O L D F R I E N D S & N E W F A C E S
T W O G A L L E R I E S – S I X A R T I S T S
O N D I S P L A Y A U G U S T 2 0 1 7
Edgewater Gallery takes pride in the diversity of expertise and genius of all the artists whom we represent. For the month of August, we have selected six of these artists at our two gallery locations for a group show. “Old Friends and New Faces” will bring together a compelling collection from familiar artists and others who have recently jumped on board. These artists include: Philip Frey, Woody Jackson, and Homer Wells, at our Falls location, and Kim Alemian, Timothy Horn, and William B. Hoyt at our location on the Green.
Here’s what they had to say about their latest works:
E D G E W A T E R O N T H E G R E E N
TIMOTHY HORN
I’ve always been drawn to old cars as subject matter, but what made this different was the fact that most of the old cars were an integral part of people’s everyday lives. I see old cars in America fairly regularly, but most of the time they are either abandoned in a field or they are owned by affluent collectors or hobbyists with a passion for the old beasts. In Cuba they are owned by average families, and used everyday as transportation or to help them make a living in some way. Some of them are in beautiful condition, lovingly restored and maintained under challenging conditions. Others are kept running through makeshift repairs and reflect decades of wear and tear. All around the country they are seen in the context of people’s everyday lives — filled with a family of six, driving through Havana or parked on the street in front of a dusty grey building. ( I don’t think they have car shows in Cuba, at least not like the ones we’re used to seeing)
KIM ALEMIAN
WILLIAM B. HOYT
“There is a challenge and a joy in seeing something ineffably beautiful or moving and resolving to make a painting of it. The threads of the canvas, the sea, Vermont, family, friends, and Maine have woven themselves inextricably into my psyche and my work. Sometimes I go looking, often early in the morning or toward the end of the day, after the harsh light softens. Other times a subject recommends itself unsolicited with the realization that a painting is staring me in the face. No matter the motivation or the circumstance, to me painting is a kind of meditation, and that keeps me focused on the chosen subject.”
E D G E W A T E R A T T H E F A L L S
HOMER WELLS
Chatoyant is not a word that is often used to describe my work, but it is the most accurate. (Chatoyant: having a changeable luster of color, ie. like cats eye gemstone) Using micro engraving techniques I create a seemingly black and silver drawing that is created solely out of reflected and refracted light. There is no pigment or ink, only finely scratched metal. As you move toward the work, it subtlety changes. What was a dark shadow can become a dazzling reflection, depending on the angle of the reflected light. Then I apply translucent colors to warm and soften the drawing. Although, at times I let accident and imagination lead me in the creation of my paintings, I feel ready to explore in a more detailed and representational style the subtle beauty of the Vermont landscape and sky scape near my home in Monkton in Vermont.
PHILIP FREY
Painting is a direct, non-conceptual process. My work is about the painting itself: color, light, surface, brushstroke, shape, movement and how all of those elements fit together on the canvas. I am inspired by a feeling, a connection to my everyday experience: evocative color; unexpected light; and fleeting gestures. Perceptions are the inspiration. The real juice behind my work is the act of painting. It’s about the here and now.
When a painting is going well, I experience a palpable feeling of being in the groove, an experience of being present. Many artists, writers, musicians, and athletes also experience this state of being, where one is not overtly thinking about what came before, or what is to come. Essentially, in those carefree, clear and joyful moments, there is ‘no painter’ and ‘no painting.’
I have no hidden agenda, other than the painting itself. I invite you, the viewer, to feel and experience this curious interplay. As Fairfield Porter suggests, “by the process of painting…the person who looks at it, gets it vicariously.”
WOODY JACKSON
I have been painting the dairy farms and their cows of the Champlain Valley for over forty years. I have my favorite herds, barns and landscapes that I return to often. Maybe similar to Monet’s haystacks, no two turn out the same . I think my new pieces rework a familiar view with an entirely new take, a different palette or a new mood and different combinations of colors and brush strokes. I am still learning and still intrigued and inspired by my Vermont homeland. My Vermont landscape is filled with old memories as well as present impressions.