'Between the natural and the manmade'
“Fountain II’’ (pigment print, mulberry paper on linen), by Andy Millner, in his show “Floating World; The Light the Bird Sees,’’ at Heather Gaudio Fine Art, Greenwich, Conn., Feb. 24-April 6.
The gallery says”
“Millner’s work investigates the relationship between art and nature, the natural and the manmade. He began by using traditional pigmented materials on canvas to convey the complexity of lines and contours seen in organic forms, such as flowers, leaves or trees.’’
To her essentials
“Portrait of a Woman” ( oil and acrylic on cotton-duck; triptych), by Ian McKeever, at Heather Gaudio Fine Art, Greenwich, Conn.
Where physical and visual meet
“Strange Attractor,’’ by Kathleen Kucka, in her show of the same name at Heather Gaudio Fine Art, New Canaan, Conn., through July 22. She lives and works in Falls Village, Conn., and New York City,.
The gallery says:
“Throughout her career, Kucka has pushed the boundaries of traditional painting, experimenting with unconventional techniques to create works that blur the line between two and three-dimensional art. Utilizing a variety of methods including burning or pouring paint, she creates works that focus on materiality and examines the interplay between physical and visual aspects of her chosen medium.’’
The D.M. Hunt Library in Falls Village, part of town town of Canaan in the Berkshires
On the dots
“Blue Dot 10’’ (oil on canvas), by Mio Yamato, in her show “The Breathing Star,’’ at Heather Gaudio Fine Art, New Canaan, Conn., through April 29.
The gallery says:
“Mio Yamato has gained international attention in recent year for her signature marks -- copious amounts of tiny, pearl-like dots painted with oil or ink on canvases, wooden panels, walls, or large swaths of fabric. These are finely applied and arranged to articulate formations seen in nature, such as mountainous ranges, geological strata, constellations in the sky, and the like.’’
‘Celebration of irregularities’
“Resilience” (porcelain, wire on panel), by Lucas Ferreira, in the show “Ferreira & Nascimento: Natural Terrains,’’ at Heather Gaudio Fine Art, New Canaan, Conn., Aug. 27-Oct 8.
The gallery explains:
“This is the first exhibition for Lucas Ferreira in the United States. Born and raised in Brazil, Ferreira’s success as an artist came about serendipitously when he moved to London in his early twenties to study cinema. He began working in ceramic as a means to support his film projects in what he dubs is ‘a capricious industry.’ As he explored the properties of porcelain ceramic and developed his own techniques and language, Ferreira found the demand for his work exceeding his wildest expectations.
“For Ferreira, his work is a ‘celebration of irregularities’ that begins with small, simple shapes which are then repeated thousands of times. Ferreira works with porcelain ceramic in its purest form, rolling the material out into paper thin sheets and allowing it to dry for about an hour. This prevents the porcelain from sticking to the tools he utilizes to cut the individual shapes. Each piece is meticulously hand-cut and allowed to dry further before being fired in a high-powered kiln. As the tiles are assembled together in an organized fashion, the hand-made becomes more evident. Rather than getting uniformly lost in the grouping, the individual character of each piece is accentuated adding dimension to the overall textured surface. Color, derived from natural minerals, also plays a part in his work, as the pieces can go from lighter to darker values, or make a statement of form and perspective against neutral backgrounds. Ferreira’s process develops organically, the composition and rhythm dictated by spontaneous thoughts and feelings of the moment. The results are landscape tessellations, fragmented shapes that are visual feasts made timeless with the use of ancient mosaic techniques. Ferreira also credits as influence the work of Sérgio de Camargo, the Brazilian sculptor and relief maker who became an important figure in the Latin American Constructivist movement. Ferreira’s work has been the subject of many exhibitions in Europe and is in numerous private and corporate collections. His mosaic compositions are also in high demand for site-specific commissions. Ferreira currently lives and works in London.
“On view alongside Ferreira’s mosaics will be new work by gallery roster artist Valéria Nascimento. Her artistic practice shares certain aspects with Ferreira in that she too makes the porcelain material paper thin before hand-cutting each piece individually. As with Ferreira, the porcelain is left in its natural, unglazed finish, and only colored with oxides or minerals. The similarities end there, however, for her shapes are directly inspired by nature and take on the forms of stunning botanical or aquatic installations. Flora, blooms, hibiscus, bamboo, branches, or coral, anemones, and the like grace the spaces they inhabit. Nascimento’s architectural background informs her intricate and detailed presentation, and her work is about bringing nature indoors. The exhibition will feature a site-specific wall-mounted “meadow” installation as well as other work new to American audiences. Also included are works the two artists collaborated on, combining their distinctive aesthetics into three separate panels. Nascimento has had a prolific career and has been extensively exhibited and written about. Her work is in multiple private and public locations throughout the world.’'
The Glass House is a historic house museum on Ponus Ridge Road in New Canaan, built in 1948–49. It was designed by architect Philip Johnson (1906-2005) as his own residence.
‘Shapes of mind’
“The Layers of Clouds in Night,’’ by Hyun Jung Ahn, in her show “Rendezvous,’’ at Heather Gaudio Fine Art, New Canaan, Conn., April 2-May 7.
The gallery says:
“Born and raised in South Korea, Ahn is a multidisciplinary artist who moved to New York City in 2015 in pursuit of her second M.F.A. Her work investigates abstraction through enigmatic forms she terms ‘shapes of mind’. The cultural differences and language barriers she experienced when she moved to the United States forced Ahn to ‘quiet her mind’, as she states. Her work evolved from the figurative and representational to a reduced abstraction that economized and purified her expression. The result was a new visual language that became more hermetic and enigmatic in color and form. Although today she is mostly Brooklyn-based, she continues to straddle both cultures by maintaining a studio and teaching position in Seoul.’’
Waveny mansion in Waveny Park, in New Canaan.
Beyond carpentry
From the series "Everyday Museum” (wood rulers mounted on a wood board), by Eduardo Terrazas, in the show “Re-inventing the Every-day,’’ at Heather Gaudio Fine Art, New Canaan, Conn.
It features works by Gabriel de la Mora, Martín Soto Climent and Mr. Terrazas.
The gallery says:
“The artists in the exhibition celebrate the aestheticization of ordinary objects through a diverse set of interrogational approaches. They are concerned with a non-hierarchical discourse and formal aspects of art-making, selecting ready-made or discarded materials as metaphors for cultural commentary. Theirs is a meticulous, processed-based approach that seeks to balance the rival goals of formalism and conceptualism.’’
Don’t kick it
“Harrow 2” (iron), by Tom Waldron, in “Compelling Structure,’’ a joint show with Patrik Grijalvo, at Heather Gaudio Fine Art, New Canaan, Conn., through Nov. 13.
The Waveny estate in New Canaan, now a town park. The park's centerpiece is this “castle," built in 1912 by Lewis Lapham, a founder of the oil company Texaco, as mostly a summer place. It’s surrounded by 300 acres of fields, ponds and trails.
Memory and geography
“At the Beginning” (cardboard, hand-cut world map), by Vivianne Rombaldi Seppey, in the group show “A Sense of Place,’’ at Heather Gaudio Fine Art, New Canaan, Conn., through Sept. 29. The show features new works by Tegan Brozyna Roberts, Simona Prives and Viviane Rombaldi Seppey.
The gallery says:
“Memory, geography and cultural experiences are underlying themes explored by these three women artists. Through an innovative use of paper, maps, threads, printmaking, collage and projected imagery, the artists in the show create two and three-dimensional objects that express universal notions of belonging and association.’’
Moreno Clock on Elm Street where it meets with South Avenue in New Canaan.
But no maps to get there
“Doldrum III” (painted paper, thread and wood nails on wood panel), by Tegan Brozna Roberts, in the group show “Sense of Place’’ at Heather Gaudio Fine Art, New Canaan, Conn. opening Aug. 14.
The gallery says:
“Memory, geography and cultural experiences are underlying themes explored by these women artists. Through an innovative use of paper, maps, threads, collage and video projections, the artists create two and three dimensional objects that express universal notions of belonging and association.’
For an NRA meeting
“Still from 'Hand Catching Lead'‘ (two-color lithograph/screenprint), by Richard Serrra, in his show “Richard Serra: Selected Prints,’’ at Heather Gaudio Fine Art, New Canaan, Conn., starting May 8.
The gallery says:
“In collaboration with master printers Gemini G.E.L., the exhibition will include monochromatic works from different series executed in the last 15 years. Serra’s explorations with printmaking have been an extension of the artist’s practice of working in monumentally-scaled sculpture. Since 1972, he has been working with Gemini to create and invent new techniques in the medium, leading to a varied output of complexly surfaced prints.’’
'Implied movement'
“Pacific” (steel pipe and high-performance car paint), by John Clement, in his joint show with Robert Sagerman, “Sagerman and Clement: High-Performance Color,’’ at Heather Gaudio Fine Art, New Canaan, Conn., March 13-May 1.
Mr. Clement’s site explains that his work “juxtaposes a variety of playing steel coils and arcs that, layered on top of one another, take on a life of their own. While today Clement focuses primarily on large-scale outdoor work …. his smaller works are, on their own volition, about to swivel about on their bases and spin about in space. Clement’s dynamic and dramatic union of form, line and negative space emphasizes the impression of implied movement.’’
“The Glass House,’’ in New Canaan (built in 1948-1949), designed by Modernist architect Philip Johnson (1906-2005) as his own residence. It’s now a National Historic Site.
Better have that rash looked at
Encaustic painting from Martin Kline’s show “Allover,’’ at Heather Gaudio Fine Art, New Canaan, Conn., Jan. 23-March 6.
The gallery says:
“Throughout the course of his career, Kline has examined systems of historicism and presentation, his focused and disciplined approach creating bodies of works in series, each with their distinctive visual language. Among his many investigations, Kline has looked to notions of authenticity, sincerity and originality, and, as he states, there comes a point when an artist ‘cannot escape Jackson Pollock’ For this exhibition, Kline presents his newest group of paintings entitled “Allover,’ inspired by the drip technique he used in “Dream of Pollock’’ (for Kirk Varnedoe) back in 2007.
The multi-colored “Allover’’ series consists of, for the most part, strictly monochromatic abstractions. Created in a looser, automatist fashion, these paintings have a more fluid sensibility, with random thread-like rivulets of pigment networked in and out of broader, purposeful bands of color. Unlike previous series, these paintings lack compositional focal points, nor do they possess narrative characteristics seen in his Hammocks assemblages. The viewer’s eye is free to wander all over and engage with the painted surface indiscriminately.
”While Kline may be revisiting the spontaneous technique for which Pollock became famous, the approach to painting with the panel positioned horizontally has been very much decidedly his own from early on. Kline has mostly worked on his surfaces laid horizontally, typically on a tabletop—his signature additive approach to painting requiring the pull of gravity to fasten the pigments in situ while drying. For the most part, Kline’s hand has had a direct touch through the use of a paintbrush on the paper, panel or canvas. In the Allover paintings, Kline is still working horizontally but he has severed the traditional anatomical connection, distancing himself from the surface even more by placing the panels on the floor. This increased space relinquishes control for the drips and pours to act more randomly and allow for elements of surprise to occur. Most of the panels in this series lack confining frames and the sides are free of splashed pigments that reveal the process. The resulting suggestion is that the drips and thicker gestures of color travel beyond the picture plane. It is as if the viewer is getting a snapshot, a window into elements that exist outside the painting’s boundaries.’’
A green new seal
“Cercle Vert Olympique” ( painted wood, glass, powder pigment, motor), by Manuel Merida, at Heather Gaudio Fine Art, New Canaan, Conn. See: www.heathergaudiofineart.com
The famous Glass House, in New Canaan, designed by Modernist architect Philip Johnson as his residence and built in 1948-49.
Moreno Clock, on Elm Street, near Heather Gaudio, in New Canaan
Take two and call me in the morning
“The Spheres,’’ by Kathleen Kucka, in her show “Slow Burn,’’ at Heather Gaudio Fine Art, New Canaan, Conn., through April 25 but not open to the general public. New Canaan is in affluent Fairfield Country, which has had a high incidence of COVID-19, a bit of it attributed to a big party in Westport, which turned out to be a big spreader.
‘Natural Lineage’
“Charged” (oil on canvas), by Natalie Arnoldi
Heather Gaudio Fine Art, in New Canaan, Conn., is showing through March 7 "Charles and Natalie Arnoldi: Natural Lineage," recent paintings by father and daughter.
The gallery says:
“Although the visual language of these two Californian artists could not be more different -- the brightly colored geometric abstractions by Charles Arnoldi a bold contrast to Natalie's muted representational evocations of light and atmosphere -- the two share common threads in their investigative approach. Both enjoy conveying their creativity in series, encapsulating ideas and delving deep into their enquiry, painting several canvases of the same subject to fine-tune the aesthetic in question. Both are not shy to present their output in oversized scales, unabashedly captivating the viewer with patchworks of color or quotidian references, and both are equally deft at pivoting their magnitudes to smaller, more relatable sizes.’’
'Geological strata'
“Compression 2” (books and wax), by Jessica Drenk, in her show “Jessica Drenk: Second Nature,’’ at Heather Gaudio Fine Art, New Canaan, Conn., Nov. 23-Jan 11.
The gallery says:
“For Drenk, the material is the starting point of her artistic inquiry, an exploration that takes her from simple notions and ideas to complex expressions of information, systems and patterns. She reconfigures every-day materials such as books, pencils, plastic bags, even PVC pipe, drawing on their physical properties to re-contextualize them into visually compelling and thought-provoking sculptural outcomes.
“The exhibition will feature a new body of work emerging from mass-produced utilitarian and readily discarded objects: plastic bags. Spliced and organized by color, they are transformed into banded formations, layers resembling geological strata. Repurposing this product into a structure resembling its material origins, plastic as a by-product of petroleum, Drenk's reconfiguration timely questions the reverberations of our every-day consumption and its long-lasting environmental impact.’’
She only looks simple
“Portrait of a Woman “ (oil and acrylic on linen and acrylic on cotton duck), by Ian McKeever, in his show “The Nature of Painting,’’ at Heather Gaudio Fine Art, New Canaan, Conn., through Nov. 16. The gallery says:
“Using different techniques to apply translucid layers of paint , McKeever {has gone on} to create beautiful lyrical abstractions on canvas….His paintings became more about the implicit light and suggestions of visual passageways to a space inside their surface. For McKeever, light is not something to be depicted per se, but rather conveyed through the inherent qualities of the medium, be they oil, acrylic or gouache.’’
In New Canaan: Bhutan and 'The Glass House'
“Bhutan PF23’’ (oil on canvas), by Ricardo Mazal, in the joint show “Ricardo Mazal & Paul Bloch: Refined Abstractions,’’ at Heather Gaudio Fine Art, New Canaan, Conn., through Oct. 5.
The gallery says:
Ricardo Mazal 's interest in the anthropological practices of diverse global cultures, their spiritual rites, rituals and sacred places comes to the fore in his artistic expression. Through the use of photography, print-making, and the latest digital and video technology, Mazal achieves transformational perspectives and brings formal principles of composition into his work. Rigid blocks of color, flatness, folds, ribbons, stillness and texture have evolved over the span of decades to become the recognizable aesthetic for which he is known. The exhibition will feature paintings from the “Bhutan Abstractions’’ series, geometric and organic compositions that resulted from a family trip he took in 2014. Referencing Bhutanese prayer flags billowing in the wind, some of these paintings are flowing arabesques while others follow more hardline interplays of tone, color and texture, interrupted by visual hints of the region's snow-capped vertiginous strata.’’
The Moreno Clock, at the intersection of Elm Street and South Avenue in New Canaan.
Mysticism and color relationships
Silicone on canvas mounted on panel — a work by Robert Sagerman, in the current group show “Room for Play,’’ at Heather Gaudio Fine Art, New Canaan, Conn. The gallery says:
“Robert Sagerman combines mysticism and investigation of color relationships in his paintings. He builds up the texture by squeezing individual dollops of paint he has mixed himself, slowly amassing the surface with a deliberate fashion. Sagerman counts and records ever single pigment application and keeps track of the numbers that are typically in the thousands. The practice of counting is a meditation based in medieval Jewish mysticism, a method Kabbalists believed could bring forth divine clarity. Sagerman’s technique makes for richly textured, captivating and mesmerizing color field paintings.’’