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Paintings and drawings by Greta Gundersen, August 1st to 31st

Greta Gundersen was a prolific Belchertown-based artist who passed away in 2017. This exhibit is a selection of oil paintings and graphite drawings from her large body of work.

Greta was primarily a painter of abstract landscapes. She described them as “[hovering] between abstraction and representation.” Her works have an ethereal quality. The drawings have identifiable single subjects — bats, birds, bulbs of garlic — but they exist in a hazy liminal space. She captured the essence of her subjects and gave us delicate images that feel like dream visions preserved before they fade upon waking. Her paintings extend this dreamlike quality. There is no immediately discernible location, and often a simple title gives little clue, such as “Landscape #45” or simply “Untitled“. But these pieces draw us in, they speak to the non-verbal part of us, the places we can’t describe clearly but we know exist. These are transitional images that exist between what is and what might be.

“I strive to create a picture plane that does not admit to being a painting, to blur the border in between the air surrounding the work and the work itself, to create a place of enigma that people can stand in front of and enter into in whatever way they choose. A successful landscape painting is one that seems familiar yet not readily identifiable — is it sky, land, water, or something else altogether?”

These works are being made available by her husband Peter Lobdell so they can be seen and appreciated – to get her work out of storage and back out into the world. For this reason they will be priced at less than half their appraised value. Near the end of her life, a gallerist and art critic wrote to Greta, “Some people leave children behind them, but you will leave paintings. And they’re good paintings, works that will be able to make their way in the world when you’re not here.”

Opening Reception: Thursday, August 1st, 5-8pm, during Amherst Arts Night Plus

Hear Greta Gundersen talk about her work in this wonderful video shared with us by Shoshona King.

About Greta Gundersen (1952-2017):
A native New Yorker of Norwegian descent, Greta Gundersen lived in New York City, California, Spain, and South America. From 1981-1990, she was the director of BACA Downtown, a nonprofit visual and performing arts center in Brooklyn, where she curated more than 80 exhibitions and nine years of theatrical programming, which earned her an OBIE “for keeping experimental theater alive and well in New York City.” In 1990 she became the Artistic Director of The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council at the World Trade Center. For over 10 years she served as a panelist and consultant with The Rockefeller Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc., The Jerome Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, The New York State Council on the Arts, The Jim Henson Foundation, among others, reviewing work by artists and organizations from around the country. She left New York City for western MA in 1995 to paint full time. She had been an Artist-in-Residence at the Millay Colony for the Arts in New York, and at Altos de Chavon in the Dominican Republic, and apprenticed with painters Miguel Arguello in Spain and Francisco Ruiz in Colombia. Her work was featured in numerous exhibitions in galleries and museums in the US and abroad including: Gerald Peters Gallery, New York, NY; Thornwood Gallery, Dallas, TX; Gerald Peters Gallery, Dallas, TX; Amsterdam’s, New York, NY; TNT Gallery, Brooklyn, NY; and Fair Oaks Gallery, San Francisco, CA. Learn more about Greta at: gretagundersen.com

Banner images:
“The Nascent Shift – AM”, oil on canvas, 20×20″, 2015 (detail)
“The Nascent Shift – Twilight”, oil on canvas, 20×20″, 2015
“The Nascent Shift – Night”, oil on canvas, 20×20″, 2015 (detail)

Etchings, woodcuts, watercolors, and an installation centered around themes of memory and temporary spaces by Easthampton artist Daniel Chiaccio, July 3rd to 27th

Daniel holds onto his memories through his artwork. Difficult times in his life often meant constructing new memories with themes of shelter and comfort and freedom, finding solace in temporary spaces. As a child, exploration and building things was his means of escapism — building forts in the woods for physical escape, and drawing imaginary places and worlds for mental escape. These early coping mechanisms continued into adulthood to grow into well-honed skills in woodworking and illustration, and a rich imagination. His artwork contains scenes ranging from fantastical cityscapes verging on science fiction to bucolic country cabins to snug cozy interiors. All a bit surreal, all empty of people – these spaces are for Daniel, or the viewer, to inhabit alone to find comfort and wonder.

Opening Reception: Thursday, July 11th, 5-8 pm, during Amherst Arts Night Plus

About Daniel Chiaccio:
Daniel is an artist and printmaker and maker of things. Originally trained as an illustrator, he discovered printmaking by chance and now spends much of his creative time in the print studio. He has a deep love for building and tinkering and making things – the process and working with his hands is just as satisfying as the end results of his work. When he’s not making art, Daniel works as a framer and printmaking studio monitor. He has a BFA in Illustration from the New Hampshire Institute of Art, and currently resides in Easthampton with his cat, Quimby.

Banner image: detail from Standpoint, etching with aquatint

Paintings by Brooklyn artist Isaiah Gulino, June 6th to 29th.

Isaiah Gulino works in oil paint and mixed media combining influences from past and present while reflecting multiple psychological meanings into a singular time and place. Within this body of distorted imagery, Gulino integrates his upbringing in the Northeastern United States with his travels to South America, establishing both personal and foreign connections to architecture, religion, and celebration. His work relays open-ended narratives through disrupted forms of reality, which place sentimental value on memories frozen in time.

Opening Reception: Friday, June 7th, 6:30-8:30pm

About Isaiah Gulino:
Gulino is interested in perception and culture, and continues to seek unity in opposition through both representational and abstract painting simultaneously. This connection appears within the landscape-based subject as well: forming an active disruption of the synthetic world by natural forces. His work questions sustainability, as architecture and figures are fragmented and disintegrating on the surface of the picture. He grew up in the farming communities of upstate New York, studied painting in New Hampshire, and now lives and works in New York City. A cumulative range of stimuli continues to drive his work in diverse directions unique to his individual perception and human experience. isaiah-gulino.com

How old were you when you created your first artwork?
I think around 4-5 years old I had made some drawings and paintings that my family and teachers applauded. We were always doing crafts or pottery at summer workshops or in pre-school. I didn’t consider them “art” but it was very exciting to experiment and engage in something of purpose.

How has your style changed over the years?
My style has been pretty consistent since finishing my BFA, however it has matured in many ways. There is more emphasis on color mixing; for example neutralizing complimentary hues to find correct temperatures of shadows. This helps to place unconventional layering techniques into a conceivable space.

When did you know you wanted to be an artist?
My parents have always been very creative, my Mom always shared her love for painting, pottery, and writing with me. While my Dad is a very dedicated musician. I envied that and wanted to find my own creative voice and vision.

Why did you choose your medium?
I saw a lot of my classmates at New Hampshire Institute of Art who were very fluid with oil paint, achieving effects I wasn’t able to in acrylic. Mainly luminosity, as seen in historical renaissance work and contemporary realism. The spray paint and stenciling goes back to street art which I was very attracted to as a teenager.

What inspires you?
Originally nature and finding solitude in natural environments. Alongside traditional influence from landscape painters like JMW Turner or John Constable. Although living in New York City has introduced me to more travel and culture, where I’ve found a deeper inspiration from people and connection to humanity.

Where do you work?
I work in the art industry packing, crating and shipping valuable works from the worlds top artists. Working first hand and seeing the work of painters I’ve admired my whole life has definitely pushed me to want to develop a stronger sense of professionalism. I’ve had studio spaces in different warehouses in Brooklyn, but recently I have developed a studio in my own apartment.

What is your creative process like? How do you work?
My process usually begins with drawing and getting a physical understanding of space. Most time I enjoy beginning with technical line drawings over abstract grounds or color fields and then rendering on top with oil and introducing more color. Usually selecting and prioritizing different shapes or planes at varying levels of emphasis; while leaving other areas unfinished for previous layers to peek through on the surface. Layering is important to me and my time spent doing printmaking definitely instilled a more strategic approach to painting in so many ways.

Which artists do you admire?
Childe Hassam, Eduard Vuillard, Mancini, Pasini and Sargent definitely informed my historical basis. Richard Diebenkorn has always been a favorite. While Antonio Lopez Garcia, Gerhard Richter, Jenny Saville, Dana Schutz, Adrian Ghenie and David Hockney help me bridge the gap into more contemporary painting. The list could really go on …. a lot of people reference Edward Hopper while looking at my work.

What is your favorite piece that you’ve created?
I did a piece a couple years back of a San Francisco scene that I feel like really balanced a technical understanding with more expressive marks. It seemed to be successful in capturing the psychological essence more so than the literal visual interpretation.

Any advice to young or emerging artists?
Stay diligent even when things get hopeless. Always value personal growth no matter how small; rather than comparing yourself to others or worrying about what other people think about your work. Find influence in historical works and borrow from it, rather than emulating some other artist working in the same time period as you. Remember that Individuality and uniqueness can go further than technical ability. Be true to yourself!

Banner image: detail from Nuestra Senora La Luz (Our Lady of Light), oil and spray paint on panel