Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2017 i American Art Collector

John Masefield trained for several years to be a seaman and in the process discovered his gift as a storyteller. He began to read voraciously and to write poetry. Sea Fever was published in 1902 in his first book of poetry, Salt-Water Ballads. The poem has become one of England’s favorite sea poems. Masefield was appointed Britain’s poet laureate in 1930. The poem begins: I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by, And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking, And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking. John Stobart fell in love with ships through pictures in…

The famed Massachusetts shoreline boasts an illustrious history with American art, as countless past masters have been captivated by Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. Among them are Charles Hawthorne, who began the Cape Cod School of Art in Provincetown in 1899; Henry Hensche, who was mentored by Hawthorne and later began teaching in the city; and Edward Hopper, who spent summers in South Truro painting locales around the Cape. These artists, and others, helped shape the region to what it has become today—a thriving area for galleries, artists and collectors alike. There also are a number of art museums to visit as well as fine art events to attend. Known as America’s oldest continuous art colony, Provincetown’s hub of galleries are located along Commercial Street, including Egeli Gallery. There…

Littlefield Gallery 145 Main Street | Winter Harbor, ME 04693 (207) 963-6005 | www.littlefieldgallery.com As an avid plein air painter, Victor Leger finds himself enchanted with the thrill that painting outside brings. He will do compositions of any size on location, opting to return to the same place at the same time of day in the same season and in the same weather. The artist has even spent several years on one piece to get it down right. “My aim is to paint what I see. I try to be as true to what I’m seeing as possible. It doesn’t really interest me to imbue the scene with more beauty than is already there. I try to heighten what I see, of course, but I try to be as realistic…

Lotton Gallery 900 N. Michigan Avenue, Floor 6 | Chicago, IL 60611 (312) 664-6203 | www.lottongallery.com Artists Aydemir Saidov and Marina Marina both paint the female figure, but they have their own distinct themes and projections of form. July 1 to 30, Lotton Gallery in Chicago will present a two-artist exhibition of their works with approximately 10 new paintings on view. Saidov characterizes his latest paintings using the word tenderness. He explains that with “the purity of youth in the models used together with the pastel tones and cloth, I believe the word tenderness will express the spirit of the new work.” He is always inspired by beauty and finds it not only in the model, but also in his surroundings—atypical lighting, a complex shade, a unique cloth, unusual items.…

Susan Powell Fine Art 679 Boston Post Road | Madison, CT 06443 (203) 318-0616 | www.susanpowellfineart.com The coastal charm of the New England shore is the focus of Susan Powell Fine Art’s summer invitational, Visions of Land and Sea. Works by Del-Bourree Bach, Peter Bergeron, David Dunlop, John Falato, Bill Farnsworth, Vincent Giarrano, Curtis Hanson, Neal Hughes, Susan Jositas, James Magner, Leonard Mizerek, Deborah Quinn-Munson, Kimberly Ruggiero, Polly Seip, George Van Hook and others feature lobster fresh from the ocean, breaking waves and swift sailboats. Dunlop’s Turning Toward Infinity, painted on brushed gold laminated aluminum, features fallen sea grasses on a tidewater marsh. Dunlop says, “The space stretches out allowing the viewer to follow twisting layers of sea grass as they wind a slow path toward the horizon, that dissolves…

Kirsten Stingle’s porcelain sculptures respond to a modern paradox: a wired and globally connected world that creates individual isolation. Through surrealist figures and mixed media, Stingle strives to reveal human commonalities, exposing layers of both light and shadow that thrive underneath our polite societal veneer. Her sculptures compel viewers to take a closer look and form a dialogue with narrative. In doing so, Stingle furthers the understanding of ourselves and our place within the contemporary world. Moreover, she uses antique relics not only to further the narrative, but to remind the viewer of the inescapable pull of our shared human history. “My sculptures aren’t intended to sit quietly on a shelf or blend into an environment,” she says. “Rather, they are meant to evoke a dialogue with the viewer in…

Residents of the greater Corning and Finger Lakes, New York, communities recently contributed to a collaborative project with artist Marie Watt and the Rockwell Museum in Corning. Blanket Stories: Western Door, Salt Sacks and Three Sisters is a monumental sculpture, measuring 14 feet high, by Watt made from blankets, quilts and afghans donated by people from the area along with a story from the owner that explains its family meaning and significance. As the museum explains, “While each blanket in this column represents one person’s story, it also serves as marker for the collective memory of a larger extended family. Each story communicates the universal nature of our shared human condition and has the potential to unite us.” Watt, who uses blankets as one of her primary materials, often draws…

EDITOR’S NOTE: Sarah will scour the country for the best and brightest emerging artists on the scene and then interview them about their work. Sarah has a wonderful eye, and I'm sure you will enjoy what she is able to discover. Artists, if you want your work considered, hashtag all your social media posts #tobeannounced #americanartcollector. MAKING AN IMPACT Perfection. The word resounds through my brain and onto my tongue. Unparalleled in lighting and subject matter, expression and emotion, composition and tone, Romina Ressia’s work has made all the right people stop and take notice. Born and raised in Argentina, Ressia’s photography is taking over the world of photography and for good reason. Best known for her Americana-style imagery, she boasts such illustrious titles as Photographer of the Year by…

Winfield Gallery Dolores between Ocean & 7th | Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 93921 (800) 289-1950 | www.winfieldgallery.com Warren Chang and John Steinbeck were raised on the Monterey Peninsula of California. Inspired by the farmworkers in the fertile fields of the Salinas Valley, Steinbeck wrote epic novels such as East of Eden and Chang documents their lives in paintings with open narratives. Steinbeck wrote, “There are no ugly questions except those clothed in condescension.” Chang’s paintings are not laden with social commentary on the plight of the farmworker. They celebrate the human spirit—without condescension. “I may have a particular intent,” Chang says, “but I’m not forcing that on the viewer. The viewers become artists and interpret the meaning and significance on their own. Great art seems to have more than one meaning.” His…

George Billis Gallery 525 W. 26th Street, Ground Floor | New York, NY 10001 (212) 645-2621 | www.georgebillis.com Christopher St. Leger treats his watercolor paintings in the same way he would develop a photograph. They are saturated with paint that bleeds from edge to edge, giving the impression that each image has been soaked in fluid. In his show at George Billis Gallery in New York, St. Leger highlights the worn down routes of everyday life. “I don’t really like the term cityscapes or urbanscapes. It’s just not what I’m aspiring to,” St. Leger says. “I would say that I paint more environments, and these definitely have to do with the American urban experience.” The pieces in the George Billis show all feature New York, and St. Leger is not…

The Gallery at Tree’s Place 60 Route 6A | Orleans, MA 02653 (508) 255-1330 | www.treesplace.com In Vibrancy, a new exhibition opening July 1 at the Gallery at Tree’s Place, artists Mark Beck and Rosalie Nadeau will be showing their new pieces, including still lifes, landscapes and coastal scenes that evoke the vivid color and peacefulness of nature. “Vibrancy of color can express passion and energy, even in stillness,” says Nadeau. “Vibrancy embodies glow, which grabs me—I admire a painting with a vibrant glow. I seek to bring brilliance and presence to my work, which are also aspects of vibrancy.” Each artist is expected to have about a dozen pieces for the exhibition at the gallery, which is located in Orleans, Massachusetts. Nadeau’s works will include a number of still…

Gerald and Anita Smith have assembled an eclectic, yet focused, collection in their Houston home, ranging from African Benin bronzes to paintings from the Harlem Renaissance to avantgarde artists of today. It’s a kind of family business with their children collecting on their own, and introducing them to the work of up-and-coming artists. “I started collecting African art in the late ’70s when I was living in New York,” Gerald says. “I developed a passion for it. I like it because it wasn’t made as art but played a role in the society. It was part of the fabric of how people lived—from marriage to the birth of a child to the harvest. About 15 or 20 years ago I went to Ethiopia, Nigeria and South Africa and brought back…

1 Susan Swartz Studios 260 Main Street, Park City, UT 84060 (435) 655-1201, www.susanswartz.com 2 Mountain Trails Gallery 301 Main Street Park City, UT 84060, (435) 615-8748, www.mountaintrailsgallery.com 3 Meyer Gallery 305 Main Street, Park City, UT 84060 (435) 649-8160, www.meyergallery.com 4 Bret Webster Images Gallery 312 Main Street Park City, UT 84060, (435) 200-8258 www.bretwebsterimages.com 5 David Beavis Gallery 314 Main Street Park City, UT 84060, (435) 602-1123 www.davidbeavisgallery.com 6 PROTHRO Gallery 314 Main Street, Park City, UT 84060 (435) 200-8866, www.prothrogallery.com 7 Mangelsen Images of Nature Gallery 364 Main Street, Park City, UT 84060 (435) 649-7598, www.mangelsen.com 8 J GO Gallery 408 Main Street (lower level) Park City, UT 84060, (435) 649-1006 www.jgogallery.com www.wonderboxgallery.com www.sparkleandblinggallery.com 9 Gallery MAR 436 Main Street, Park City, UT 84060 (435) 649-3001, www.gallerymar.com…

Selby Fleetwood Gallery 600 Canyon Road | Santa Fe, NM 87501 (505) 992-8877 | www.selbyfleetwoodgallery.com The key word in the title of the exhibition Melissa Chandon: American Summer is “American.” Chandon paints an America past yet still present, cherished memories and surviving remnants. The exhibition can be seen at Selby Fleetwood Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, July 14 to 26. Simple things inspire Chandon, the shadow cast by a VW bus, water and reflections in a swimming pool, lone buildings. She reduces the detail of her subjects to the minimum needed to establish their form—what she calls their “core essence”—and she accentuates their colors animated by the bright California sun. The paintings are both nostalgic and contemporary…timeless, in fact. VW buses still carry surfboards and swimmers still jump from…

CLAIRE “CERYSANNE” GROVES Derby, UK | enquiries@wirelifeart.co.uk | www.wirelifeart.co.uk English artist Claire “Cerysanne” Groves describes herself as a naturalist painter working in a photorealistic style that not only conveys the details of her subjects but also their souls. “My inspiration comes from the natural world, my love of animals and their characteristics,” she says. “There needs to be a connection between myself and the reference photo, a spark of emotion, a visual in my head of the process required or amazing detail that I crave to paint for me to start a canvas.” Groves also strives to re-create the characteristics of the animals so her audience is touched by the works and is reminded of their personal connections. She elaborates that these can be a memories or anything that makes…

Arcadia Contemporary 9428 Washington Boulevard | Culver City, CA 90232 (424) 603-4656 | www.arcadiacontemporary.com It’s been said that the greatest beauty of all is not a person or an object, or even a work of art, but a time of innocence, wonderment and joy. A time of limitless energy and motivation. A time of optimism and hope. The greatest beauty has been called youth. Arcadia Contemporary in Culver City, California, will celebrate youth on July 15 with Three Under 30, a new group show featuring a trio of young artists: Daniel Bilmes, Rae Perry and Katie Whipple. When asked about age and their youthfulness, all three of the artists recognized their age as a benefit, particularly with their whole careers still in front of them. “I think artists generally feel…

Bonner David Galleries 7040 E. Main Street | Scottsdale, AZ 85251 (480) 941-8500 | www.bonnerdavid.com During the dry, hot Arizona summer, some of the best ways to beat the heat are to enjoy a cool dip in the pool, take a drink of water or retreat on a beach vacation. From July 6 to 22, artists will present their unique visions of water in the exhibition Water, Water Everywhere at Bonner David Galleries in Scottsdale, Arizona. Danny Galieote presents High on Summertime, a nostalgia-inducing image of a pinup girl sitting on the edge of a diving board soaking in the sun. “In this painting, I wanted to create a piece that conjures up the feelings of joy and freedom of our favorite summer vacations,” he explains. “I love the warmth…

When Kim VanDerHoek is painting on location, she spends a few hours in one spot, giving her a deeper understanding of the place and more of an experience than someone passing through would have. “I try to convey that unique sense of place and time in each landscape painting both in the studio and on location,” she says. “I want the viewer to feel as though they are have discovered something special about that area, as though I’ve shared a secret that is just between the two of us. To do this I paint in a contemporary impressionist style using brush, palette knife and other tools. To keep the painting looking fresh I try to preserve areas that I’ve only touched once. Knowing which passages to keep and which to…

SCULPTURE IN THE PARK When: August 12-13, 2017; August 11, 3-8 p.m., Patron Party Where: Benson Sculpture Garden, 2908 Aspen Drive, Loveland, CO 80538 Information: www.sculptureinthepark.org The Loveland High Plains Arts Council began Sculpture in the Park in the summer of 1984 with 50 artists gathering at Benson Park to sell their work to art patrons. The first outing was deemed a success, as collectors purchased more than $50,000 worth of sculpture. With the proceeds, they purchased two permanent works to be erected at the park, which has grown into the Benson Sculpture Garden where the show continues to happen today. Currently the sculpture garden boasts 158 pieces bought by the Loveland High Plains Arts Council, with four new works installed in June and a public dedication taking place July…