P R E V I E W S O F W O R K S F O R S A L E AT U P C O M I N G S H O W S C O A S T T O C O A S T
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ISSUE 118
WATC H 8 V I D EO S I N THIS I SSUE SEE PAG E 3 6
AMERICAN
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AUGUST 2015
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Also Showcasing Glass, Ceramics & Wood
UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / NORTHPORT, NY
August 15-September 24, 2015
Haven Gallery 155 Main Street | Northport, NY 11768 (631) 757-0500 | www.havenartgallery.com
K ATE Z AMBR ANO
Catharsis W
hen Kate Zambrano was devising the theme for her solo exhibition at Haven Gallery in Northport, New York— the inaugural exhibition for the new gallery—she chose Catharsis, a way to explore the juxtaposition between beauty and pain, the notion you can’t experience something really beautiful unless you’ve gone through turmoil and strife. While she worked on the more than a dozen paintings and charcoal drawings that will be in the exhibition, the introspective creative process allowed Zambrano to face her own challenges head-on, resulting in a personal catharsis for the artist. “I’ve been surprise to discover I’ve been working through some issues and growing emotionally,” says Zambrano, based in Austin, Texas. “I don’t think I would have been able to have such deep inner reflection if I had not had that isolation.” Zambrano’s collection of works focused on female expressions contains visages displaying sadness, uncertainty and hurt. Her strikingly beautiful models are either her friends—Zambrano was a model before becoming a self-taught painter— or are ladies she connects with through social media, who become friends. One of Zambrano’s subjects, a close friend of the artist, also experienced a cleansing of sorts during the painting process. The model had recently lost her best friend, and as Zambrano sent her behind-the-scenes progress shots of the painting, her spirits were lifted. Zambrano says she created the Catharsis collection with the intention of the pieces flowing together, to let viewers find something in the works they could relate to personally. Hesitant to give specific explanations for pieces, Zambrano says any model “could have any number of emotions going on—it’s a beautiful person working through something not beautiful, which in itself is beautiful.” It’s a sentiment that resonates with collector Troy Dixon.
1 Pyrrhic, oil on panel, 12 x 12" 2 Tomb, oil on panel, 12 x 16" 3 Hound, oil on panel, 9 x 12" 4 Null, oil on panel, 16 x 20" Artist headshot by Courtney McCullough.
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www.AmericanAr tCollector.com
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of empathy and understanding is evident in her ability to capture this instant of evanescence with her paintbrush. She brings forth the beauty in what oftentimes can be incredibly difficult, painful and dark moments that are universally felt but seldom understood.” Zambrano says she finds endless inspiration in the human face and is excited to continue to explore it, paired with emotionally charged gestures and body language. She says beyond impacting viewers on a purely visual level, she hopes they, like she and her subjects did, relate to the theme of the exhibition. “I would like to share that common denominator of these cathartic experiences with the viewer,” Zambrano says, “that he or she connects with the work because they’ve gone through something and can rise above it.”
PR E VI E W
“I was immediately attracted to Kate’s work as the expressions, especially the eyes, provide a window into a world of emotion that is complex and conducive to a narrative of the viewer’s own imagination,” says Dixon. For Haven Gallery owner Erica Berkowitz, who worked with Zambrano at a previous gallery, choosing Zambrano as the first artist to exhibit in the 1,350-square-foot Haven Gallery, located in a historic carriage house, was an obvious choice. Berkowitz says when she encountered Zambrano’s work, she immediately felt an instant connection with not just the model, but with Zambrano. “Kate doesn’t just paint portraits,” says Berkowitz. “She paints the intangible, fleeting potency of emotion at its zenith and captures the sitter at his or her most raw and uninhibited moment. This level