To close out 2023, Susan Powell Fine Art is pulling out all the stops for the gallery’s annual holiday show, which will feature 75 oil paintings and pastels by 36 award-winning artists. On view from December 1 through January 28, 2024, will be large and small-scale works by artists that include Kathy Anderson, Carol Arnold, Del-Bourree Bach, Julie Beck, Peter Bergeron, Zufar Bikbov, Grace DeVito, Tina Figarelli, Vincent Giarrano, Neal Hughes, Tom Hughes, Susan Lyon, Anne McGrory, Cora Ogden, Larry Preston, Cindy Procious, Andrew Sjodin, Kyle Stuckey, Jeanne Rosier Smith, Katie Swatland and Laura Westlake.
Grace DeVito, Cotton and Yellow Lanterns in Glass Globe, oil, 16 x 16"
Cora Ogden, The Nest, oil on linen, 20 x 28"
“This is one of our most popular shows and offers the highest quality of contemporary realism art,” says gallerist Susan Powell. “Whether you’re giving to a loved one or treating yourself, the upcoming show is filled with a variety of styles and subject matter including still lifes, landscapes, seascapes, avian art, florals, trompe l’oeil and figurative works.” Figarelli’s And She Shall Appearis the artist’s reinterpretation of the idiom, “Speak of the Devil, and he shall appear.” “When making this painting, I was interested in creating a narrative of having the roles reversed—where the woman is depicted as ‘the Devil,’ luring a hesitant man with her sweet words whispered in his ear,” explains Figarelli. “The idea was similar to how sirens were said to lure sailors to their deaths at sea. I used myself as a model, and my fiancé kindly stood in as my hesitant victim.” When creating her still lifes DeVito aims to create a flow that guides the eye around the composition. “I’m usually looking at the set-up with value patterns in mind first,” she says. “Edges also play a key role in whether your eye will linger or move along. I can’t forget color either—a pop of something chromatic in the right spot will make it all sing.”
Tina Figarelli, And She Shall Appear, oil on panel 16 x 20"The challenge and the inspiration for Cotton and Yellow Lanterns in Glass Globe lay in capturing the different textures and shapes of the fluffy cotton, the papery lanterns and the hard glass.
Nests are a recurring subject in Ogden’s art, in part as homage to the artistry of birds and for their symbolism of home, safe havens and new beginnings. “Nests often hold details that are not just functional, but also seem to be deliberate decorative choices,” she says. “So I underlaid my nest with gold leaf and placed it in strong sunlight to enhance the sparkle and glow of delicately woven twigs and grasses. The two nestled eggs vibrate ever so slightly in anticipation.”
Jeanne Rosier Smith, To the Brink, pastel, 12 x 36"
Andrew Sjodin, Three Peonies, oil on panel, 10 x 14"
In her pastel To the Brink, Rosier Smith returns to one of her favorite subjects—the primal force of the sea. “This painting was a wonderful challenge for me,” she says. “While painting it, I felt lost and literally had to ‘go with the flow’, and trust my eyes and instincts, follow abstract shapes and see where they brought me.” Rosier Smith was right to follow her intuition. The piece won the Salmagundi Club award at the 2023 Pastel Society of America’s national exhibition Enduring Brilliance, earning her the distinction of master pastelist.
Larry Preston, Limoncello, oil on panel, 12 x 16"
While Sjodin—perhaps best-known for lush landscapes that verge on magical realism—was in art school, and for a hand-full of years thereafter, he spent summers in Homer, Alaska, where he worked long hours six days a week. “On my day off I would sometimes get peonies from the local flower farm and spend the day painting them,” he says of the inspiration behind his show piece, Three Peonies. “I was able to paint so little during those summers. These peony paintings were something of a refuge for me.” —
Susan Powell Fine Art 679 Boston Post Road Madison, CT 06443 • (203) 318-0616 www.susanpowellfineart.com
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