Alyssa Monks Solo Show at Forum Gallery

Last night I attended Forum Gallery's opening reception for Alyssa Monks' exhibition 'Resolution'.  For this show she produced an impressive amount of paintings and drawings, all in one year. There are 13 large scale paintings on view plus ten or so smaller works.  I was excited to see her new work, a departure from the well known images of figures in water, but equally successful. She now combines portraiture and landscape in a mysterious way, hiding and fading her figures in a beautiful lush wilderness.  This illusion sometimes takes a few moments to discover.  In the same way her brushwork needs to be carefully examined: as you get close the paintings breath, the layers of paint are loose and and the texture is boldly applied.  From a distance this detail might be hidden, but it is certainly a pleasant discovery if you get close. That is why you have to see her paintings in person. The show runs from March 24 – May 7, 2016.  I'm posting some photos below. You can find more info and photos on the gallery's website.  Enjoy!

Detail

Art On Paper Art Fair

The Art on Paper Fair is being held at Pier 36 this week-end, March 3-6.  The fair started last year, but this was my first time visiting.  The 65 galleries exhibiting show a variety of drawings, prints, paintings, photographs, collages and more all on paper. They range from those made by well known artists such as Degas or Sargent to contemporary draftsmen.  Prices range quite a bit too.  With many works on paper I was curious to see how they are presented: simple white frames seem to be the trend.  Even though this is an international fair there are many NYC galleries, some galleries from the US and only a few galleries from abroad. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the diversity of works and I definitely recommend going (see photos below):