EQUINOX of the SOUL-STICE PENELOPE CHIUSANO ISA D’ARLEANS CHENG JU LI
SPLENDIFEROUS CELEBRATIONS SABINE BLASKO KAI BRATBERGSENGEN ROBERTO F. DORTICOS
HERALDING the EBULLIENT SIMONE LEVY PAUL HARTEL JAY PEARSE
RESPLENDENT JUBILATIONS LIDIA BOBBONE TOM McGEE KAREN CEOLLA TYLEC
COLLECTORS’ CHOICE ANDREA HARRIS
AMSTERDAM WHITNEY GALLERY “Holiday” Fete
SABINE BLASKO
“Mysterious Lady” Mixed Media 28.3” x 20.5” x 2.4”
SABINE BLASKO “SPLENDIFEROUS CELEBRATIONS”
DECEMBER 12 – JANUARY 27, 2015
Pablo Picasso mused “I put in my pictures everything I like. So much the worse for the things, they have to get along with one another.” Swiss artist Sabine Blasko’s fashion background has influenced the way she incorporates fabrics and figures into her 3-D assemblage works, the scope of them being materials and objects she enjoys for their textures and colors. Sparkling and vivid, her mixed-media presentations are a treasure trove of expressionistic wonder, seamlessly blending the disparate materials into a cohesive, beautiful assemblage that not only has a place for each element but heightens the beauty of each one as well. These unpredictable elements unite to form such deep expressions of beauty testify toward the talent and eye for aesthetics that Sabine Blasko demonstrates. Sensual and surreal, her work demands the attention of the viewer, daringly colorful and sensuous figures and shapes urge the audience to become lost in their glamorous appearance. The visual language being translated is decadent and luscious, a dessert for the senses with its soft textures mixed with cubist dark and light shadow contrasts. The ambition apparent in each composition is breath-taking, ultimately adding to that sense of awe within the viewer. Passionate and coy, Ms. Blasko’s object art portrays narrative emotion that invites the viewer to either dive in or simply contemplate. There is a rebellion against regulation within each piece, a world constructing itself and eschewing rules for order that rises purely from the chaos of found objects coming together to make something beautiful. The sense of unity that once can derive from the beauty of Sabine Blasko’s works is truly masterful, bringing to mind the paintings of Picasso in the way she makes these baubles and bits and shapes form something wonderous, speaking to a variety of themes as she does so. Through color, form and materials, Ms. Blasko creates a working system within her art, profound and mesmerizingly far sighted in scope.
LIDIA BOBBONE
“In Poltrona” Oil on Canvas 40” x 28”
LIDIA BOBBONE “RESPLENDENT JUBILATIONS”
DECEMBER 12 – JANUARY 27, 2015
Committed to creativity and individuality, Italian artist Lidia Bobbone is inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe’s statement: “I feel there is something unexplored about women that only a woman can explore.” Ms. Bobbone’s luminescent female dreamscapes fuse the classical female figurative silhouette with the surreal, resulting in a unique conceptual symbolic synthesis of the female form. Her poetic visual lexis offers optical feminine narratives revealing visible metaphors which celebrate the feminine mystique. Female allegorical transfigurations metamorph into lyrical reveries. as they transcend reality with elegant and dreamlike female forms which become a visionary syntax of female thoughts and dreams. By blending a magical and emotional dream world of women, Ms. Bobbone reflects a profound vision that mysteriously reverberates with intuitive and psychological inner expressions of the female spirit overflowing with enigma and intrigue, as her mystical subjects exotically exist in their chimerical dream world filled with fantasy and splendor. With undulating forms, Lida Bobbone’s intuitive, sensual female oeuvre explores the essence of memory, as she unlocks the unconscious of the female consciousness and releases visual concepts of visceral emotions and experience. Without restraint, her internal logic is to tangibly provide her female inhabited dream universe with a cogent, external reality. Metamorphosing into glowing visions of feminine natural beauty, the figures’ powerful facial expressions invite the viewer to look closer and behold the true beauty hidden within the larger image – perhaps even enabling us to forge an emotional connection. Melodic bursts of light offer an intoxicating sensorial perception to the viewer as fascinating female characters float through suspended time and space. With a color palette that runs from intense reds to soft, dreamy blues, her ability to animate those colors with light results in images that seem to glow from within, lending each painting an aura of spirituality. Her keen sense of space and depth gives weight and presence, turning the world of dreams into a convincing reality. Weaving together these various threads, Lidia Bobbone has given birth to an entirely new mode of expression and brings to life joyous figures who ignite intimate memories whisper of past experiences and suggest potential joy to come. Exuding a learned sensitivity towards intimate themes, this gifted Italian artist gently acknowledges a delicate innate empathy to womanhood which she mystically radiates with spiritual harmony.
KAI BRATBERGSENGEN
“Miller’s Daughter” Drawing 20.08” x 19.3”
KAI BRATBERGSENGEN “RESPLENDENT JUBILATIONS”
DECEMBER 12 – JANUARY 27, 2015
Salvador Dali urged “instead of stubbornly attempting to use surrealism for purposes of subversion, it is necessary to try to make of surrealism something as solid, complete and classic as the works of museums.” Complex and brilliant, the compositions of Norwegian artist Kai Bratbergsengen explore new aesthetic paths that burst with gestural swaths of bold earth tones and brilliant plays of light, catapulting surrealism to a level of classical beauty by blending it with mannerism. A visionary creator, his prismatic compositions are at once rhythmic, chthonic, and cacophonous. Labyrinthine in nature, Mr. Bratbergsengen’s brilliantly colored, transitory forms are an exploration of shape and hue that result in mesmerizing narrative tableaux, revealing the thin lines between man and the natural world around him, uniting them as one. Influenced by his travels in his youth, Mr. Bratbergsengen has memories of twigs and branches along the road and their anthropomorphized shapes ultimately find a place in his artwork today. Though he builds the viewer a surrealist realm of humans dissolving into roots and leaves seamlessly, there is a distinct reality in each twist, the seams where skin becomes bark and skin once more. In his work there forms a world in which we are not separated from nature, but function as a distinct part of it. This blend of the fantastic and the mundane serves to create a mythos for this world he presents us with, lending it a tangibility that engrosses the viewer, inviting them into this thriving, breathing organic zone. Kai Bratbergsengen’s compositions reflect a unique artistic vision which flows from his mind and onto the page with precise, gestural strokes. Through his drawings he demonstrates a deep understanding of the complexities of life in all its glorious formations. Potential energy dominates the essence of the canvasses, giving the viewer pause to look and breathe in the lingering expectancy that holds there, ready to come forth at a moment’s notice. The presence of bold, earthy colors brings the emotions held therein to the forefront, creating a subtle story that moves along the curves and edges of figures and shapes that look out toward us, tempting us to touch and experience the fantastical reality of this obfuscated world. The poses confront the viewer, demand our attention, and create evocative iconography that is impossible to resist for its visceral power.
PENELOPE CHIUSANO
“Domestic Comfort #5” Watercolor & Mixed Media 19” x 23.5”
PENELOPE CHIUSANO “EQUINOX of the SOUL-STICE”
DECEMBER 12 – JANUARY 27, 2015
Judy Chicago proclaimed: “I go to make art as who I am as a person. The fact that I am a woman comes into play maybe in the kinds of things I’m interested in.” Women and the ordinary objects that become a part of their lives are a distinct focus for Contemporary New York artist Penelope Chiusano who derives inspiration from the stereotypes of modern iconic females to create a coy, playful world of pastels and paint. Via her delicate, sweet style, Ms. Chiusano’s Domestic Fashionistas introduce the viewer to a women’s world with a touch of whimsical humor. Her highly stylized technique and set pieces lampoon the feminine mystique to become a social narrative, however, what that narrative actually becomes subject to the viewer’s own understanding of the art. With a mix of playful fantasy and recognizable items, Penelope Chiusano presents a witty, cosmopolitan female perspective, her tableaux offering visual metaphors for the roles of women in the day-time drama of the modern, unstable world. These domestic goddesses are best described by their bold, exaggerated lips and high-heels that hint toward an eroticism ascribed to the feminine ideal and culture in a form of synecdoche, representing the gaze of the outside perceiver, taking these figures for individual, exaggerated parts with few individualizing features. She achieves a synergy of mixed-media and water color through careful, delicate line work and integration over time. Vibrant and vivacious, each of these works has a satirical quality that boasts a distinct, clever type of humor in the implied story line of each piece. There is a satirical sense of drollness in the vibrant colors and bold lines, uniting whimsy and realism in a cavalcade of pastels and brand names. Although exaggerated and fantastical, Penelope Chiusano’s mixed-media paintings keep open a world of possibility and stories to be seen and told. They are open ended in their interpretation, allowing a viewer to see comedy or tragedy in every curve and line, the narrative presented can be anything the viewer wishes to read into it, brilliantly demonstrating Ms. Chiusano’s command and mastery over her craft, her creativity donating a universality to her work that speaks volumes, showcasing her talent and clever capability as an artist.
ISA D’ARLEANS
“No Time to Waste” Acrylic on Canvas 28” x 22”
ISA D’ARLEANS “EQUINOX of the SOUL-STICE”
DECEMBER 12 – JANUARY 27, 2015
Amedeo Modigliani stated “When I know your soul, I will paint your eyes.” Franco -American artist Isa D’Arleans creates magical, dream-like souls through her unique and reverent treatment of the eyes, with their heterochromatic gazes looking out into the ether. Mysterious and airy, Ms. D’Arleans’ lyrical canvasses juxtapose bright, primary colors with soft, delicate brush strokes that permeate a distinct, spiritual quality to the atmosphere of her works. Cherubic faces belie the intensity of their scrutiny; eyes coming into sharp focus against this cloudy, hazy world that fills the space around the central figures. Creating an enchanted kingdom of heavenly portraits, Ms. D’Arleans’s dreamlike compositions are beautifully wrought in a misty atmosphere infused with delicate flowing colors and bathed in swaths of translucent light. Stunningly masterful, Isa D’Arleans’ acrylic on canvas compositions invoke the angelic iconography of Renaissance masters; the sfumato brush style in contrast with the vivid, joyous palette against somber background colors creates the impression of an ethereal glow resonating out from the center of each subject. The colors and lines draw allusions to great, stained glass windows producing their own light, eliminating the thick jagged lines of the medium to blend those enthralling colors without borders setting them apart. This luminescent quality invokes a sense of awe in the viewer; developing the tension of holy spaces within the confines of the frame without explicitly demanding worship. Subtly playful, there is a mischievous quality mixed with a heavenly glow; a certain coy flirtation between the sacred and the earthly that allows the canvas to be tangible yet untouchable all at once. Achieving an otherwordly ambience, Ms. D’Arleans constructs a glorious fantasy, fairy tale realm radiating a serene resplendent joie de vivre intermingled with blissful harmonization; each dream-like figure is a picture of self-possessed sublime ecstasy. Borrowing from the color spectrum, Ms. D’Arleans paints with an exceptional eye for color with a palette of essentially light-hued shades and primary tones glowing against the cooler tones of the backdrop. A tapestry of hues, she translates into rising, blending emotion. These otherworldly figures peer at us through a veil of enigmatic knowledge, sphinx like in their repose. Their eyes are captivating, not looking at the viewer directly while still managing to create a spiritual connection via a benediction of sight and hue. For over a decade, Isa D’Arleans’ works have been collected and praised nationwide for their beauty and luminescent quality. Thriving in her passion for the arts across two continents, Ms. D’Arleans’ canvasses are an ethereal delight for the eyes, mysterious and spiritually uplifting in their scope and technique. Celebrated in both France and the U.S., the transatlantic Ms. D’Arleans enjoys an international reputation with global collectors and corporations and spends half of the year in Seattle and half of the year in France.
ROBERTO F. DORTICOS
“Untitled” Giclee 15” x 20”
ROBERTO F. DORTICOS “SPLENDIFEROUS CELEBRATIONS”
DECEMBER 12 – JANUARY 27, 2015
Inspired by Joan Miro’s statement:” I try to apply colors like words that shape poems, like notes that shape music,” Cuban born, New York based Roberto F. Dorticos giclee series entitled: “The MuMu’s,” eschews the conventional to create modern abstract compositions that sing with a contemporary tone. Subliminally creative, Roberto Dorticos catapults the interior of the world around him into whimsical, color-filled personal visions populated by other worldly configurations that pulsate with a dreamlike quality. Possessing an air of a fantastical realm, his oeuvre references ethereal beings as the music of his tableau folds, creating paintings brimming with emotionality and human instinct. With symphonic precision, Mr. Dorticos deconstructs reality with his expressionistic iconic images, and his modern vision orchestrates an emotionally charged connection with his audience. Open for interpretation and replete with symbolism, his compositions remain untitled as his wishes his viewer to offer his or her own personal translation and explains: “My goal is always to portray and evoke emotion, encouraging viewers to interpret what they see for themselves and experience their own emotional response.” Seeking to transcribe feelings as one would in music, his oeuvre gives voice more to a sense of rhythm and flux than to form a realistic composition. Offering deeper messages while being integrated with a quartet of color, his compositions swirl with dazzling hues and intriguing shapes, as his kaleidoscopic tableaux portrays concepts running the gamut from whimsical to passionate. Richly vibrating in form and hue, Mr. Dorticos’s subliminally hued oeuvre reflects an unmistakable joie de vivre where color dynamically interacts on the canvas. Arousing the senses, Mr. Dorticos’ free-flowing expressions impart a sentient awareness of the world, connecting us to feelings that might otherwise be too elusive or transitory to experience fully. Billowing streams of visceral colorful forms with expressive visages and subtly anthropomorphic figuration speak to underpinnings of the work revealing the artist’s unique personal expression. Color harmonies and forms merge and contrast in rhythmic patterns, just as we differentiate in music between counterpoint and harmony. Acclaimed for being a virtuoso colorist, his expressive palette reverberates with the pulsation of color which unites his “MuMu” Series, offering visual spiritual sensations of humor, whimsy and a sense of joie de vivre. The elements of color exists simultaneously with form as his color wheel outlines the structural planes, making them energetic with tones fitting together like notes in a musical score. Visually, his personal artistic vision comes to a crescendo through the mystic realm of color as it nourishes the viewer’s senses.
ANDREA HARRIS
“Moment” (Triptych) Oil on Canvas 30” x 36”
ANDREA HARRIS “COLLECTORS’ CHOICE”
DECEMBER 12 – JANUARY 27, 2015
Andrea Harris’s oeuvre is inspired by the philosophy of Henri Matisse who declared: “An artist must possess Nature. He must identify himself with her rhythm, by efforts that will prepare the mastery which will later enable him to express himself in his own language.” Revering the land and the sky, Andrea Harris has created an intimate dialogue with nature, using her paint brush to explore landscape painting in all its divine, mystical and spiritual aspects. Influenced by her recent travels to France and Italy, Ms. Harris translates the beauty and light of the Impressionist and Renaissance Masters to achieve illuminated colors and transluminescent light. Within her landscapes, Ms. Harris asserts her own distinctive visual lexicon and evocative visionary syntax where she gravitates towards ethereal visions of the terrestrial world. Rejoicing in the joy of the terrestrial realm, her magnificent misty scenes are conversations with Mother Nature. Offering a deep spiritual reverence for the universal beauty of the earth and the heavens, Ms.Harris infuses her paintings with a powerful emotional poignancy which reflects the contemplative drama of the sublime forces of nature. The painterly language of Andrea Harris’s gentle emotional realism landscapes reflects her endless quest to honor the divine beauty, splendor and richness of nature. Her spiritual meditations on the natural world harmoniously capture the cool illumination of nature with a deft, rhythmic loose brushstrokes along with a subtly muted palette. With symphonic precision, this contemporary modern master translates familiar scenes onto the canvas with a unique perspective, orchestrated by the delicacy of a palette reflecting cool, subdued hues. Luminously conceived, her landscape colors are lightly feathered textures which admirably translate the glory and jubilant majesty of nature. This striking interplay of colors is portrayed significantly with a contrasting serene subject matter revealing a contemporary master at work. Emotionally expressive, Ms. Harris highlights the visceral intensity and ever-changing moods of nature where light and color are in constant transition. Hauntingly beautiful, her fluid, organic compositions relish Mother Nature’s lush curves and boundless energy. Being less concerned with documenting specific scenes, she is focused on capturing nature’s essence- the deeply profound moments, where there is a connection to a vital energy. Her process begins with being in nature, where she allows the emotional energy of the landscape to filter through her psyche. Excelling at depicting the environment around her, it is not the tangible qualities that are highlighted in her paintings, but it is also the softly washed memories of a specific local. The memory is then permanently transcribed onto canvas and the result is a radiantly dramatic remembrance of nature as she wishes to evoke remembrances within the viewer’s own personal relationship with nature.
PAUL HARTEL
“No Title #9 (aka Thirteen)” Oil and Acrylic on Canvas 16” x 20”
PAUL HARTEL “HERALDING the EBULLIENT”
DECEMBER 12 – JANUARY 27, 2015
Jackson Pollock pondered: “The modern artist, it seems to me, is working and expressing an inner world, in other words, expressing the energy, the motion and other inner forces.” West Virginia based Paul Hartel’s paintings demonstrate this theory by beautifully expressing the progressive shifting, undulating velocity of his internal world. Through dynamic brush strokes and vivid colors, Paul Hartel invites us into a vivacious space filled with a spontaneity that exudes a distinct joie de vivre. Freedom and voracious passion fill each inch of his canvasses, invoking the masters of Expressionism while creating something purely his own. Paul Hartel says that “I love abstract art, the sight, texture, color and smell of it! I believe it engages the “inner child” in all of us and challenges our thoughts and senses. It is the bridge between fantasy and reality and is like a doorway leading wherever you want it to go.” Dr. Hartel creates a full sensory experience in color and motion, making something that is wholly unique to each individual viewer. His experimentally raw strokes of paint across the canvas achieve a distinct, intuitive link into our subconscious, bringing us into moments of pure feeling and memory outside of logical planning or hesitation. A deep love of the genre is obvious from his joyous style, calling to mind the clashing yet celebratory improvisations of interpretive jazz. Completely in the moment and vivid, Dr. Hartel’s body of work boasts vivacity and musicality, the larger than life colors and bold strokes across the canvas capture the true spontaneity of existence, how fluid and exciting the notion of life is. The seemingly shifting expanse of his works allow them to express multiple emotions at once, making it so the viewer need not choose an emotion, but experience them all in a tour de force of imaginative expression. There is a pure and true wonderment in the arch or angle of a brush stroke, an utter joy in the very act of creation that it flows from the page. Each work is excited to be here, to be displayed for each of us to enjoy and understand as individuals, creating a universal connection of unique beings and reveling in this fact.
SIMONE LEVY
“On Wings of Song” Olive, Yellow Pine 11.8” x 13.8” x 2.8”
SIMONE LEVY “HERALDING the EBULLIENT”
DECEMBER 12 – JANUARY 27, 2015
Alberto Giacometti said of his craft that “The object of art is not to reproduce reality, but to create a reality of the same intensity” and Simone Levy adroitly embodies this idea of transmutation in her masterfully carved sculptures. Though Ms. Levy works in wood, her creations boast a distinct airy quality that give the impression of motion while still remaining solid. The skillfully crafted whirls and edges allow her works to retain the organic qualities of the material while still reflecting the craftsmanship of the artist, almost making it a natural part of a tree’s lifecycle rather than the end of it. Almost alchemic in nature, the sanded surfaces do not hide the imperfections in the wood but rather refine and accentuate them in an act of incorporation, denying an expectation of perfection in favor of presenting the viewer with truth. Simone Levy’s understanding of her material allows her to work within the natural boundaries of each piece of wood, unearthing the sculpture within rather than forcing it out. This beautifully organic technique allows each sculpture to retain a lighter than air quality while giving it the sensation of motion, like leaves twisting in the breeze. There is a touch of whimsical fantasy, an almost nymph like quality to each sculpture that enraptures the viewer with its subtle grace. Simone Levy sees the act of sculpting as a “joint venture” between herself and the tree, searching for a unique expression and a new physical shape. Ms. Levy’s incredible intuition gives her sculptures a marvelous chemistry with the world around them. They blend gorgeously into most any environment, the lines between natural appearance and man-made blurring expertly. A certain musicality makes itself known in the shapes of each sculpture, expressing the beauties and imperfections of sound in equal amounts, giving the viewer a feeling of depth and complexity that lends credence to the mastery of Ms. Levy’s technique.
CHENG JU LI
“Territory Painting - Dali” Mixed Media 48” x 48” x 2.5”
CHENGJU LI “EQUINOX of the SOUL-STICE”
DECEMBER 12 – JANUARY 27, 2015
Francis Bacon contemplated: “Ideas always acquire appearance veils, the attitudes that people acquire of their time and earlier time. Really good artists tear down those veils.” Chinese born-New York based Chengju Li’s noteworthy paintings are inspired by this credo whereby he commemorates and celebrates world famous personas who have defined the cultural, literary, social and political global trends over six centuries, spanning from the 15th century Renaissance to the present day. By creating these acclaimed portraits of legendary international time travelers who have influenced our lives and civilization, Chengju Li’s oeuvre translates the quintessential imagery of these influential socio-cultural masters and invites the viewer to understand them more deeply. Encouraging us to enter their private world by incorporating notable symbols and signs that represent these prominent individuals’ lives and the world about them, Mr. Li visually transcribes these illustrious personas into the visual realm. Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Salvadore Dali and Ernest Hemingway are among the famous cultural icons upon whom Mr. Chengju Li shines the spotlight as he extrapolates the vortex of their artistic essence. With his unique painterly vision, he welcomes the viewer into their world, thus allowing these cultural and literary figures to become more transparent and invites us to connect into their lives of a previous era. Through an intuitive visual language which is symbolically interlaced with a collage of figures, signs, newspapers, and writings, Chenjugu Li assists us in defining the subject with his powerful aesthetic narrative message and adroitly states that these world cultural icons are universally culturally relevant. The usage of vivid color juxtaposed with the black and white images of these real people, creates a deep, complex language of imagery that provides the viewer a message in code, allowing us to extract the hidden meanings in the obfuscated textures of the canvas. By successfully capturing the realities of the subject’s cultural world, he transfigures the famous person into a seductive fantasy of mixed media, manifesting a fresh perspective of their lives. Rebranding the aesthetics of the portrait, Chengju Li’s large scale compositions demand a deeper reading from the viewer. These monumental, message-laden creations seek to stir the passions for the ultimate purpose of meaningful discourse as well as the celebration of cultural expression. Dominated by the importance of its message, Chengju Li’s portraits provide a portal with distinct accessibility to world cultural icons. Although his artistic eye is on the past, he also congratulates future achievements and encourages the next generation to dream bigger as they follow the footsteps of their forefathers.
Deconstruction #24 Oil on Canvas 16 x 24
TOM McGEE
“Land of Orcas” Photography on Fuji Pearl Paper Limited Edition of 10 20” x 30”
TOM McGEE “RESPLENDENT JUBILATIONS”
DECEMBER 12 – JANUARY 27, 2015
Inspired by Alfred Stieglitz’s declaration, “For that is the power of the camera, seize the familiar and give it new meaning,” Texas based Tom McGee’s photography oeuvre reflects a personal vision that is extremely sensitive to the natural world, revealing a defined eye for aesthetic, balanced compositions ranging from the land to sea to sky which expresses the spirit of the environment. Intrigued by nature’s endurance and recurring cycle, his camera conjures a world that brings us closer to nature, favoring the viewer with eternal landscapes with a contemporary perspective. Mr. McGee’s colored photography is more than just a way to record the world, he invites the viewer to transcend the various landscapes and emotionally relate to a powerful sense of the environment. Focusing exclusively on the landscape, there are no people or animals which provides each scene with a strong feeling of depth and space as he invites us enter into the environment and experience it. By creating a mood through powerful light and ingenious color, he communicates feelings about the natural terrain and Mr. McGee’s “third eye” celebrates the transparent patterns of nature and its reflective surface in the landscape. His lens relishes mother nature’s lush curves and fiery colors as he focuses on encapsulating nature’s essence- the deeply profound moments when there is a connection to a vital energy by allowing the emotional power of the landscape to filter through his camera’s lens The moment is translated to eternity and the result is a radiantly dramatic remembrance of an encounter with nature that transcends the everyday. Mr. McGee wishes that these sublime images evoke remembrances within the viewer’s own personal relationship with nature as he encapsulates nature’s spirit by transcribing its colors, shapes and rhythms by capturing its monumental visions. Whatever he photographs, he challenges the viewer by superseding style by creating each photographic landscape scene with imagination, respect, and unique lyricism. Correlating the direct link between nature and human emotion, Tom McGee’s organic landscapes become a powerful reminder of the importance of the majesty of nature by declaring the beauty and strength of our environment. By reinforcing that nature is universal and can be experienced by everyone, he embraces the natural elements that are accessible to all. With his unique ability to use light and color to achieve ethereal clarity, this Southwest artist captures fragments of eternity and freezes them to achieve illuminated visual contemplation. Successfully distilling a singular scene into a single moment in time, Mr. McGee achieves a delicate balance by probing an inner depth and a dynamic power of imagery, resulting in an emotive and aesthetically memorable scene.
Deconstruction #24 Oil on Canvas 16 x 24
KAREN CEOLLA TYLEC
“Shadow Play I” Watercolor on Panel 16” x 22”
KAREN CEOLLA TYLEC “RESPLENDENT JUBILATIONS”
DECEMBER 12 – JANUARY 27, 2015
Artistically responding to Thomas Eakins proclamation: “The big artist....keeps an eye on nature and steals her tools,” Karen Ceolla Tylec creates masterful visions of nature that reflect the glorious lush creations of Mother Nature. Ms. Tylec states: “Who cannot respond with both joy and awe at the glorious vision ...each autumn.” Ms. Tylec further explains: “This is the season in which she sheds the green overcoat from her leaves to display her true colors in all their glory. This is the season in which she radiates not simply the small bursts of floral color as in spring and summer, but instead paints vast vistas of brilliant golden yellows, reds ranging from soft and almost pink to the richness of a deep red wine, and smoky purples that are dark and moody.” By capturing the sensorial realm of the natural world, Ms. Tylec’s luminous visions of nature charismatically resonate with luscious, rich spectral hues, revealing the warmth and vitality of the terrain, as well as exalt the nascent spirituality of the topography. In addition, Ms. Tylec rejoices in Mother Natures’ splashiest burst of colorful exuberance and declares “that on sunny autumn days, looking up into clear blue skies, the leaves appear to be even more vibrant - a visual feast of complimentary colors, each making the other appear even more intense. The challenge of capturing the play of light and color is what calls artists out of the studio and into the plein air to create their paintings. The translucent nature of leaves becomes startlingly evident when viewed in this manner, which allows for the sunlight to play across their surfaces, creating unexpected and ever-changing patterns of light and shadow when observed from beneath, literally becoming almost stained glass in quality.” As she focuses her gaze on the wonderment of the world, Ms. Tylec endeavors to evoke this same sensations and awe in all who view her paintings while she captures the true beauty of her scenes on canvas. Drawing the viewer into the luminescent depth of her visions,we discover a joyful serenity in the capriciousness of the terrain. The robust energy found in Ms. Tylec’s paintings mimic the undulating vigor of our natural world, as she encapsulates the timeless beauty of nature through paint in order to allow all to joyfully experience the wonderful scenes that surround us within the calm reaches of our interiors. The viewer realizes that there is a graceful pas de deux of light and shadow performed before Mother Nature settles down to sleep for a season.
Deconstruction #24 Oil on Canvas 16 x 24
JAY PEARSE
“Pink Dam” Acrylic on Linen 24” x 24”
JAY PEARSE “HERALDING the EBULLIENT”
DECEMBER 12 – JANUARY 27, 2015
Paul Gaugin proclaimed, “Do not copy nature too much. Art is an abstraction.” Contemporary Australian artist Jay Pearse channels flowing abstract imagery inspired by nature derived from Down Under featuring dams, waterholes and billabong. Capturing nature from various diverse perspectives, Ms. Pearse showcases Australian mountains, lakes, hills and creeks and provides a visual syntax of the natural terrain. By redesigning nature’s topography, she rejoices in its splendor and majesty. Jay Pearse states: “The ever changing shapes and colors of the landscape inspire my work and often become a metaphor for my life. This series of works bring to consciousness life beyond here and now, ponds and pools reflecting a different reality seen through a portal.” Utilizing a spectral palette of colorful hues to create mesmerizing compositions that portray the incarnation of nature’s fantastic luminous character, Jay Pearse radiates the existential reality of the universe. By cultivating a symbiotic relationship between the landscape and color, her intensive palette attempts to complete nature, not by painting it with photographic accuracy, but by expressing the true ambience of the land and the water with mood and tone, These sublime expressionist acrylic on linen vistas interpret memories of landscapes and waterscapes, and are not exact replications but instead innovative interpretations of nature influenced by unbridled imagination. The spectral elements of the environment move with harmonious rhythm and life force, as though all of nature speaks a united language. Her individual style builds form from organic lines composed of a color wheel of bright hues. Looping, weaving, twisting parallel lines coalesce into concentric circular forms, as rectilinear pathways and repetitious arches sprawl throughout the picture plane. The repetition of staccato strokes juxtaposed against the diversity of color visually stimulates the space as if each swirling shape were animated illustrations undulating to musical beats. Ms. Pearse’s abstract compositions draw viewers’ attention to follow the finite passageways that whirl throughout the canvases. Jay Pearse’s compositions anthropomorphize into a spiritual harmony uniting humankind with the universe as her artworks become meditative portals for viewers to imagine and mediate. Through these labyrinthine creations, she transports the viewer to a natural paradise where one may contemplate the power, purity and sanctity of nature. Manifesting her sacred connection with nature, Ms. Pearse imbues her bountiful canvases with a spirit of freedom, resonating with visual majesty and sublime power. An emotional quality is transmitted which becomes the true essence of her expressionistic style of painting, using the medium of paint and canvas to become a symbol of one’s emotions about the natural landscape.
AMSTERDAM WHITNEY International Fine Art, Inc. 511 West 25th Street, Chelsea New York, NY 10001 Phone: 212-255-9050 Fax: 212-255-9020 www.AmsterdamWhitneyGallery.com AmsterdamWhitney@aol.com
DECEMBER GROUP PRESS RELEASE AMSTERDAM WHITNEY GALLERY, 511 West 25th Street, Chelsea, New York City, is proud to showcase in its glittering DECEMBER 12, 2014-JANUARY 27, 2015 Holiday Extravaganza Exhibition, internationally and nationally recognized Contemporary Master Artists whose works illuminate the vigorous creativity flourishing in the abstract, figurative and natural realms. In the spirit of the Chelsea Holiday Art Season, AMSTERDAM WHITNEY GALLERY is showcasing unparalleled artworks from talented artists spanning the U.S. and the globe. Celebrating four resplendent Holiday group exhibitions, a link of thematic excellence unites these four exhibitions, offering Chelsea art lovers paintings and sculptures of sublime superiority. Evocative and dynamic, this Amsterdam Whitney Holiday exhibition exudes an alluring glow with stunning luminous creative energy reflecting an ethereal combination of works which challenge the boundaries of artistic creativity. Pulsating with a plentitude of mesmerizing synergy and sparkling creativity, these holiday treasures are visual gems of sophisticated, eclectic and evanescent representations of the world as they shine the spotlight on a universal artistic language. Reflecting the revitalizing penetration of compelling global ideas in our culture, this crosscontinental conversations in art will dazzle the senses during the holiday season for both art acquisitiors and art aficionados alike with its incandescent aesthetic explorations of the visual realm. SPLENDIFEROUS CELEBRATIONS manifests a charismatic visual cavalcade of three dazzling international visual masters from Switzerland, Norway and Cuba-U.S., whose distinct artistic lexicon in diverse mediums, define their syntax of individual self-expression with emblazoned creations. Through their heraldic colorations and fascinating 3-D textures, each artist existentially celebrates and explores the global contemporary community with riveting and provocative work. Swiss artist SABINE BLASKO’s fashion background has influenced the way she incorporates fabrics and figures into her 3-D assemblage works, the scope of them being materials and objects which she enjoys for their mixed media textures and colors. KAI BRATBERGSENGEN’s anthropomorphic magical domain incorporates man into nature, and functions as a distinctive blend of the fantastic and the mundane, serving to create a mythos for his enchanted terrain with earthly tones and visceral brushstrokes. ROBERTO F. DORTICOS’s subliminally joyful giclee abstract series “The MuMu’s” eschews the conventional with huetopic prints that sing with a contemporary tone portraying a fantastical realm, populated by whimsical, other worldly configurations that pulsate with a dreamlike quality. EQUINOX of the SOUL-STICE synthesizes to reveal symbolic multifacted sensory visions of a globalized world and culture as it introduces the viewer to three Masters hailing from the U.S., France and China whose compositions are paradigms of luminescence. Echoing invisible visceral emotions that translate intangible thoughts into insightful, incandescent figurative paintings, the art sparkles with the innermost depths of the soul and reflects socio-cultural narratives as well as spiritual and political ideologies. PENELOPE CHIUSANO’s “Domestic Fashionistas,” derive inspiration from modern iconic females to create a coy, playful world of pastels and paint as she introduces the viewer to a women’s world twinkling with a touch of whimsical humor. ISA D’ARLEANS creates an enchanted kingdom of heavenly portraits and her spiritual, otherworldly, dreamlike compositions focus on transluminescent soulful eyes which are beautifully highlighted in a misty atmosphere infused with delicate
flowing colors and bathed in swaths of translucent light. CHENGJU LI’s Social Realism figurative art is inspired by geo-political, cultural, historic and social iconic personas as well as contemporary issues which he adroitly renders with a compelling visual language to achieve a powerful narrative message. HERALDING the EBULLIENT represents spectral fusions which demonstrate in a contemporary context paintings and sculptures that glimmer with unique artistic visions and are inspired by private internal and external universes. By dynamically defining their oeuvre with passionate synergy, these talented artists hailing from Germany, the U.S. and Australia offer illuminating global compositions that are intriguing hallmarks of the art world. SIMONE LEVY’s beautiful organic sculptures are almost alchemic in nature, and their sanded surfaces do not hide the imperfections in the wood but rather refine and accentuate them in an act of incorporation, denying an expectation of perfection in favor of presenting the viewer with truth. PAUL HARTEL’s beautiful abstract expressionist paintings viscerally emote the progressive shifting, undulating velocity of his internal world through dynamic brush strokes and vivid colors, as he invites us into a passionate space filled with a spontaneity that exudes a distinct joie de vivre. JAY PEARSE channels flowing abstract imagery inspired by nature derived from Down Under featuring Australia’s dams, waterholes and billabong as she captures the topography from various diverse perspectives and showcases a visual syntax of the natural terrain RESPLENDENT JUBILATIONS is an exhibition of contemporary cultural prisms which twists traditional organic subjects with natural luminosity and provides a colorful spectrum of rejuvenated views of the world. This spectacularly talented group of artists hailing from Italy and the U.S., explore the role of art in photography and painting as they metaphorically illustrate transluminescent visual sensations. Colorful and exciting, the featured artists display a solid consciousness of artistic-cultural identity as they project colossal aesthetic configurations. LIDIA BOBBONE’s luminescent female dreamscapes fuse the classical female figurative silhouette with the surreal, resulting in a unique conceptual symbolic synthesis of the female form as her poetic visual lexis offers optical feminine narratives revealing visible metaphors which celebrate the feminine mystique. TOM McGEE’s colorful nature photography celebrates the transparent patterns of nature’s landscape while reflecting the natural terrain’s endurance and its recurring cycle as his camera’s eye conjures a world that brings us closer to the sky and the earth, showcasing eternal landscapes with a contemporary perspective. KAREN CEOLLA TYLEC’s sensorial realm reveals expressive visions of nature which charismatically resonate with luscious rich, spectral hues, revealing the warmth and vitality of the topography, as well exalting the nascent spirituality of the natural world. The COLLECTORS’ CHOICE Exhibition shines the spotlight on the ethereal landscapes of ANDREA HARRIS who has created an intimate dialogue with nature, using her paint brush to explore landscape painting in all its divine, mystical and spiritual aspects. Influenced by her recent travels to France and Italy, Ms. Harris translates the beauty and light of the Impressionist and Renaissance Masters to achieve illuminated colors and transluminescent light.