Gary Petersen Interviewed in NY ARTS

Gary Petersen // The Things I Miss // 2011 // 20 x 16″ // Acrylic and Oil on masonite panel

Gary Petersen // Untitled (purple) // 2010 // 16 x 12″ // Acrylic and Oil on masonite panel

Represented artist Gary Petersen is interviewed by painter Amanda Church in this NYArts Magazine article.

What influences me—well, life! Primarily nature, biology, architecture, and my personal life influence me. The ups and downs we all deal with in our lives, like parents aging and then dying. Sometimes you gain perspective on your work only after the fact. I often think the “ghosting,” the pentimenti, in some of my recent work, relates to the years I had to deal with my mother’s dementia before she died.  But my work does not “abstract” from nature, it is just that all these things are in you and if you are in touch with these memories they do come out in the work.
- Gary Petersen

Read more from the article here, and visit the Mindy Solomon Gallery website to view more of Gary Petersen’s work.

Abstract, Playful Expressionism in the Hamptons

Mindy Solomon Gallery will be presenting the work of several dynamic and inspired artists working in the genre of non-objective art, as well as a grouping of colorful European narrative expressionist works at the upcoming Art MRKT Hamptons and Art Southampton.

artMRKT Hamptons
July 19-22, 2012 // Booth 211

Art Mrkt Hamptons will feature the work of: Gary Petersen, Erin Parish, David Hicks, William Pachner and John Held, Jr. Each of the participating artists has a vibrancy and energy that is connected to their unique artistic perspectives.

Gary Petersen // Together // 2009 // 56 x 40 inches // Oil on canvas

Gary Petersen, an abstract painter that combines references to constructivism with an irreverent dayglow palette states: “My longtime interest in early 20th century abstraction and the notion of the ‘cosmic’ merges with a California/pop sensibility. What develops is a way for abstract painting to still be engaging. “

John Held Jr. // Forest Hatch // 2011 // 29 1/4 x 47 inches // Oil on paper

New to the gallery, San Francisco artist John Held, Jr. also embraces a flurry of color and line that speaks to his long time scholarly interest in the FLUXES and DADA movements of the 1960’s. The repetitious use of cross hatching and bold color serve as an homage to the indefinable nature of FLUXUS art, infused with humor and visual energy. Held describes the works as wall cloths, often layering them over multiple surfaces to create a completely altered environment.

Erin Parish // River at High Sun // 2012 // 47 1/2 x 47 1/2 inches // Oil and resin on wood panel

Miami based painter Erin Parish also utilizes color to create a sense of space and time. Her ethereal meditative surfaces remind one of the interplay of light and water creating a connectedness with spiritually and personal reflection.

David Hicks // Flora (Yellow) // 2012 // Glazed ceramics

David Hicks also embraces the interaction of multiple layers of color. Hicks’ organically inspired sculptural forms are a breeding ground for highly pigmented diversity. Alchemistically inclined, Hicks boldly fires layer upon layer of glaze on his forms-creating a wonderful marriage between two and three dimensional art.

William Pachner // The Forrest // 1961 // Oil on canvas

The work presented by William Pachner is completely contemporary in appearance though it was created during the height of the abstract expressionist movement in the early 1960’s. His incredible brush work and inspired use of color combined with angst driven urgency create work that is timeless and authentic.

art southampton
July 26-30, 2012 // VIP Preview July 26 // Booth AS24 

James Kennedy // Bay Rigger Blue // 2012 // 40 x 40 inches // Mixed media on incised masonite

Our program at Art Southampton will also feature paintings by William Pachner. Additionally, we will be showing the work of James Kennedy, a New York based painter. Kennedy’s lyrical tonal compositions speak to a mid-century modern vibe, while existing firmly in the contemporary milieu.

Georgine Ingold // Outside Luzerne // 2011 // 11 x 15 inches // Oil on canvas

Swiss artist Georgine Ingold brings a rich, painterly aesthetic to the program. Ingolds’ works are characterized by expressive brush marks showing visible evidence of the process of creating the painting. Her surfaces demonstrate a wonderful use of light to convey space and time.

Karin Karinson Nilsson // Playing the Dream Out of Her // 2011 // 6 x 6 inches // Readymades, glaze, clay, glass

European artist Karin Karinson Nilsson demonstrates a flair for color, surface and texture. Her porcelain mixed media assemblages entice the viewer with an air of familiarity that is created from the use of found objects and figurines. These materials are completely reinvented and fresh in presentation, dripping with color from the molten glass and glaze that holds the newly minted sculpture together.

The Mindy Solomon Gallery is proud to be presenting the work of emerging, mid-career and established artists who present a fresh and colorful perspective in the contemporary marketplace.

Art Mrkt Hamptons

Mindy Solomon Gallery will be heading to the Hamptons at the end of this month for two upcoming art fairs. ArtMRKT Hamptons takes place July 19-22, 2012 at the Bridgehampton Historical Society Grounds on Montauk Highway.

Represented artists William Pachner, David Hicks, Erin Parish, John Held, and Gary Peterson will be showcased. For more information on ArtMRKT Hamptons, visit their website.

Erin Parish

Gary Peterson

Hang around to visit us the following week July 26-30 at the Art Southampton fair. Read more here, and visit their site for more details.

And if you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for our newsletters to receive special information and invitations to many of our events and participating fairs! You can find the sign up bar on the top right corner of any page on our website.

SCOPE Basel 2012 // Wrap

SCOPE Basel 2012 was a great success. Mindy spent time in Switzerland with represented artist Georgine Ingold, made many new contacts, and was one of 80 cutting-edge contemporary galleries on site from around the world. The sixth annual show was held from June 12-17 in the historic Kaserne venue, running concurrent with and just blocks away from Art Basel.

In case you missed it, three Generic Art Solutions (GAS) videos were featured at the show this year, you can view them all and read up about them here. View a few more photos of the Mindy Solomon Gallery booth on our facebook page. You can even check out a 360 degree view of the SCOPE Basel venue here (how cool is that?)

Organic Inhabitants

The Creature Comforts of David Hicks and Patricia Sannit
Mindy Solomon Gallery | July 14 – September 8
Opening Reception with the Artists | July 14, 6-8:30 PM
Artist Talk with David Hicks and Patricia Sannit | July 14, 6:30 PM

I tried to use the questions and answers as an armature on which to build a sculpture of genuine conversation.
                   - Clifton Fadiman

Both David Hicks and Patricia Sannit work with an earthen material as a means to convey a relationship to the organic and historical world through hand-worked sculptural forms. A sense of familiarity, as well as structural integrity, unite these two diverse artists.

Above: David Hicks | L: Flora (Emerald Milk), R: Flora (Yellow)

David Hicks grew up amongst the farmlands in Valencia, California. His early interest in agriculture stimulated his desire to create forms that speak to both growth and sustainability. As an emerging artist, he explores the physical aspects of materials: hand-built slab and coiled forms with unctuous drippy glazes. Hicks’ juxtaposes terra cotta earthenware clays against a multitude of colors and layers-gold metallic shrouding burnt orange create a dynamic visual exchange. The shapes and conceptual references can be found in the fields surrounding his immediate environment in North Carolina, where he now resides. He has a fundamental understanding of place.

Above: Patricia Sannit

With an abiding love of archeology, Patricia Sannit explores the development and transmission of culture through time and across distance; she is interested in the sameness and continuity of peoples worldwide.  The rhythms of everyday activities merge into a thing of beauty and at the same time capture the fleeting moments of daily life.  Clay, with its inherent tactile qualities, leaves the evidence of its maker while imparting the beauty of life itself. Sannit’s works are a testament to how contemporary art can create a new pathway to something archaic and powerful.

Organic Inhabitants will be a show that not only occupies space, but informs and enhances in a three dimensional conversation. For more information, visit the Mindy Solomon Gallery Exhibition page.

Christopher Torrez awarded for “Astral Mountain”

One of only 12 works to be selected worldwide, amongst thousands of submittals and a record number of institutions who submitted works, Mindy Solomon Gallery artist Christopher Torrez was awarded the International Sculpture Center’s 2012 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award.

Christopher Torrez, “Astral Mountain”

The International Sculpture Center (ISC) established the annual award program in 1994 to recognize and encourage young sculptors in their continued commitment to the field. The distinguished jurors included Donna Dennis, Winifred Lutz and Joseph Becherer.

The 12 award recipients will participate in the Grounds For Sculpture (GFS) Fall/Winter Exhibition, on view October 20, 2012 – April 7, 2013 in Hamilton, New Jersey. Keep an eye out for Torrez’s feature article in the October 2012 Sculpture magazine.