AION, THREADS & FANTASY

I went to three studios for the Upstate Open Studios event this last weekend. The drive through the country was beautiful.

The first studio, of Brian Wood and Ashley Garret is an oil painting studio in the hills of Chatham. Both are gestural oil painters with Wood’s work skating around the edges of surrealism.

I overheard a remark by Wood that his interest in Jung is philosophical rather than psychological, which coincides with many abstract artist’s primary desire for freedom in their work and his own statements and painting.

There was a humongous pile of books, many by Jung on a table in Wood’s space along with other authors. I wish I had had more time to peruse this pile and look at the painting, but logistical issues were tugging at me and we had to move on.

https://www.brianwoodstudio.com

I did manage to snap this luscious little Garrett before leaving.

https://www.ashleygarrett.com

Ellen Jouret-Epstien works in a variety of transfer, painting and collage elements. The work below is entirely made up of transfers. As with most of these works, the print processes of Rauchenberg are transformed into dense layers of abstraction.

I refer to this artist in association with threads because of the connections of weaving, garment and detail with her work. There is a dress form with sculptural work on it in her studio, the entry displayed woven checkerboards works from a previous series, inspired by her work as a weaver, and the fineness of the details on her work are threadlike in their precision.

Most of Jouret’s new work was protected by glass and so it was difficult to get good images. These two wall works did not present that challenge.

Below is a large detail of one of the new works, in this case reminiscent of Stella, however this is hand drawn rather than computer generated and so has a deeper impact. In her newest works, such as this, she is breaking out of the woven grid and into more openly lyric compositions which are elegantly maximalist.

https://www.ejestudioart.com/

Amelia Biewald is a painter of fantasy and history who also functions as a curator. We share a preference for the subtle palettes of the Victorian age. Her approach is whimsical and various.

This a Polkeian combination of marble processes and drawing depicting a historical tale of a woman giving birth to rabbits!

My favorite, the colors here are much more subtle than what is shown here, influenced by environments of the surrounding woods.

This image above was what drew me to her studio, on her portfolio website, https://linktr.ee/ameliabiewald

The image above is part of a series which includes lunatic hummel figures. A tenebrous whimsy characterizes much of her approach. Her statement on her work is poetic and is found on her web site.

Biewald also acts as a curator under the auspices Army of Frogs, and so following our studio visit we went downstairs to her most recent production, Alcohol, Sexual Content, Smoking, Violence, Drug Use, Foul Language. This lady prizes dark humor very highly and so the tour was amusing.

This small work by Anna Ortiz had a strange halluicinogetic pull.

An exquisite little Gorgon from the studio of Roxanne Jackson.

Contact Amelia Biewald at Army of Frogs Studio, here, http://www.ameliabiewald.com

The Witching Hour, Fall Fun in Gothic Troy

The Witching Hour, including thirty three artists from the UK, Germany, Canada & the USA is the largest exhibit yet by curator Jon Gernon, who has been putting shows together in Troy for decades. The move to include a more international group of artists has born an eclectic mix of artists (full disclosure, my work is in this exhibit) Gernon is partial to realism although he has expanded to show abstract artists in the past as he does here.

Farrah, Jeff Wigman, 10x13” oil on canvas

Jeff Wigman, a local surrealist working in oils, has three paintings showing here. A whimsical and moody painter, here he confines himself to a darker more monochromatic palette in keeping with the theme.

We Are Stardust, Leslie Yolen, 18x24” encaustic & mixed media

My friend, who was raised Amish on a farm, was attracted to this work in particular, assembled as it is from natural elements including sand, wax, seeds and starlike seed pods. I think as we progress toward a more ecologically sustainable way of doing things, work assembled using these more natural materials will gain in importance.

Robert Gullie, Orpheus & Euridice, 12x12” collage on panel

Another accomplished local light with deep roots in the area, Bob Gullie, provides moody and eloquent contributions in two works which I remembered as larger than they were containing as they do warm and richly evocative spaces and imagery.

Elaine Langerman, Alice Converses with the Snake, 8.5x8.7” layered painted computer collage

I was drawn to the complexity of this sweet little piece with a sculpturally layered presentation and nostalgic tint.

Keri Dudeck, Nasturtiam, 8x10” watercolor on paper

This small work in an autumnal palette caught my eye, utilizing as it does a rorschach approach to composition.

Steve Rein, Mood Room, 15x11.5” enamel on reclaimed canvas

There are many other expert, bizarre and fantasy laden artworks here, including a large coffin (!) on the gallery floor, however the studio beckons so I will close with an artist that in some ways personifies a feeling of age & strangeness that epitomizes the Troy aesthetic.

This report, of time and necessity is a very abbreviated notation on this large and inclusive assortment of artists, Gernon says this is the largest show he has ever assembled and so it is well worth the time to go and see. It is up until November 21, 2021

Clement Gallery in downtown Troy. Their phone number is 518-272-6811.