Lindsey Jameson, Black Beach, oil, 14 x 14"

Shows with fixed price points—in this case, all of the art is below $5,000—are popular among collectors because they encourage exploration with new artists, help attract new art buyers and encourage the practice of gift-giving, especially during the holidays. “Art is too beautiful not to share. It makes a wonderful gift, with an emotional and personal value that is both priceless and timeless,” says Joi Jackson Perle, RJD’s gallery director. “A gift of art elevates this shared experience that brings joy to both the giver and recipient.”

David Gluck, The Way Home, oil on panel, 14 x 11"

Among the works is Thomas’ The Blue Mountains, which shows a man in a suit with a dog in a somewhat formal portrait outdoors. “The Blue Mountains is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Jamaica. It is the largest mountain range on the island and it is home to several indigenous species of various plant life. Its history is one that is rich with the tapestry of Jamaica’s strife for freedom and independence and it has been a site of refuge to various groups of formerly enslaved people,” Thomas says of the work. “As our world evolves and our worries become even more complex and varied, and age-old problems take on new forms, with issues such as the climate crisis and its effects that will ravage small nation states such as Jamaica, we must take into consideration the preservation of such habitats. Urban expansion and the influx of new developments in Jamaica threatens the balance in its eco system. The convergence of a new middle class, pictured in the painting, along with the corresponding building boom must take into consideration the delicacy of urban planning and the maintenance of our eco balance. Ultimately, the Blue Mountains, both as symbols of exclusivity, biodiversity and historical refuge must be protected for our shared preservation.”

Tor-Arne Moen, The Smell of Coffee, egg oil tempera on canvas, 39¼ x 39¼"

Gluck will also be turning to landscapes for one of his pieces, The Way Home, which shows a large residence amid a building storm. “As a landscape painter, my work does not necessarily intend to reaffirm a specific place or time, but rather aims to create a unique otherworldly experience,” the artist says. “Through soft luminous colors, textures and dream-like compositions, I hope to create a sense of wonder and serenity for the viewer. I want to invite them into a space that may not be familiar, but is welcoming none the less.”

Phillip Thomas, The Blue Mountains, oil on canvas, 14½ x 14½"

Jameson will be showing a trio of works with strong female subjects in outdoor settings. One of them, Black Beach, shows a young woman, her hair gently blowing in the breeze in a coastal setting. “May was my great-great-grandmother. She was born into an aristocratic family in South Wales. She endured a miserable childhood, particularly at the hands of her abusive stepmother and, as a teenager, ran away to the North of England. As a result, she was disinherited and disowned by her father,” the artist says. “Black Beach is an imagined scene where May stands on a desolate beach contemplating her future which, unbeknownst to her, would be one of poverty and hardship.”

Grant Gilsdorf, Embers at Dusk, oil on ACM, 14 x 11"

One of Gilsdorf’s works is Embers at Dusk, one of his popular fire paintings. “Embers at Dusk depicts the last dying embers of a beachside bonfire ushering night into dawn,” he says. “This is a painting that urges the viewer to hold onto and savor those magical moments of perfect alchemy where beauty is both undeniably profound yet fleeting.

Mary Carroll, The Light of the World, graphite, ink and acrylic on toned Stonehenge paper, 14 x 11"

Moen will be bringing The Smell of Coffee, showing a picnic with five figures. The artist has discussed that his works often have an intergenerational theme, about children, parents and grandparents. “When you see these [figures], it is perhaps on the same beach, in the same sand, in the same sun…” he says.

Jack Gerber (1927-2021), The City, acrylic on panel, 25¾ x 16¾"

In The Light of the World, Carroll shows a single bird with an orb of light in its mouth. “I was thinking about the ivory-billed woodpecker and how it has not been seen since 1944, possibly extinct due to loss of habitat,” she says. “This woodpecker was native to the Deep South and bird watchers of the region still seek it out like some search for Bigfoot. Some reports have been noted but there is no definitive proof that the species still exists. I like to think of them as perhaps elusive, moving like light, like the ghosts of the forest.”

Andrei Zadorine, Wonderment, oil on canvas, 9½ x 117⁄8"

The gallery will also offer limited-edition, hand-signed prints of Kowch’s Gust, which appeared on the August 2017 cover of American Art Collector. —