Austin Thomas – Lots of little things at LABspace
All images: Austin Thomas collages, photographed by the author
Austin Thomas’s drawings, Lots of little things, currently on view at LABspace, a small gallery in a tiny town, are diminutive in size but vast in scope. Arranged in three irregular rows on one wall, these forty-odd drawings offer the viewer enough to look at for several hours. I have been to the show three times and was sorry to leave each time. They seem to display almost everything drawing can be.
Strange Girls at Garvey Simon
Artist Melissa Stern says that the chance to work with dancer Louisa Pancoast on their Strange Girls Dance project at Garvey / Simon was a wonderful bit of serendipity. They met at exactly the right time. Pancoast is the Assistant Director of Garvey Simon Gallery, but her real passion is dance. “She is a gifted dancer and choreographer,” says Stern.
Melissa Stern, Clay, wood, resin, paint. 34 x 12 x 7 inches. 2018
Julia von Eichel – Portraits of Emotional States
Although Julia Von Eichel‘s sculptures appear to be fragile, at times almost on the verge of collapse, they are held together as if against all odds due to their obstinate resilience. Whether mounted on the wall, hanging on a wire, or drawn on mylar, her shapes embody a restless exploration of the dimensional form – how its defined by line and light. In this interview for Art Spiel the artist talks in depth about her thought and work process.
[caption id="attachment_2132" align="alignnone" width="500"] Julia von Eichel, I’ll eat you up, I love you so, 2016, silk, acrylic, wood, thread, plastic, and epoxy, 40 x 30 inches x 24 inches, courtesy of Julia von Eichel[/caption]
Jeanne Heifetz – Ordered Chance
Jeanne Heifetz‘s art has evolved from weaving and fiber early on to drawing and painting later on. While her previous body of work has typically derived from a process of material exploration, the impetus for her more recent work has been prompted by concept. As Heifetz puts it, “in spite of herself,” after the election it can also be seen as politicized. She was recently awarded a LABA fellowship for 2018-2019 at the 14th Street Y, where she will study ancient Jewish texts on a given theme with other artists of different disciplines. In this interview for Art Spiel Jeanne Heifetz talks about her art, ideas, and projects.
[caption id="attachment_2180" align="alignnone" width="500"] Jeanne Heifetz, Pre-Occupied 18, 2016, silver graphite on flax paper tinted with iron oxide, 21″ x 29″ Photo: Paul Takeuchi[/caption]
Elisa Jensen: Gazing Inward
Elisa Jensen‘s imagery draws upon pre-historic narratives – ancient rock art scattered in pristine Irish landscapes, a Danish bog person sacrificed during the Iron age, or stone age burial mounds spotted in a Danish island. Her paintings and sculptures bring to mind mysterious rites and myths salvaged from a forgotten ancient past or perhaps from the depth of our collective unconscious memory. In her interview for Art Spiel Jensen shares some thoughts on her process, imagery, and context.
[caption id="attachment_2038" align="alignnone" width="500"] Elisa Jensen , Gold Boat detail, 2018, self drying clay, acrylic paint, gold leaf 2 x 7 inches, photo by Apiwich[/caption]
Cadences at Equity Gallery
All Photos by Sharilyn Neidhardt
[caption id="attachment_2151" align="alignnone" width="500"] Artist Molly Herman (far right) greets gallery-goers in front of some of her smaller canvases (left to right) “Tremelo”, “Free Verse”, and “Sonal-Yello”[/caption]Cadences, a lovely show in the Equity Gallery curated by Michael Gormley, teases at the language of abstract expressionism without overwhelming the viewer.
David Samuel Stern’s Portraits: The Mechanics of Longing
For photographer David Samuel Stern’s photography typically serves as a departure point for crafting tangible objects. In his Woven Portraits series for instance, Stern physically assembles pieces of his photographic portraits into new forms, aiming to fuse the notion of photographic representation with its own material nature, making a new essence. The imagery in this series may bring to mind Cubists’ and Futurists’ paintings, or David Hockney’s Polaroids, but in Stern’s hybrid artworks, the imagery derives from a photographer’s imagination and can be distinctly traced to our digital age – the manual counterpoints the virtual. Here Stern shares with Art Spiel some of his ideas, process, and projects.
[caption id="attachment_1948" align="alignnone" width="377"] Aaron; 2015; Photographic prints on archival translucent vellum, physically cut and woven together; 40 x 31 x ¼ in, 101.5 x 78.75 x 1.25 cm; Courtesy David Samuel Stern[/caption]
Andrea Burgay – Sorting Through Chaos
The combination of material and abstracted imagery in Andrea Burgay’s complex and richly layered collage work makes the passage of time tangible – traces of destruction along with a sense of potential renewal. She shares with Art Spiel some of her main art processes, core ideas, and current projects, including her recently launched art magazine “Cut Me Up,” a publication with a fresh twist.
Debra Ramsay: Painting Time
Debra Ramsay embraces “beauty” as a core in her work. Throughout her installations and paintings she reflects on the relationship between color, light, time, and place with a minimalist’s impulse and a colorist’s flair. Mara Williams, the curator of “Painting Time”, her recent show at Brattleboro Museum, eloquently describes it as both “reductionist and exuberant.” In this interview for Art Spiel the artist elaborates on her background, ideas, and projects.
[caption id="attachment_1920" align="alignnone" width="375"] Debra Ramsay, Painting Time Exhibition, 2018, acrylic on museum board and polyester resin film, photo courtesy of the artist[/caption]
Nancy Cohen – One Substance from the Start
Nancy Cohen‘s sensibility for the ephemeral is evident throughout her wide range of forms – from small sculptural pieces to large scale room installations. With fluid agility she utilizes diverse material such as glass, paper, rubber, and ceramics, to form a thematically rigorous body of work – both visceral and inquisitive. The artist shares with Art Spiel some of her ideas on process, use of material, themes, and projects.
[caption id="attachment_1738" align="aligncenter" width="360"] Nancy Cohen, Merge, 2018, Handmade paper, 81 x 68 inches, photo courtesy of Edward Fausty[/caption]