4 NOW Gilles Giuntini Anahita Mekanik Edmond Praybe Carolyn Sheehan clockwise from left: Carolyn Sheehan, Untitled, 2014, mixed media on paper, 48 x 32 inches Gilles Giuntini, The Modesty of Claret Petacci, 2014, mixed materials, 34 x 38 x 24 inches Anahita Mekanik, Deliverance, 2013, mixed media, 60 x 18 x 18 inches Edmond Praybe, Evening Light, 2015, oil on panel, 12 x 16 inches December 1 - 19 Opening Reception: Saturday, December 5, 3 - 5pm First Street Gallery caps off the year with 4 Now, an exciting new exhibition that celebrates the unique and dynamic visions of four of its newest artists, Gilles Giuntini, Anahita Mekanik, Edmond Praybe, and Carolyn Sheehan. Gilles Giuntini fabricates complex intimate narratives that reference both historical and personal events. These carefully crafted pieces are at once seductive but beyond reach. The viewer is drawn in, but kept at a distance. This physical tension is at the core of each piece. Through irony and humor Giuntini weaves disparate scenarios into something familiar...a world of paradox and hypocrisy.    Anahita Mekanik is a story-teller who speaks through the random objects that find their way into her life. The more damaged, old and ordinary these are, the more potent are the memory and message they carry. By giving a new soul to these abandoned treasures, she participates in the universal ritual of transformation.   Edmond Praybe makes paintings that attempt to reevaluate perceptions of the environment he inhabits while celebrating the union of observation, invention, and memory. The works are literal explorations - made on-site or at least partially so - as well as artist explorations, dealing with a variety of attitudes concerning color, structure, scale, and narrative. Edmond searches for broadly identifiable themes and feelings in the image, while also depicting a specific sense of time and place in each piece.   Carolyn Sheehan creates art works that are best described by color and images. She combines creativity and imagination with emotions in every piece with the sole purpose of not only creating an aesthetic that impacts the feelings but causes pleasure as well. Every piece is worked like a sculpture: three dimensional and take shape in a style in which the icon is always the focal point.       For more info go to:http://www.firststreetgallery.org/exhibitions/2015-2016-season-archive/4-now-press-release/    Gallery Hours: 11 am - 6 pm, Tuesday through Saturday 526 West 26th Street, Suite 209, New York, New York 10001 646-336-8053 · 646-336-8054 (fax)

Stanley Lewis

Hello followers!  With the new season upon us, we are reinvigorated and are re-encouraged to record our thoughts and adventures! 

Stanley Lewis, Westport, 2010-2014, oil on canvas 21.25 by 35.25 inches

Stanley Lewis at Betty Cunningham Gallery

Betty Cunningham Gallery has moved to the LES so we had quite the adventure taking the subway down and navigating new territory.  The space was absolutely outstanding and beautiful. 

“You have to learn what abstraction is in order to understand what painting is.”    ~ Stanley Lewis

 “Abstraction” is an interesting thought to ruminate while viewing the show.  This thought has been with me for the last couple of days, slowly digesting and coloring the lens through which I view painting.  Abstracting is a perfect word to describe the liberty Lewis takes with paint application while still maintaining picture integrity.  This is no small feat.  It is as if the landscape that Lewis observes is merely a convenience for the opportunity to apply paint and build texture. 

Most, but not all of the paintings in the show were thick with paint, celebrating paint for the sake of paint.  We loved the beautiful texture that followed the heavy paint application that made the work incredibly rich and interesting to view up close, but also that the images became startlingly photorealistic from afar. 

The drawings were stunning.  Lewis’s line quality was precise and confident without being finicky or belabored.  I love that line is such an important element in his work.  I enjoyed how many ways he could manipulate paint to form hard and soft lines, but also let his painting surface choice dictate compositionally pleasing linear edges.  In every instance, the addition of a new panel to the piece creates an opportunity for visual play. 

For more information go to: http://www.bettycuninghamgallery.com/current_exhibition.aspx

Pop - Up: On & Off the Wall Series:1

FIRST STREET GALLERY is pleased to introduce its first 3-day POP UP Show. One, of a series of three to be held on consecutive weekends in January. Diverse groups of artists are given room to exhibit an extensive range of work from abstract to figurative; paintings, installations, drawing and sculpture. Each show encompasses a broad spectrum of contemporary practice. Participating artists in Pop Up Series #1: Leslie Adler, Elisa Gabor, Crystal Gregory, Natsuko Hattori, Kinuko Hoffman, Cynthia MacCollum, Miwako Nishizawa, and Stacy Rosende.          The exhibition will be presented at First Street Gallery from  Thursday, January 9th through Saturday, January 11th   The reception will be held at the gallery on Thursday, January 9th from 6-8 PM.    Click here for more information.

 Special Pop Up Gallery Hours: 11 am - 6 pm, Thursday through Saturday

526 West 26th Street, Suite 209, New York, New York 10001

646-336-8053 · 646-336-8054 (fax)

Is First Street Figurative Gallery?

Is First Street Figurative Gallery?

Paul Cézanne, Bather (1885-1887),
 Museum of Modern Art

 Our website says:

"An artist-run gallery, First Street's dual mission is to exhibit and promote the work of talented artists and to provide the public with an opportunity to see and learn about contemporary art in a more accessible milieu than that offered by commercial galleries. The gallery remains focused on the presentation of art in the figurative tradition but embraces a wide diversity of styles, media, and interpretations of 'figuration'." 

- http://firststreetgallery.net/about.html

Hans Hofmann's painting 'The Gate', 1959–60

 What is Figuration/Figurative Art?  

I just got an opening announcement/invite for a “figurative show” and it was a show specifically for work rendering the human form.  It got me thinking.  “Figurative” is a word often misused by gallerists and artists alike.  The idea that this word means art that has to do with the human figure is prevalent but while art deriving from the human form is certainly figurative, not all figurative work involves the human form.  Wikipedia defines figuration the same way First Street Gallery does: 

"Figurative art, sometimes written as figurativism, describes artwork—particularly paintings and sculptures—that is clearly derived from real object sources, and are therefore by definition representational. "Figurative art" is often defined in contrast to abstract art:

Since the arrival of abstract art the term figurative has been used to refer to any form of modern art that retains strong references to the real world.^[1]

Painting and sculpture can therefore be divided into the categories of figurative, representational and abstract, although, strictly speaking, abstract art is derived (or abstracted) from a figurative or other natural source. However, "abstract" is sometimes used as a synonym for non-representational art and non-objective art, i.e. art which has no derivation from figures or objects.

Figurative art is not synonymous with "art that represents the human figure," although human and animal figures are frequent subjects."

-  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figurative_art

Still Life by Ruth Miller

I speak for myself but my understanding with regards to FSG is that we are a gallery partaking in the figurative tradition but not exclusively so.  It is all about the quality of the work and the individual behind it.  Do you agree?  Do you disagree?  Why? I am interested having this discussion and getting as much input as possible on the subject.  I think that this is the best forum for this kind of discussion and I am hoping to get some opinions.  What are your two cents?

View from Smith College by Stanley Lewis

December Group Show

In our age of polyphonic diversity the title, “NO RESTRICTIONS” easily assimilates into today’s vast canons of possibilities. So too, First Street Gallery has evolved over the decades into more open expressions of individual artistic visions. Thus, each artist creates both a private vocabulary and a retrieval of past traditions.

Participating artists: Jennifer Aldridge, Nancy Balliett, Jessica Bartlet, Kathleen Bennett Bastis, Sallie Benton, Sandra Caplan, Mary K. Connelly, Bill Creevy, Teresa Dunn, Suzi Evalenko, Hank Feeley, Wendy Gittler, Rachel Gordon Bernstein, Tim Kennedy, Michele Liebler, Mari Lyons, Cynthia MacCollum, Rallou Malliarakis, Doretta Miller, Kathi Packer, Marianne Perry Salas, Tracy Powers, Nicole McCormick Santiago, Dana Saulnier, and Jane Shoenfeld.

Jennifer Aldridge - Floodplain

Jennifer Aldridge  FLOODPLAIN    October 29 - November 23, 2013 Reception: Thursday, November 7, 5-8 PM   "Mutually Assured" 15 x 30" Watercolor on paper 2013 FIRST STREET GALLERY is pleased to present for the first time recent paintings by Jennifer Aldridge. In her first show at First Street Gallery, artist Jennifer Aldridge acknowledges, "Every artist's job is to notice what she notices." All of the work in this exhibit of paintings consist of water media on paper.  Aldridge emphasizes how much we, as first world citizens, are inundated with imagery--an opening of the floodplains "Is there, will there be a gain for civilization, when even the mundane is ceaselessly documented?" Aldridge asks. "I read, watch, see 'newsworthy' events, ancient history, personal dramas, conjecture and arguments, the retelling of mythologies, daily minutiae and silliness. This consumption takes less dedication than watching television, or even listening to a song. Evolving technologies allow us to witness, unlike any other time in history, second-by-second increases of novel visual information. A time-consuming hobby pieced together from morning to night, in between everything."              Click here to see more works by Jennifer Aldridge

 Gallery Hours: 11 am - 6 pm, Tuesday through Saturday

526 West 26th Street, Suite 209, New York, New York 10001

646-336-8053 · 646-336-8054 (fax) 

2013 MFA National Competition

FIRST STREET GALLERY presents our 2013 MFA NATIONAL COMPETITION, the third in a series of annual exhibitions open exclusively to current MFA students throughout the United States. Juried by PHONG BUI -- critic, artist, teacher, independent curator and co-founder, editor and publisher of The Brooklyn Rail. This exciting exhibition contains a diverse range of styles and execution; it includes paintings, drawings, photographs, mixed media and sculptural constructions from 20 artists. ARTISTS: Kathy Akey, Laurie D. D'Alessandro, Jenny De Laughter, Sarah Dineen, Lindsey Jane Dunnagan, Erin Elizabeth, Nick Foster, Elisa Gabor, Crystal Gregory, Yunsung Jang, Ryota Kajita, Edmund J. Merricle II, Nicolai Nickson, Paula Abreu Pita, Evie Woltil Richner, Harry William Sidebotham II, Polixeni Theodorou, Stephanie D. Wallace, Jaclyn Wright and Heui Tae Yoon.

*Summer Hours: Begin July 18, Mon-Fri (11 -6)  

  

  

526 West 26 Street, Suite 209, New York, NY 10001

646-336-8053 · 646-336-8054 (fax) 

     

 First Street Gallery is located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC between 10th & 11th Avenues.

 [Nearest Subways: C,E,R,1,F,V to 23rd St. - crosstown bus to 10th Ave.

 Nearest Buses:  9th Avenue (#11), 8th Avenue (#10)

2013 MFA National Competition

FIRST STREET GALLERY presents our 2013 MFA NATIONAL COMPETITION, the third in a series of annual exhibitions open exclusively to current MFA students throughout the United States. Juried by PHONG BUI -- critic, artist, teacher, independent curator and co-founder, editor and publisher of The Brooklyn Rail. This exciting exhibition contains a diverse range of styles and execution; it includes paintings, drawings, photographs, mixed media and sculptural constructions from 20 artists. ARTISTS: Kathy Akey, Laurie D. D'Alessandro, Jenny De Laughter, Sarah Dineen, Lindsey Jane Dunnagan, Erin Elizabeth, Nick Foster, Elisa Gabor, Crystal Gregory, Yunsung Jang, Ryota Kajita, Edmund J. Merricle II, Nicolai Nickson, Paula Abreu Pita, Evie Woltil Richner, Harry William Sidebotham II, Polixeni Theodorou, Stephanie D. Wallace, Jaclyn Wright and Heui Tae Yoon.

*Summer Hours: Begin July 18, Mon-Fri (11 -6)  

  

  

526 West 26 Street, Suite 209, New York, NY 10001

646-336-8053 · 646-336-8054 (fax) 

     

 First Street Gallery is located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC between 10th & 11th Avenues.

 [Nearest Subways: C,E,R,1,F,V to 23rd St. - crosstown bus to 10th Ave.

 Nearest Buses:  9th Avenue (#11), 8th Avenue (#10)

Check out the 2013 National Juried Show!

Molly Kaderka, Nudes Wearing Bones, oil on canvas, 46x36 inches

Check out the 2013 National Juried Show!  The show runs from June 20-July 13, 2013.  The opening reception had a great turnout last Saturday.  It's a great show this year!  Head down to Chelsea to check it out if you are in the area.  
Sneak Peek here: http://on.fb.me/14ltNDy


Coming up: the 2013 MFA Juried Show!  This is also going to be a fantastic show!








For more information: www.firststreetgallery.net 

2013 National Juried Exhibition

RECEPTION: SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 3-5 PM First Street Gallery is pleased to present the 2013 National Juried Exhibition, juried by Donald Kuspit, renowned art critic and author. The exhibition includes paintings, photography, drawings, mixed media, and sculpture by 32 artists from all parts of the country, working in diverse styles. Artists include: Leslie Adler (NJ), John Antonucci (NY), Lee Apt (NY), Harrison Bergeron (MO), Marita Bolles (IL), Sue Bryan (NY), Zlatina Cholakova (NY), Barbara Churilla (PA), Hardie Cobbs (CA), Cathleen Cooper (NY), Cynthia Crier (NY), Al Denyer (UT), Heather Douglas (NY), Stacy Elko (NY), Anthony Fisher (NJ), Diane Fitch (NY), Robert Gehrke (WI), Peter Goldwater (NY), Jessica Gondek (IL), Molly Kaderka (MO), Kyu-Jin Lee (Washington DC), Cynthia MacCollum (CT), Luisa Mesa (FL), Rene Muhl (TX), Duncan Oja (NY), Nina Pascal (NY), Pedro Ramirez (NY), Dean Reynolds (AZ), Kristina Robinson (NY), Charlotte Segall (NY), John Szabo (NJ), and Carol Taylor-Kearney (NJ).

526 West 26th Street, Suite 209, New York, New York 10001

646-336-8053 · 646-336-8054 (fax) 

 

Gallery Hours: 11 am-6 pm, Tuesday-Saturday

  

 First Street Gallery is located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC between 10th & 11th Avenues.

 [Nearest Subways: C,E,R,1,F,V to 23rd St. - crosstown bus to 10th Ave.

 Nearest Buses:  9th Avenue (#11), 8th Avenue (#10)

 

Don't Miss Out! Nicole McCormick Santiago is up now!

Get down to see Nicole McCormick Santiago's show before it comes down on the 15th! We had a great time at the opening yesterday!  Beautiful work!  This is a must see show!