The Imogen Holloway Gallery sits on a side street off Saugerties' Main Street -- a little jewel box space filled with a variety of contemporary art that excites the senses. The latest exhibit, "From the Vault", features many of the artists who have been exhibited since the gallery opened in May 2012. This makes for a wonderful overview of Diane Dwyer's vision for the gallery that originally was to feature contemporary art with a focus on the abstract and the unusual. Diane has selected artists who "manifest a deep personal vision, fresh ideas and skillful control," and notes, "The vision for the gallery is definitely still evolving." However, it seems the gallery owner has hit her stride in selecting and featuring some of the top talented artists, both revered and emerging, from our region. The work of Gene Benson, a Boiceville artist, expresses his painterly view with color patterning of the surrounding mountains. The work "Tremper Mountain" may be small in size, but the presence of color and shapes is monumental, like the surrounding mountains. Bernie Reitemeyer's "Apple Blossoms" is a sweet view of the region's beautiful springtime, painted in naive style. "Sheltered Pair" is Charles Geiger's interpretation of a loving relationship, using his "quasi-botanical" style. The artist's intention "is to make paintings that are life-affirming and healing." Keiko Sono's "Suspended Carbon" is a meditative piece created with soot. The artist comments about her focus on using materials: "... the utter darkness of soot as a marking material, the thrill of the volatile process and the pleasure of designing patterns using simple arcs," which is seen in the glowing marks on the paper. Kari Gorden's Untitled encaustic and graphite on panels is similarly sensuous and earthy, and the intimate size invites the viewer to move in close to see details and smell the beeswax and resin of the encaustics. Matthew Magee's "Paragraph Two" is a sophisticated shimmering artwork utilizing aluminum strips, patterning and design. Joy Taylor's arresting window installation "Yes, It's Real" is an arrangement of push brooms in the gallery's street-facing windows. The luxuriously long bristles on the push brooms seem out of place until viewers realize the bristles are human hair. "These brooms express both ironic humor and tragedy to me," the artist said. In 1998, the Red Hook artist was awarded a Dutchess County Arts Council Fellowship for Installation Art and she has been commissioned to create numerous public works, such as the decorative vine and flower sculptures at the Peekskill Train Station. Imogen Holloway Gallery, 81 Partition St., Saugerties, will host a second opening March 7, from 6-9 p.m. during Saugerties' First Friday. Call 1-347-387-3212, visit www.IHGallery.com for more information. |