After 26 years in the same New York City location, Rehs Galleries moved its contemporary and historic collections to a new gallery space two blocks south on West 55th Street, right around the corner from MOMA. This October, Rehs will take full advantage of the 6,600 square feet—more than double the size of their previous gallery—open ceilings and state-of-the-art lighting, by hosting a group show of equal magnitude.
Ken Salaz, For the Times of Remembrance, oil on canvas on panel, 11 x 14"
The Seasons: Exploring Nature’s Palette will showcase 40 new landscapes by 12-plus artists in their impressive roster.
Among them is Andrew Orr, whose lush, glowing landscapes verge on magical realism. His piece A Summer View to Middlesex Notch, Vermont,with its tapering trail of Queen Anne’s Lace, undulating hills and hazy blue sky, is an ode to late summer in the northeasatern state. For Orr, “There is poetry in the natural world; the way a tree branch has weight as it comes down from the tree, just barely touching the ground and coming back up again, the way tall summer grasses can glimmer in bright sunshine or even the way water moves in a shallow river in late summer. My love for the natural world and the never ending task of trying to see, understand and replicate the poetry of the natural world is what drives me as an artist but also a love of painting landscapes.”
Andrew Orr, A Summer View to Middlesex Notch, Vermont, oil on panel, 9 x 12"
A scene has to evoke a sense of wonder for Ken Salaz to choose to paint it, as in For the Times of Remembrance, which captures an evening walk home through the fields of Upstate New York. “The golden rays of the sun were dancing across the tops of the grasses and it stopped me in my tracks,” says Salaz. “It is a moment in time that invites reflection to the most important moments in our lives when everything has meaning and importance…that every moment matters and every person, living or dead, in our lives can come flooding back to us in our memories.” Gail Descoeurs “grew up a child of nature” and has always felt a spiritual connection to the natural world, where she feels most at peace and “connected in awe and wonder.” It is her goal to paint not only what she sees but how she feels. Fade Into You is a picture of pure serenity and was inspired by a remote lake in northern Quebec that requires some effort to get to. “There is no electricity, no services, just wilderness,” she says. “The quietude of this lake is so profoundly deep. I just love this lake, moreover the feeling there. I emphasized the isolation and calm by deepening the water color, allowing the viewer to enjoy fading in the calmness, away from the denizens of the urban world.”
Ryan Brown, Natural Springs, oil on canvas, 18 x 19"
New Englander Sally Swatland loves the smell of the water and the sound of waves, and she translates those sensory pleasures into impressionistic beach scenes like By the Seaside. “Paintings of the seaside are so peaceful and serene,” says Swatland. “I love the beautiful contrasts on a sunny day. The colors are constantly changing. Sometimes the sea is dark blue, and other times aqua. Mornings are calm and the water is silvery blue. It’s a very joyful place to be.”
Gail Descoeurs, Fade Into You, oil, 30 x 40"
D. Eleinne Basa’s Morning on the River, a misty, dim rendering with an almost palpable hush, is more solemn in tone. “The drama of low light effects is always a draw for me,” says Basa. “This painting is a familiar scene in the Chesapeake area of Maryland. I always love the tranquility of that shoreline and I have done several renditions of it. The pathway is invented; I thought it would add an interesting element to the scene.”
D. Eleinne Basa, Morning on the River, oil on linen, 17 x 30"
When choosing a subject for a landscape painting, Ryan Brown likes to think about what brought him to that particular place, and what made him want to pause and reflect in front of that scene. “It has to be a scene that would make me stop and live completely in the moment,” says Brown, whose piece Natural Springs highlights the cloud formations in a big Western sky. “I’ve always loved being in nature and been amazed by its beauty and endless variety. I think the beauty of landscapes as a subject matter in art is that it has no boundaries in terms of its ability to communicate to viewers from all backgrounds. In my landscape paintings, I hope to offer the viewers an escape, a moment to pause and reflect.”
Sally Swatland, By the Seaside, oil on panel, 16 x 20"
An opening reception for The Seasons: Exploring Nature’s Palette will be held October 5 from 4 to 8 p.m. The show will be on view through October 31. —
Rehs Contemporary 20 W. 55th Street, 5th Floor New York, NY 10019 • (212) 355-5710 • www.rehs.com
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