FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

LOUISA GOULD GALLERY ANNOUNCES THE THIRTEENTH ANNUAL ABSTRACT INVITATIONAL GROUP ART SHOW:

 

 

It is with great pleasure that the Louisa Gould Gallery on Main Street in Vineyard Haven presents the Thirteenth Annual Group Abstract Show, “Journeys into Abstraction” opening on August 20, 2020 and continuing until October 31, 2020.    Because of the constraints of travelling for artists during the on-going Covid-19 virus, this exhibit will occur entirely on-line. The exhibit showcases the work of seven (7) artists, most of whom had previous associations with the Louisa Gould Gallery: Jane Adriance, Michaele Christian, Roberta Gross, Alan Klawans, Joan Konkel, Susan Morosky and Marsha Staiger.  These artists create individual works of art by employing a variety of media: acrylics, collage papers, oil and water-based monotypes, archival ink jet prints and pastels. The paintings, prints and collages reflect their personal approaches to their media and embodies how abstract art has unlimited paths and by-ways upon which an artist can journey.  Pieces in the show range from the purely non-objective to allusions to the outside world.

 

Jane Adriance is a watercolorist and oil painter. While painting, she watches for the unexpected but which then forms a springboard to fantasy. She hopes by this process to create new perspectives using vibrant colors and interesting compositions.  The effect creates a dialogue between the artist, the painting and the viewer. A clear example of this is reflected in her watercolor painting Reaching.  There, both plant like forms and undulating water shapes mix together in colorful flowing streams. The ambiguity of the subject keeps the viewer engaged in the painting.

 

Michaele Christian presents a body of work that she has created over the past decade, from her plant silhouettes composed as monotypes or collages to the black shapes suggesting landscape ( Homage I).   Her art work demonstrates her process of layering different colors and/or images, with an emphasis on composition and values. The common theme which runs throughout is her love of and interest in nature- real or imagined.

 

Roberta Gross’s pastel and acrylic compositions are part of a series called Tendrils. In creating this series, Ms. Gross wanted to focus on the placement of the “subjects” along the edges of the paper as a way of creating and featuring space. While there is a clear reference to plants and vessels, her primary purpose in this body of work is to use the tactile and vibrant properties of soft pastels to display vivid colors and shapes juxtaposed with the interesting space that emerges in the composition., By limiting her subject, Gross can concentrate on the unique qualities of pastel to “paint” in soft but gorgeous shades of blues, greens, yellows and purples. For example, the yellow/orange/red space in Tendrils on Oranges is created by placement of the border of abstract blue and orange flowers along the edges.  The “activity” at the edges is reinforced by the circular pattern of the tendril shapes which leads the viewer’s eyes to the flowers on the edges.

 

Alan Klawans is a professional graphic designer and printmaker. As an avid traveler, he finds sources of inspiration everywhere for his art. But that doesn’t stop him from looking out his window or around his home.  He finds design elements in buildings, industrial structures, fruits and vegetables.  He takes photographs of subjects from all sources and then works his magic applying his outstanding sense of design and composition.  For example, his archival ink jet print Oranges conjures up warm areas like California or Florida. The fruit pops off the page, not just because of their warm orange and yellow hues against cool blue/ green/ violet color shades but because of their circular shapes bursting with radiating diagonal lines against a backdrop of bands of horizontal lines. The complementary blue/purples and the variety of shades of greens and blues keep the work feeling fresh and tangible.

 

Joan Konkel’s work is unique in the manner in which she layers painted mesh over painted canvas.  The porous nature of the mesh draws light into the work where it bounces off myriad strands of mesh.  Her largest work in this exhibit, Antigone Ensemble, is based on the Greek tragedy Antigone, with every panel representing a character from the play. Shaped aluminum discs represent the royalty of those characters.  Another work, Entering the Euphotic Zone, is representative of the upper layers of water which allow light to penetrate.  The piece portrays light filled water. The layering of the mesh also gives rise to moiré patterns which further enhance the illusion of water.

 

Susan Morosky finds her creative inspiration from viewing nature.  Many of her works reference the ever changing inland waters and the views around her Michigan studio.  Her active brushwork and unique sense of abstraction exhibit an energetic application of material, color, and layered surfaces.  Morosky’s paintings seem to capture the natural flow, activity and rhythm of the world around her.  Examples of this include the dense bunching of ultramarine and violet flowers against lush green foliage in Sringfield Creek or the downward flowing flowers in Homestead Pond.

 

Marsha Staiger’s art reflects her love of color relationships and the balancing of color within space.  She energizes her work with intuitive mark making and elements of formal design. For example, in the piece entitled Atmosphere, the format of the 5 individual cradled pieces together creates a larger strata piece, containing a continuum of loose brush strokes, drips, marks and layers of paint.  Marsha’s pieces reflect a process of layering, beginning with the crucial under painting, a key component in her paintings.  This first layer begins the process while subsequent layers catch and anchor the piece, again through color and design. Whether the paintings formats are horizontal or vertical, Marsha engages the viewer both with an immediate response to the entire piece and then to individual elements that make up the whole.

 

The Louisa Gould Gallery is located at 54 Main Street, Vineyard Haven, MA on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. The gallery is located a ½ block from the ferry. The gallery is open daily to the public from 11am to 5pm and for private viewings at 10am and 5pm. Please call with any questions (508) 693.7373. All works are online at louisagould.com.