Thank you to all the artists who came over to the Nave Gallery Annex on Friday afternoon. It was wonderful to see you, meet new faces, and hear you talk about your work. As many of you had not yet met each other, the conversation quickly expanded on the definition of what an intricate painting entails, whether that is in terms of approach, composition, medium, scale, or conceptual trigger. While the work varied in all aspects, by the end of the talk I think we had come to understand several underlying themes that unified one of the best painting shows, I think, in Boston this year. Here are some installation images (courtesy of my iPhone, please excuse the quality):
From left to right: Anne Harris, Liz Menges, Susan Lichtman, Damon Lehrer
Anne Harris, Liz Menges, Susan Lichtman
Jeff Stauder
Xiaowei Chen
I really loved the detail on Xiaowei’s panels
Nicole Duennebier
Sean Dunstan-Halliday, Maree Emberton, Emily Eveleth, Jarrett Min Davis
Big fan of Davis’ play between these very flat, geometric, almost graphic designs and the incredibly detailed, baroque style war scene.
David Palmquist
Bea Modisett, Emily Eveleth, Susan Richards
Susan’s stark portrait of this mineral shares her interest in the breakdown of natural elements. By using tones of pink, she incorporates the artist’s (and human) hand of abstraction.
Jordan Stabile
John Stabile and Maree Emberton
Lynda Schlosberg
CJ Lori
Dido Thayer
John Guthrie
John Campbell
Mira Gerard
Damon Lehrer
Claire Elliott
Donna Savastio
Caleb Neelon
TD Heavican
Heavican’s canvases seem to grow from deep inside. The artist creates a delicate buildup of line work that emerges from a vast, tense background. The word “palimpsest” was used during Tim’s talk.
Andrew Fish
Resa Blatman, Sean Dunstan-Halliday, and Chloe Feldman Emison
Resa Blatman
Chloe Feldman Emison
Candice Smith Corby
David Palmquist
Curator: Resa Blatman
When I think of Painting Intricacies, I think of incredible detail and small little brushstrokes- many of them. After hearing from the artists in this show, the understanding grew to incorporate the tension between the artist’s approach to the work and the actual mark-making. Many of the artists in Painting Intricacies created these pieces after or during a point of discovery with, or reflection upon, a condition changing in nature. Most of them down right wrestled with a relationship to nature. The most prominent theme sewn throughout the exhibition was the portrayal of an internal reflection humans go through when their relationship changes with nature, as it decomposes or regenerates.
Other categories certainly prevailed in this painting show, as did many different types of medium, use of color, and figurative versus abstract subject matter.
Thank you again to the exhibiting deCordova Lending Artists, including curator Resa Blatman, Bea Modisett, Susan Richards, Emily Eveleth, TD Heavican, and Andrew Fish. Thank you to all the exhibiting artists that attended and talked about your work, and to the Nave Gallery Annex for continuing to provide exhibition space for regional, contemporary artists in Somerville!
