Currently on view at the prestigious Salmagundi Club in New York City, is an exciting exhibition of works for sale to benefit the artists and the Salmagundi Club Library. Titled From a Distance: A Salmagundi Club Library Exhibition of Plein Air Paintings,visitors can expect to see over 70 plein air paintings by 36 artists, “offering a glimpse into a vital part of the artistic process: building a relationship between the artist and nature,” says curator and junior scholarship member, Eric Lei.
Gabriela Nighan, My Neighbor’s Windowsills, oil on ACM panel, 7 x 7"
Lei continues to explain that “From a Distance is a curated exhibition of plein air paintings by contemporary realist artists. Featuring a variety of sensibilities from romanticism to impressionism, the work is united by its modest scale and high degree of craftsmanship. This is a great opportunity for discerning collectors to acquire work by emerging artists.”
Artist Emmanuel Navarro, a San Juan, Puerto Rico-based artist, presents work that illustrates his passion for learning from nature and the scarcity of plein air painters in his home country. “This creates a drive to go out and start composing and creating references outdoors, of which I can use for later works and even create an archive that documents the changing of the seasons in Puerto Rico,” says Navarro.
Emmanuel Navarro, Fin de Verano, oil, 17 x 11"
The artist also notes that his exhibition piece Fin de Verano (End of Summer), is directly inspired by artists Marià Fortuny and Joaquín Sorolla. “This is a close study on the direct light effects of a tropical summer sun of late August,” Navarro says. “This painting, as well as others, was created in the garden of Casa Blanca, the oldest residence built by the Spaniards in Old San Juan, and therefore the second oldest property built by Europeans in Puerto Rico and the third in the Americas…”
For artist Gabriela Nighan, her plein air work is about translating her experience with nature rather than copying what she sees, or a feeling she gets when standing in the middle of a space. “My inspiration is simply the supreme creative intelligence of nature,” she says. “I feel more alive because of plein air painting. The more I paint nature, the more I notice and want to pay reverence to her infinite colors, moods and weather. Nature has a lot to say. By painting her I feel more connected with the beauty and unity of everything.”
Carson Rauschenberg, Empty Field on Solstice, oil on linen, 6 x 8"
Nighan’s show piece My Neighbor’s Windowsills incorporates the artist’s time spent in northeastern Colombia on and off for the past few years, and her current infatuation with depicting mood. “The walls of all the houses are white, and the doors and windows often blue or green, and the light bounces around in a way that just makes you feel things,” Nighan explains. “The morning light used to bounce off the cobblestone street into windowsills of my neighbor’s house. At the time, I knew nothing about plein air painting but felt so drawn to that street behind my neighbor’s house...I’d like to paint it at different seasons of my life and see how my feeling changes.”
Tessa Tallakson, Fairfield Farm Sketch, oil, 7 x 11"
The exhibition remains on display in the Salmagundi Club Library through March 29, and will include equally stunning works by artists like Carson Rauschenberg, Chelsea Bard, Patrick Okrasinski, Edward Minoff, Kyle Ma, Tyler Berry and Lauren Sansaricq, to name just a few. —
Salmagundi Club 47 5th Avenue • New York, NY 10003 • (212) 255-7740 • www.salmagundi.org
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