Abstractions at Gould Gallery
ABSTRACTIONS AT GOULD GALLERY
Martha's Vineyard Times
August 28, 2008
Page 8
GALLERIES
“I’ve been thinking
about it for a
couple of years,”
says photographer
and gallery owner
Louisa Gould of the
abstract show that
opens Friday, August
29, at her Vineyard
Haven gallery. Called
“Vineyard Abstractions,”
the exhibit includes
Island artists
Marjorie Mason,
Ovid Ward, Margo
Ouellette, Jules Worthington,
Edwin Cohen,
and Ms. Gould.
The opening reception
will be held on
Saturday, August
30, from 6 to 8 pm.
Because it departs
from realistic interpretation
to explore
form, color, and line
on their own terms,
abstract art differs
from traditional representational
art.
While representational
work predominates
on the Island,
a number of local
artists utilize both
forms to express
themselves.
“It’s hard for the eye to
jump from one to the other
because the difference is so
extreme,” says Ms. Gould,
explaining her motivation for
devoting the show exclusively
to abstract art.
Abstract art has existed
since the earliest kinds of visual
expression in the form
of geometric and linear patterns
on rocks and textiles.
Starting in the early 20th
century, many artists began
creating art that expressed
the social, cultural, and
technological changes
around them. Once described
as “pure” art, abstraction
in the 21st century
has become less strictly divorced
from the representational.
Ms. Gould identifies two
veins of abstract art currently
in vogue. One uses paint
in loose and fluid ways,
while the other relies on geometric
and linear patterns.
“Abstract art invites the
viewer into the work,” says
Ms. Gould. Abstract works
are often untitled, because
the artist wants to avoid influencing
the viewer’s response.
By leaving behind
the boundaries of conventional
realism, the painter
who delves into abstraction
is free to go wherever the
imagination wants, just as
animation does in film.
Margo Ouellette, a summer
resident whose work will be
on exhibit, creates spin art.
Often associated with children’s
art projects, spin art
relies on any device that will
spray or spatter paint in patterns
that are often circular.
Even lettuce spinners
can produce spin art.
According to Ms.
Gould, Ms. Ouellette
owns one of the
largest spin art machines
in the world,
and she executes
work on round canvases.
Ovid Ward’s abstracts,
which he
calls his “Whimsicals,”
combine
sweeps of vivid color
with miniaturized objects
like airplanes,
whales, and balls.
Marjorie Mason
makes brightly colored
linear compositions.
In her piece
“Tea Lane Series V,”
she arranged blocks
of blue, yellow, orange,
and putty color.
As in his blue and
green painting
“Hexagonal Rhythm,”
Jules Worthington
creates complex geometrics
with the illusion
of three dimensions.
Edwin Cohen
combines semi-organic
shapes with linear
acrylic color in
works like “As Souls Change
into Water” and “Don’t Allow
the Lucid Moment to Dissolve.”
Although she is best
known for her marine photography,
Ms. Gould is creating
a series of abstract oils
for the exhibit.
“Abstract art is alive and
well,” Ms. Gould says. ◆
Opening reception for
“Vineyard Abstractions,” Saturday,
August 30, 6–8 pm,
Louisa Gould Gallery, 54
Main Street, Vineyard Haven.
The show runs through Sept.
12.
Comment on mvtimes.com
ABSTRACTIONS AT GOULD GALLERY
Brooks Robards
PHOTOS COURTESY OF LOUISA GOULD GALLERY
A colorful linear composition by Marjorie Mason.
One of Ovid Ward’s dramatic abstractions that includes
small realistic renderings.
“Abstract art invites
the viewer into the
work,” says Ms.
Gould. Abstract
works are often untitled,
because the
artist wants to avoid
influencing the viewer’s
response.
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