A Place of Refuge

Collector's Focus: Interiors

Introduction By John O’Hern

The architect and designer Michael Graves (1934-2015) wrote, “Views are overrated; it’s light that counts. I have an apartment in Miami’s South Beach, and I get tired of looking at the ocean. Even that view gets old after a while. Sunlight streaming into a room—it never gets old.”

Gary Akers captures Graves’ dilemma in his painting Morning Sail. Because of the title, the eye seeks out the sailboat in the lower left quadrant of the window but immediately shifts inside to the extraordinary sunlight and shadows splayed abstractly across the white cloth. Akers, who lives in Kentucky, spends the summers on the coast of Maine. He first went to Maine in 1976 on a Greenshields Foundation Grant to study the egg tempera paintings of Robert Vickrey and Andrew Wyeth.Rice Polak Gallery, Aloft, oil on panel, 28 x 22", by Nick PattenI first went to Maine a few years before that and lived in a summer cottage on Bailey Island that, mercifully, had a giant wood stove. I would walk down to the dock to buy a lobster, fill a bucket with saltwater and return to the cottage for dinner. The clear Maine sunlight reflecting off the water filled the little cottage, changing throughout the day.

Nick Patten paints a city loft with sunlight streaming through the tall windows, illuminating the contemporary interventions into the once bustling space. Where Ackers allows the light to be the subject, Patten depicts its effects. He says, “Light and dark is a primary focus of my painting, with particular attention to brushstroke and gradation in the darkest areas. Through working from photographs with the aim of creating believable paintings, I strive to bring a quiet drama to everyday scenes.”Hope B. Reis, Listening, oil on linen, 16 x 20"

He continues, “My paintings are never intended to be ‘photographic.’ In part, my aim is to make paintings where the content of the image is most compelling, and how the painting was made is secondary. In a sense, attempting to make the work exceed the medium, my goal is to be able to paint what I want to see.”

Jacqueline Boyd paints the geometry of the space in her painting Upstairs. The soft light allows the eye and the mind to wander and to contemplate what she calls the “sacredness of space.” She says, “My style of painting evokes reality but breaks from it at the same time. The subject is a starting point. Places and spaces are recognizable but often merged or combined to form something more felt than an actual depiction of a place or a space.”Clockwise from top left: Gary-Lynn Galleries, Inc., Morning Sail, egg tempera and watercolor on paper,
22¼ x 15¼", by Gary Akers; Stanek Gallery, Upstairs, oil on canvas, 27 x 24", by Jacqueline Boyd; Hope B. Reis, The Turquoise Shawl, oil on linen, 18 x 14"; Hope B. Reis, Betsy’s Living Room, oil on linen panel, 14 x 20"Sunlight, whether streaming or softly illuminating, enlivens interior spaces, allowing them to be ideal spaces that architect Luis Barragán (1902-1988) said “must contain elements of magic, serenity, sorcery and mystery.”

In this special section, collectors can move through even more interior spaces that evoke comfort, quiet drama and even a little mystery.Lynn Christopher, Afternoon Light, oil on canvas, 11 x 14"

Romantic impressionist artist Hope B. Reis paints delicate interior scenes subdued with soft light. “Painting is a wonderful obsession, and it’s a continual quest to be able to say more with less,” she says. “Interiors mirror the people who live there, and I try to capture their spirit and life, even if they are not there anymore. Sometimes I include a figure but not necessarily.” Reis offers advice to collectors looking to add an interior piece to their collection: “Buying a painting of an interior should evoke a memory, a sense of place and way of life, and for me, many times that includes historic and architecturally important details.”Donald Yatomi, Laundromat 030, oil on canvas, 24 x 36"

Lynn Christopher is captivated by the simple moments she experiences throughout her day, “whether it be a glance down the hallway of my home, a peek into the bathroom, a glance through the window or the light wrapping itself around an open door. These moments are real and beautiful, intimate and fleeting.” She strives to capture each of these little moments in her artwork, reflecting a sense of stillness and quiet reflection that lingers long after the moment has passed. “My paintings are a celebration of the everyday that brings richness to our lives,” says Christopher, “especially now as we cocoon ourselves in our private worlds.” —