September 5 – October 2, 2024

Shade and Shape: Pat Brentano, Christopher Skura, and John Wittenberg

WayWeSeeIt: Karin Bruckner and Carol Massa

Blue Journey :Ellen Wallenstein

Opening Reception: Thursday, September 5, 2024, 6 - 8pm

Shade and Shape

In Shade and Shape, Pat Brentano presents a collection of monochromatic works that explore the relationship between nature and abstraction. Using charcoal, watercolor, ink, graphite, and collage, Brentano creates unbridled forest scenes that invite viewers to see beyond the surface, revealing the chaotic, mysterious, and layered gestures of our natural environment. Her work challenges the traditional suburban landscape of clear-cutting and manicured spaces, offering instead a contemplative view of nature's inherent beauty and balance. Brentano states, “Nature is not neat. It is an ever-changing and sometimes tangled, dense presence.” In this uncertain era of climate change, Brentano's art serves as a powerful visual voice for the preservation and appreciation of the natural world.

Christopher Skura's ceramic sculptures in Shade and Shape include organic, plant-like forms as well as elements reminiscent of man-made machinery. His work explores the intersection of psychology, structural systems, and emergence theory, drawing parallels between the architecture of the human body and the effects of time on both the human form and the natural world. Skura’s daily practice of rapid sketching and intuitive drawing serve as catalysts for these sculptural forms. He elaborates, “The goal is to work with a “beginner’s mind” and utilize the flow-state to achieve a direct expression…. Improvisation is emphasized for phenomenological effect, and I try to capture the speed of living in Lower Manhattan.”

Shade and Shape, John Wittenberg's first exhibition with Carter Burden Gallery, presents his handmade paper works, which rippled and furrowed surfaces are delicately embedded with found stones. Complementing these are three abstract monotype prints in black and white, evocative of natural forms like sticks and rocks. Wittenberg's work is deeply rooted in his observation of the physical world. His eye is drawn to the interaction of light and shadow and the natural cycle of growth, decay, and renewal. He is inspired by the transformations of objects in varying light and at the meeting points of different surfaces—a theme that has influenced his entire career. Wittenberg's sculptures vary in scale, from intimate pieces to large works that interact with their environment. He prefers working with materials such as steel, stone, wood, and paper, allowing his ideas to evolve organically through the creative process. His hope is that viewers will come to appreciate the forms and abstractions of nature, its weight, and the play of light, ultimately seeing the world through a new perspective.

WayWeSeeIt

In WayWeSeeIt, Karin Bruckner presents work that push the medium of printmaking to its limits, straddling the lines between printmaking, drawing, painting, collage, and assemblage. Printmaking became a focus in Bruckner’s work after a career in architecture; Its unique combination of creative flow and process requires a structured, sequenced way of thinking in layers, shapes and colors not unlike architectural plans. Over the years, constant experimentation has propelled her monoprints from a graphic into a more painterly direction, incorporating paper lithography, etching, collagraph, chine collé and viscosity techniques to achieve thoroughly embedded and complexly layered visual landscapes of considerable depth.  Now residing somewhere between that and sculpture the pieces protrude from the flat surface of the wall, casting dynamic shadow or a neon glow, and often comprising kinetic elements. Bruckner’s work is process driven, responding to the materials and method at hand, resulting in a widely varied yet distinctive portfolio.

Having created art for forty years and working in a variety of mediums, WayWeSeeIt offers the viewer Carol Massa’s recent works on paper, wood panel, canvas, and sculptural wall works. As an abstract painter, she feels the need to express an array of subjects, and not limit herself to one technique. Massa explains, “As artist do, I find myself wondering in many paths, deriving ideas, or taste from the spectrum of life”. Massa’s integration of movement and stillness, color and texture reflect her personal journey and a focus on joining opposing forces. In both her paintings and sculptures, the work draws inspiration from nature, dance and music, and a sense of place, vibrating with freedom and spontaneity at the rhythmic hand of the artist.

Blue Journey: Ellen Wallenstein

"Illness consumes; art transcends. Art heals."

In late 2021, artist and photography professor Ellen Wallenstein received a life-altering diagnosis: stage three endometrial cancer. Despite the daunting prognosis, Wallenstein found solace and strength in her art, continuing to create cyanotypes—ethereal blue shadow-grams on cloth—each sunny day. These daily practices became a profound medium for Wallenstein to channel her emotions, fears, and unwavering determination to thrive.

Blue Journey is a testament to Wallenstein's resilience and creativity during her arduous medical journey. The installation features nine sets of prayer flags, titled "In Treatment," meticulously crafted during the early stages of her diagnosis in 2021 and 2022. Each flag, imbued with Wallenstein's spirit, reflects the raw and unfiltered experiences of undergoing treatment.

Complementing the prayer flags are five quilts, collectively known as "The Healing Process." These quilts, created between 2020 and 2024, narrate the phases of prognosis, treatment, healing, and eventual remission. They are the result of a collaborative effort between Wallenstein and Kathe Williams, a master quilter and Wallenstein's longtime friend from Texas. Together, they transformed Wallenstein's journey into tactile expressions of hope and recovery, blending artistic visions with intimate personal experiences.

Blue Journey invites viewers to witness the transformative power of art in the face of adversity, celebrating the profound connection between creativity and healing.

Blue Journey is on view from August 1 – November 6, 2024.