Having been an ardent supporter of contemporary representational art since the early 1990s, stretching the spectrum from the hyperreal to the nearly abstract, I’m happy to introduce this special section on modern art, which we’re defining as encompassing “any painting or sculpture that toys with the edge of the representational all the way into the realm of the purely abstract.”
Several decades before taking up the banner of “realist” art, I worked at what was then the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York, which has an extraordinary collection of 20th century non-objective art assembled primarily by two gifted and insightful men, the benefactor Seymour Knox and the museum’s then director Gordon Smith and his successors.
NüArt Gallery, Customs of the Country, acrylic on wood, 48 x 56", by Peter StephensI have to admit that in the beginning I didn’t “get it.” I sat in front of the art, studied, met the artists and asked countless questions of our associate director, Jim Wood, who would go on to head the Art Institute of Chicago and later, the J. Paul Getty Trust. I came to understand modern art’s place in history, its roots and its ability to expand awareness and expression.
When I was in Buffalo, I knew of Peter Stephens but we had never met until he had an exhibition here in Santa Fe last November. I had, however, included one of his paintings inspired by the photographer Eugène Atget in an exhibition at the Arnot Art Museum in Elmira, New York. His work at that time was a “look at the way nostalgia and romanticism is codified through an overlay of historical and cultural distance.” Since then, he has explored the science of pattern inspired by the “fundamental forces of nature.”
Top: Winfield Gallery, Untitled, acrylic on canvas board, 30 x 24" by Christopher Winfield; Carrie Haddad Gallery, When the Tide Goes Out, oil on canvas, 60 x 54", by Jenny Nelson. Bottom: GF Contemporary, Origines Ocean Key 7, mahogany, 48 x 158", by Pascal Piermé; GF Contemporary, Geobody Key 33, mixed media, 16 x 16", by Pascal Piermé.
He writes, “This interest in the science of the natural world led me to read deeply into the physics behind mechanisms of pattern generation. My painting language is based in these wonderments of systems and outcomes and the mathematics that describe them.“These new paintings take form with an underlying grid of commercial paint sample cards. This allows me a spontaneous, interchangeable surface to explore color relationships and interactions within given parameters. The layers of acrylic matrix elements come next, all handwork applied line by line. As with numbers in equations, the quantities, sequences, repetitions and rhythms all contribute to a rich optical blend of color combinations. A given set of colors results in an exponential number of different perceptions. Along with these pure abstractions of form and color come cultural references to histories of art and design with immediate associations to sumptuous textiles and complex architectural mosaics.”
33 Contemporary, Island, oil on panel, 12 x 12", by Terry Strickland
His painting, Customs of the Country, is mesmerizing, inviting the quiet contemplation of color and line, not as phenomena to be understood but to be enjoyed for what they are.Chris Winfield operates his eponymous art gallery in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, exhibiting some of the finest representational art. He is also a painter, early-on producing figurative work. Later, he evolved into creating geometric abstractions inspired by artists like Hans Hofman and Josef Albers, but also Tibetan and Indian tantric art and artists he calls the “true masters of light—Mark Rothko and James Turrell.”
Laura Pollak, Inner Reflection, pastel on archival panel, 24 x 18"
Geometry implies solidity or crisp outlines. Winfield, however, builds up layers of translucent paint to give the shapes themselves a pulsing vitality. He explains, “Using a vocabulary of geometric shapes and pattern, which being painted freehanded, sanded and built with thin layers of color gain an organic precision yet, are not rigid. The use of small colored edges helps the shapes breathe and separate themselves from the background spaces.“It is in this shallow meditative space walls are felt to be real yet never physically solid. I’m hoping to include the viewer in a space that is at once both active and completely silent and frozen in time.”
33 Contemporary, Free Space II, oil on canvas, 55 x 39", by Yunior Hurtado Torres.
Resembling the surface richness of Rothko, the orange panel in Untitled, seeps, as it were, beyond its borders and influences the colors of the adjacent stripes.
Jenny Nelson studied classical drawing at Bard College where she learned the power of line in life drawing classes. She continued drawing from the model after her schooling and as she evolved into creating abstractions from the negative spaces she discovered in her drawings, the love of line continued to be important to her.
Laura Pollak, Continuum, pastel on archival panel, 24 x 18"
She comments, “My work has always been anchored in drawing…I apply paint in layers using palette knives, brushes and oil sticks. I initially draw loose gestures and a variety of spontaneous marks. Often, traces of previous layers remain visible, allowing colors to interact in ways I could not have anticipated…This way of layering, adding and subtracting, creates a history on the canvas. Shapes have a story to tell. Lines that have been obliterated and resurrected over and over again have an emotional charge. This process that started as a wild party ends up as a contemplative, carefully edited composition, involving precise modifications, while hopefully leaving the life force intact.”
When the Tide Goes Out, is a record of the process of its making—the life force remaining intact. Quietly observing how colors change when overlayed or juxtaposed, how lines build up and recede, and how forms relate to one another can be a rewarding exercise in looking and seeing.
Top: Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach, Loop Vase, ceramics, 20 x 17 x 15½", by Fred Stodder; 33 Contemporary, Sally Rugg, oil on canvas, 40 x 40", by Kim Leutwyler; Peterson Contemporary Art, Bluebirds, oil, 60 x 60", by Scott Switzer. Bottom: Peterson Contemporary Art, This Beautiful Mystery, mixed media, 48 x 36", by Rebecca Haines; GF Contemporary, Grande Tatoume 1, steel, 71 x 51 x 21" by Pascal Piermé; Peterson Contemporary Art, Medicine Jar, bronze, ed. 12, 15 x 6 x 6", by William Morris.
Through the remainder of this section, artists, galleries and art event organizers sharing insights into the genre of modern art.
A highlight of GF Contemporary’s impressive roster of modern artists is French-born abstract sculptor Pascal Piermé. Now living in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Piermé uses wood and metal, dyes, stains, patinas to balance geometric abstraction with organic form. His range of abstract meditations seems to arise directly from the material itself, rather than from a conscious plan. Working with a variety of precious woods, Piermé creates sculptures and wall reliefs that express the texture, aroma and strength of each. This year he releases his first monograph in conjunction with GF Contemporary, spanning the three decades he has mastered his craft.
MARLOWE, Porto Blanco, dimensional mixed media, 30 x 40"
“Regardless of your aesthetic, Pascal’s work has in it a universal language that connects with all,” says gallery owner Deborah Fritz. “I always say good art makes you feel and Pascal’s work does just that.”
Peterson Contemporary Art, located in Bend, Oregon, showcases modern artists in the U.S. and abroad working across all different kinds of mediums and influences. Showcased here are painter Scott Switzer, sculptor William Morris and mixed media artist Rebecca Haines.
Lara Restelli, Agates in a Jar, oil on canvas, 30 x 40"
“We have found that there are so many ways in which individuals can express themselves under the modern art umbrella,” says gallery owner Jim Peterson. “At Peterson Contemporary Art we are now representing roughly 40 artists from across the United States who each bring something unique and special to the mix. Some lean more representational with strong modern characteristics, such as clean lines or abbreviated information, and others are presenting ideas in the abstract. As a gallery, we are looking to address the market in a forward-thinking manner and provide our modern art collectors with many diverse options.”
When Laura Pollak steps in front of the easel, she brings a set of emotions that she wishes to convey. “Besides trying to evoke a feeling, there’s always a hope of creating visual delight and a bit of magic or mystery,” she says. For Pollak, her piece Exciting News has the feeling of opening an envelope with great anticipation—like receiving a college acceptance letter. “Inner Reflection reminds me that what I see reflected on a shiny surface is not always what others see,” she says. “[Although] gleaming on the outside, there can be inner tensions.” Continuum was inspired by the mobius strip—“an endless and infinite surface that turns in on itself. Much like life itself. “Creating a piece of art is only part of the process. You, the viewer, [and hopefully collector], completes the story, by bringing your own interpretation to the narrative and making it your own, thereby closing the circle.”
Britten, Salutation—Honoring the Mystery, mixed media, 30 x 50"
Chicago’s 33 Contemporary represents many cutting edge artists who push the boundaries of realism into the abstract. Kim Leutwyler creates paintings of LGBTQ+ identified and allied people. Her work toys with the concepts of glorification, objectification and modification. Leutwyler enjoys using historical norms of portraiture to upend heterosexual norms of identity and sexuality. The artist explores the boundaries between realism and abstraction as a subtle vernacular to portray the fluidity and complexities of Queer identity. Throughout these works she pushes and pulls the boundary between realism and abstraction, highlighting the layers and complexity of identity, gender and beauty.
Leila Pinto, Sea Mist, mixed media on canvas, 24 x 18"
Yunior Hurtado Torres, another 33 Contemporary artist, is interested in shapes and the figurative, with the human as the center, surrounded by all that affects them. “The individual as a social entity that interacts with everything that surrounds him, vulnerable to the influences of his sociocultural environment,” says the artist. “I am interested in emphasizing moments of the biological behavior of the human being, questioning what we are, where we come from, think and feel…Everything that surrounds us affects us, says that we are, who we are and where we come from to make us more human.”
Since 1932, the Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach has developed full and enriching art opportunities that have helped establish the coastal California city’s reputation as an art destination. A professionally juried art show, the Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach features 120 diverse Orange County artists working across a vast array of mediums in styles that range from traditional to highly contemporary and abstract. The festival celebrates its 90th anniversary this year from July 5 through September 1.
Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach, Visual Poetry, acrylic on cradled birch wood panel, 24 x 24", by Isabelle Alessandra
Among the many talented festival artists is abstract painter Isabelle Alessandra. “I’m drawn to creating feelings in my work rather than recognizable things,” says Alessandra. “I love color and the beautiful ways that geometric shapes can contrast with loose, graceful lines and interesting marks.” Ceramicist Fred Stodder has also been juried into the Festival of Arts for his vibrant sculptural works that are glossy as glass. “I sense color and shapes harmonizing in an almost musical context,” he says. “And I try to bring together separate elements in ways unrelated to previous thinking.” Kate Cohen, another festival artist, says of the piece featured here, “The intention of my body of work titled The Dance of the Doodle, is for the viewer to discover the purity of line, color and form. As these elements intersect, a conversation happens. They talk to each other and giggle. Perhaps you will too.”
Lara Restelli, Caramelera, oil on canvas, 30 x 40"
Precious stones found a way into Lara Restelli’s life and taught her about simplicity and beauty. “Since then, I’ve been fascinated by them, learning and admiring their power and properties so much that I turned them into my primary subject matter,” says the artist. “I chose to use their colors and form as the foundation of my compositions. As a result, I paint larger-than-life, realistic paintings of rocks, gems and crystals. The sole purpose of my work is to convey the serenity and joy I feel when I paint them.”
Her new series, Everybody Needs a Rock, explores their endless characteristics and honors their story.
Top: Laura Pollak, Exciting News, pastel on archival panel, 16 x 20"; Britten, Usher—Conducting Change, mixed media, 60 x 60". Bottom: Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach, Hello Boo, acrylic, ink and oil pastel on archival paper, 22 x 29½", by Kate Cohen; MARLOWE, Boulevard Arbre, dimensional mixed media, 40 x 30"; MARLOWE, Vogue 1929, dimensional mixed media, 40 x 30"
MARLOWE finds inspiration in the bygone era of the 1930s art deco era. “The outrageous colors, striking poses and soft lines are what I put into every canvas,” the artist says. “My color palette is dense, saturated and bold. Even the papers used in that era have a texture and richness in them which I recreate using handmade papers from all over the world. But the final topping is the dimensionality. The main image in all my art is slightly raised off the background so when ambient light hits the art, a natural soft-cast shadow makes the creation spring to life and jump off the canvas.” His advice to collectors? “Look for art that ‘grabs you by the lapels’ with color, style, elegance and boldness and brings you back to an era that will not pass this way again.”
Leila Pinto, Towards Positive Change, mixed media on canvas, 48 x 36"
“I can’t always say what I paint, yet I can feel it and it’s a feeling I would like to share with others…flowing naturally in the moment is the path I take,” says artist Britten. “What emerges is an authentic homage to an emotion, a shift in perception or mystery I may never understand. Perhaps the feeling resonates with the viewer, inviting them to a forgotten place within, a personal sanctuary where anything is possible, or a world of non-judgement and unity.” For Britten, the beauty in contemporary art is “presence—documenting the present moment and more importantly, taking a breath, being present and open to experience a new reflection in art. It’s an opportunity for evolution, insight and connection to humanity now through the universal and extremely potent language of feeling.”
Leila Pinto, Blue Lagoon, mixed media on panel, 18 x 24"
Leila Pinto is a classically trained New York artist whose paintings have been in many juried art shows, shown in galleries, received awards, published and even displayed on a grand scale on the Jumbotron in Times Square. Pinto is also a trailblazer in new digital technologies in art and has her own gallery in the Metaverse. Her artistic aesthetic is inspired by nature as well as her Wall Street career as a senior professional in finance. “The process of creating art and viewing art allows us to process and connect to a universal experience,” says the artist. “My Wall Street series was a visceral response to events that dominated the headlines. By exploring those and other world events through the lens of a painter, I try to express my understanding of it and to document and record that moment in time.”
Featured Artists & Galleries
33 Contemporary
Zhou B Art Center
1029 W. 35th Street
Chicago, IL 60609
(708) 837-4534
www.33contemporary.com
Britten
Edwards, Colorado
www.studiobritten.com
Carrie Haddad Gallery
622 Warren Street
Hudson, NY 12534
(518) 828-1915
www.carriehaddadgallery.com
Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach
650 Laguna Canyon Road
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(800) 487-3378
hello@foapom.com
www.foapom.org
GF Contemporary
707 Canyon Road
Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 983-3707
www.gfcontemporary.com
Lara Restelli
1818 SW 1st Avenue, Suite #302
Miami, Fl 33139
artstudio@lararestelli.com
www.lararestelli.com
Laura Pollak
(336) 508-4729
laurapollak.artist@gmail.com
www.laurapollak.com
Leila Pinto
www.leilapinto.com
leila@leilapinto.com
Marlowe Mixed Media Dimensional Art
1243 Waterfall Way
Leland, NC 28451
(203) 913.3395
creativeuber@gmail.com
www.marloweart.weebly.com
NüArt Gallery
670 Canyon Road
Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 988-3888
www.nuartgallery.com
Peterson Contemporary Art
550 NW Franklin Avenue
Bend, OR 97703
(541) 633-7148
www.pcagallery.com
Winfield Gallery
Dolores between Ocean & 7th
Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA, 93923
(831) 624-3369
www.winfieldgallery.com —
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