I left Hungary, I thought my professional career would continue in the US," writes Majoros. "My husband had applied for a deanship at The New School University in New York City and had hoped his new position would create a job for me in the Art and Design College at New School or at Parsons School of Design. Teaching in the graduate program in one of these sounded very good for an art historian like me: I received my Ph.D. in Art History in 1997 in Budapest, and worked there as a scholar and as head of the Art Collection of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. I have written six books and more than one hundred articles about European Modernism.

Vanilia Majoros: "Xoxo"

"But my husband's dream did not come true; though by 2004 he was a Professor of Sociology and Political Science at Yale. I spent my time at the Yale Libraries researching and at home writing my largest book about one of the best Hungarian painters, Lajos Tihanyi, who died in Paris in 1938. My book was published in Budapest in 2004, and this was a changing point in my professional life. My dream to become a Yale professor did not materialize, but a new dream about being an artist was born. I decided to learn something new. After eleven solo shows of my photos in Hungary, I determined art as a new field of pursuit, and I began my studies of Calligraphy with Martha German and of Printmaking with Barbara Harder at the Creative Arts Workshop.

"From 2006, I was a guest student in the Yale School of Art, in the first year completing all of the Printmaking classes with Norm Paris. After finishing the Graduate Printmaking Seminar with Rochelle Feinstein, I was invited to teach printmaking in the Creative Arts Workshop. Since 2005, I've participated in group shows in New Haven, and in 2009 my first solo show took place at the DaSilva Gallery. In 2010, the Arts Council of New Haven invited me for a show in Gallery 195 in the First Niagara Bank, and The New Haven Register published a complimentary article about Barbara Marks' and my works in this show. In 2011, I was the first exhibitor at the Mitchell Library in Westville."

Majoros' prints are in private collections in the US, Hungary, Austria, Australia, China, Japan, Switzerland, Ireland and Germany. Some of her unique woodcuts, carborundum, and solar prints are in the Collection of the National Gallery of Hungary, the Literary Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest.

"My unique prints are not only monotypes, but mono prints by woodcut, carborundum, linoleum cut, lithograph and etching. I make prints connected to Architecture, Music, Literature and Fine Art, a series dedicated to Gehry, and portraits about Gyorgy Ligeti, Anna Netrebko, Joan Sutherland, Paul Auster and Chuck Close. My Connecticut Garden series is based on Nature, but I like semi-Abstraction."

CWOS, Weekend 1, Sunday, two visits

Artspace
City-Wide Open Studios
50 Orange St, New Haven, (203) 772-2709
City-Wide Open Studios 2012
Through Oct. 21, 2012.
Weekend 1 Report: Sunday

Allan Greenier: "Bicycle"

Day job work commitments last Sunday limited the amount of visits I was able to make. I stop in to one of the ArLow residences in Westville, visiting first with Allan Greenier. Greenier has a room in which to show examples of both his block prints—similar to woodcuts but using a far less expensive material manufactured for countertops—and manipulated photographs.

Greenier's prints have a strong graphic quality and also something of a subversive imagination. In the 1970's and 1980's, Greenier was active in the underground mini commix scene. (Examples of his work can be found in the anthology Newave! The Underground Mini Comix of the 1980's.)

I am struck by Greenier's photographs. Manipulated in Adobe Photoshop, the images have a pulsating, psychedelic intensity.

•••

Ann Oberkirch, who is 68, has only been painting for two years. It is her first CWOS and she isn't wholly comfortable with the experience of having some visitors walk into the room where she is showing her paintings (oil painting and watercolors, often augmented with pieces of glittery fabric or other objects), glance around, and walk out.

Oberkirch's work is characterized by the naïve approach to perspective common among folk artists. She tells me, "I would be an outsider artist except I'm a doctor, so I'm too much of an insider." (Oberkirch is a psychiatrist.)

Ann Oberkirch: Untitled"

Oberkirch says she works spontaneously. One work started with a painting of a lion—referring to a photograph—and orangutans. She then added naked humans and clothed humans. The composition was filled up with images of birds, flowers and leaves. But it's not really Edenic. Oberkirch draped a pair of small chains over the painted image of the lion, suggesting the powerful creature is in a zoo, a prison.

"The people were the villains but you can't really tell. They don't look like villains," she says.

"The whole thing is a giggle. I do such morose work all day," says Oberkirch. "To start painting at age 66 without ever having doodled—where does this come from?."

New shows open at Silvermine on Sunday

Silvermine Guild Art Center
1037 Silvermine Rd., New Canaan, (203) 966-9700
Bob Gregson: Full Tilt
Collective Vision
Silvermine, Milestone Graphics and the American Print Renaissance, 1979-1989
Aug. 5—Sept. 16, 2012.
Opening Reception: Sun., Aug. 5, 2—4 p.m.

Press release from Silvermine Arts Center

Summer might be drawing to a close, but the new exhibits opening at the Silvermine Arts Center, located in New Canaan, CT, are in “full tilt.” Opening Aug. 5, the new exhibits at the arts center feature an all guild juried show, an historical exhibit of prints, and the first look at recent works by Robert Gregson. The new exhibits will run through Sept. 16 and all are invited to the opening reception on Sun., Aug. 5, from 2—4 p.m.

Bob Gregson is a bit of a provocateur. His new show of recent works, entitled Full Tilt, begs the question of being off-kilter or askew. The walls of the gallery are filled with plywood constructions—all or parts of which are tilted—which will visually energize the space. While Gregson’s pieces are thoughtfully planned and solidly geometric, he includes panels that can be rotated and mirrors that extend the edge of the picture plane. This is key to the creative tension. He teases the viewer into actively playing with the work by attracting them with color to turn panels or play hide and seek through the holes in his sculpture. Gregson started his career in the 1960s by creating art experiences that involved sound and projections. This evolved into games and events integrated into cities and communities. For the last 15 years he has been refining his work, making wall constructions and models for sculpture projects that challenge the boundaries between artist and viewer.

When talking about his work, Bob states, “I like to engage people in different ways. My work is a conversation between me and the people who experience it. The ambiguous territory between artist and audience sparks a creative energy. To do this the work must exist on several levels at once. It must be an invitation that provides permission to be involved. It must intrigue and provoke. It must be generous. The act of creation is a balancing act between autonomy and connectedness. Like a theater piece that is reinvented each time it is performed, I like the idea that the work is never actually completed but continually reinterpreted and refreshed through those who encounter it."

The new Guild show, Collective Vision, juried by Cynthia Roznoy, Curator at the Mattatuck Museum Arts & History Center, Waterbury, CT, incorporates three different themes. The first theme "Double Vision" focuses on the collaboration between pairs of artists. The pieces submitted by the artists function as a diptych (works that join together), as well as functioning as separate works of art. "Symbol and Reality" explores how we use symbols as language to communicate today, acknowledging that from Egyptian hieroglyphs to computer emoticons, we are surrounded by symbols. The third theme, "Impermanent Markings," explores mark making as the chosen means of artistic expression. Perhaps the most basic of artistic acts is drawing. From simple sketching to intensely labored works, drawing takes advantage of a variety of materials, including ink, pencil, charcoal and pastel.

In the ongoing celebration of Silvermine’s 90th anniversary, the historical exhibition Silvermine, Milestone Graphics and the American Print Renaissance, 1979-1989 consists of a selection of prints made by Guild members from Fairfield County during this time period. Prints exhibited by a selection of Guild Artist members, both past and present, include Ann Chernow, Alberta Cifolelli, Margaret McKinnick, Jack O’Hara, Bernard Riley, Barbara Rothenberg, Lucy Sallick and Harvey Weiss. All of these artists are connected through Milestone Graphics, the oldest fine art printmaking workshop in Connecticut, owned by Jim Reed, who at the time had the only local printmaking studio available. Jim Reed, a Guild Artist member, is serving as advisor.

Saturday evening opening for group show at Ulla Surland in Fairfield

Ulla Surland Gallery Eleven
11 Unquowa Rd., Fairfield, (203) 259-1572
Water: A Group Exhibition
July 14—Aug. 31, 2012.
Opening Reception: Sat., July 14, 6—8 p.m.

Press release from the Ulla Surland Gallery

Marianne Van Lent—Fresco Secco & Dispersed Pigment on Canvas
Brechin Morgan—Acrylic on Canvas
Janis Melone—Collage/Mixed Media
Rebecca Harper—Oil on Canvas
David Dunlop—Oil on Metal
Ann Conrad—Intaglio Prints with Hand Coloring
Frank Bruckmann—Oil on Canva

Where there is no water, there is no life as we know it. Water covers 71% of the earth's surface. It exists in the universe in vast quantities, it's components, hydrogen and oxygen, among the most plentiful of the elements. Water vapor along with carbon dioxide create a buffer around the earth keeping the temperature stable and within a range that supports life.

Too much water as in floods, and combined with energy as in tsunamis and hurricanes causes cataclysmic destruction. Scarcity of water creates deserts where life exists only in the rarest forms and with difficulty. Civilizations rise and prosper in the fertile land around rivers and in the temperate zones where oceans meet land masses. Waterways are used as pathways of transportation, as receptacles of waste, for recreation, and when harnessed, to produce energy. Water is used for food preparation, to extinguish fires, for bathing, to cool our nuclear reactors, quench the thirst of factory farms, and in religious ritual.

Volumes have been written about water in all its forms and uses, from the world of science and the finite, to the world of science fiction and the infinite and in the places where they meet and combine. The seven artists participating in this exhibition using their creative voices have used water as inspiration for works of art. The works are literal and abstract, sometimes both, small and large, and use a variety of materials, scales and dimensions, expressing the poetic, the factual, the surreal and the fantastic.

The show will be on view from July 14 through Aug. 31. There will be an opening reception this Sat., July 14, from 6—8 p.m.

(Image: "Bitmap XIV" by Ann Conrad.)

"Over Time," showcasing three artists, to have Sunday City Gallery reception

City Gallery
994 State St., New Haven, (203) 782-2489
Over Time: Works by Barbara Harder, Susan Newbold and Karen Wheeler
July 5—29, 2012.
Opening Reception: Sun., July 8, 2—5 p.m.
Closing Event: Sun., July 29, 2—4 p.m.

Press release

Over Time is a an exhibition introducing new gallery member, Susan Newbold (Web), along with gallery members Karen Wheeler (Web) and Barbara Harder (Web). Their mixed media and printmaking works evoke a sense of mystery/a passage of time/an invitation to linger.

Over Time will be on view from July 5—29 with an opening g reception on Sun., July 8, from 2—5 p.m. and a closing event on Sun., July 29, from 2—4 p.m.

Barbara Harder's JTopogC61:


Susan Newbold's mixed media "Buoy":


Karen Wheeler's mixed digital work "Devotion":

Gallery talk at City Gallery Sunday afternoon

City Gallery
994 State St., New Haven, (203) 782-2489
Freddi Elton: Carborundum Dreams
Through Mar. 25, 2012.
Gallery Talk, Sun., Mar. 25, 2—4 p.m.

Press release

The show Carborundum Dreams closes this Sunday at City Gallery in New Haven. On Sunday afternoon, artist Freddi Elton will give a gallery talk about the work and her process.

Freddi Elton will present a discussion of her work, with examples of plates and materials as well as a dialogue about insights gained during this project. Anyone with an interest in the technique of carborundum printing or any other aspect of the work is eagerly invited to attend.