Gale, Old Wheeler’s Island. By Richard Carleton. Etching, 2001.
The Old Print Gallery is pleased to present Water, a group show featuring prints by local, national, and international contemporary artists. Water will open on Friday, July 20, 2012, with a nighttime reception from 5-8pm at the gallery. The show will be on view until September 14, 2012. With a subject matter as open and expansive as water, the show yields both personal and universal interpretations for artist and viewer.
Splash. By Philip Bennet, oil-based monotype,2004.
Abstraction and illusion are prominent in the works of Water. Judy Mensch’s woodblock Water 1 is a product of seven woodblocks, ten passes, and eight colors. The result is a dynamic distillation of water in stripes of deep blues and greens. Philip Bennet’s Splash, too, is an abstract blend of colors, forgoing form to capture a more visceral depiction of a plunge into watery depths. NY artist Peter Milton incorporates overlays of watery motifs in his large, dreamlike images. Here, water alludes to the shadowy depths of the subconscious, and hints at memories and influences from the artist’s past.
Waterfall. By Peter Milton. Digital print, 2010.
Some Fragments VIII-C. By Takamune Ishiguro. Etching and aquatint, 2005.
Marked is the artists’ ability to evoke watery imagery from the hard matrices of copper plates and woodblocks. Simple cuts and gouges transform into brilliantly dappled light on water’s surface in Karen Whitman’s Adrift. Likewise, rough, turmoil waves emerge from the constant rocking and reworking of the plate in Art Werger’s Requiem. Other artists highlight the liquid properties of inked media itself to communicate a watery essence. Takume Ishiguro’s use of aquatint and water-based inks in Some Fragments VII-C adds fluidity and glassiness to his macro depiction of water bubbles. Whether water is depicted in large scale or small scale, figuratively or metaphorically, its capacity to mesmerize and captivate artists’ attention is undeniable.
Selected Artists: William J. Behnken, Philip Bennet, Richard Carleton, Antonio Frasconi, Takamune Ishiguro, Stanley Kaplan, Alessandro Mastro-Valerio, Judy Mensch, Frederick Mershimer, Peter Milton, Clare Romano, Ilse Schreiber Noll, Herbert Simon, Mary Teichman, Art Werger, and Karen Whitman.
For more information, please visit our Events page on our website, or check out the images selected for the show on our Current Show page. We hope to see you all there at the opening!
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