The Art Scene: 06.18.15
Botanical Compounds on Canvas
“Plants of the Gods,” new monumental paintings by Kelsey Brookes, will open at the Eric Firestone Gallery in East Hampton with a reception Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m. and run through July 7.
A microbiologist, surfer, and self-taught painter, Mr. Brookes, who lives in San Diego, explores such varied areas as the nature of existence and perception, science and philosophy, Hindu and Buddhist deities, and fractals and math-based patterns.
The paintings are based on his investigations into ancient botanical compounds. One of four plant-based hallucinogens underscores each composition, making visible the normally unseen world of atoms and molecules while touching on the realms of Pointillism and Op Art.
Marie Jacotey at Blumenthal
“Dirty Summer of Love,” an exhibition of paintings by Marie Jacotey, a French artist now living in London, is on view at the Robert Blumenthal Gallery in East Hampton through July 4.
The show includes work from her Babe Cave series, a group of oil paintings on plastic that are hung using static electricity. “This process gives them an ephemeral aspect; they could fall,” she has said.
Ms. Jacotey often takes images of people, including herself, from Internet platforms such as Facebook and Tumblr. Many of the images are candidly erotic, and often accompanied by text. The influence of artists such as David Hockney and Philip Guston can be seen in her work, which also is informed by cartoons and illustrated books.
Jack Lenor Larsen at Art Barge
“Artists Speak: Conversations at the Beach,” the Art Barge’s summer series of artist interviews, will kick off Wednesday at 6 p.m. when Jack Lenor Larsen, the renowned textile designer, master weaver, gardener, collector, and founder of LongHouse Reserve, will be interviewed by Janet Goleas, an artist, writer, and independent curator.
Seating is limited, and tickets, which are $20, can be purchased in advance at theartbarge.com. A reception will follow the conversation.
Margaret Garrett
At Birnam Wood
The Birnam Wood Gallery in East Hampton will present a solo show of paintings and collages from Margaret Garrett’s “Choros” series from tomorrow through July 6. A reception will be held Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m.
Originally trained as a dancer, Ms. Garrett, who lives on Shelter Island, has likened the canvas or paper to an empty stage, with the development of line, texture, form, and color involving a motion and energy reminiscent of choreography.
She works in extended series. While her previous series, “Turning Fields,” had a lyrical, calligraphic quality and all-over compositions, the “Choros” pieces consist of floating abstract shapes of a single solid color, with a graphic quality reminiscent of Matisse’s cutouts.
New at White Room
The new exhibition at the White Room Gallery in Bridgehampton, which will be open through July 7, features work by Paton Miller and Mark Seidenfeld, along with a selection of pieces by gallery artists. An opening reception will happen Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m.
Mr. Seidenfeld, who has a studio in Bridgehampton, is a man of many styles and mediums. His photographs range from the mythological to the erotic to the ghoulish to the surreal. His paintings include all-over abstractions with suggestions of imagery peeking through the layers of paint, and in-your-face representational works with overtones of pop, surrealism, and satire.
Mr. Miller’s paintings emerge from the events that have shaped his life, particularly his travels in Europe and Asia. He has referred to the latter as “my National Geographic work.” His often exotic subject matter is offset by his preoccupation with working the surface, which he attributes in part to his having worked with dynamite, in construction.
Poetic Realist at Grenning
An exhibition of new paintings by Sarah Lamb will open today at the Grenning Gallery in Sag Harbor and run through July 12. A reception will be held Saturday evening from 6 to 8.
Ms. Lamb, who earned a B.S. in studio art from Brenau University in Georgia and studied in Florence, Italy; France, and New York City, brings her mastery of European illusionistic still life and trompe l’oeil techniques to bear on American comestibles and antiques, from lobsters to Seckel pears to weathervanes.
Her recent move to Texas has added Southwest Americana to the East Coast objects already in her vocabulary.
Collage at Dodds and Eder
“Strength in Layers,” an exhibition of work by Ruben Marroquin, Steve Mitrani, and Oliver Peterson, will open Saturday at Dodds and Eder Home in Sag Harbor and remain on view through Aug. 4. A reception is set for June 27 from 6 to 8 p.m.
All three artists will exhibit collages. Mr. Marroquin, who is a visual artist, textile designer, and weaving instructor, combines cotton, linen, and bamboo fibers with modern industrial cords and other materials in his wall works. Mr. Mitrani’s work incorporates screen printing, intricate and psychedelic patterning, and ambiguous imagery. Mr. Peterson experiments with paints and patinas, and he often applies random studio detritus to his compositions, which are inspired in part by graffiti, the pop zeitgeist, literature, and politics.
“Resolve” at Ashawagh
“Resolve,” an exhibition of the work of 50 artists, will be on view Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Ashawagh Hall in Springs. A reception will take place Saturday evening from 5 to 8.
The artists were asked to present their viewpoint of “resolve,” which, according to the show’s organizers, “encompasses many of the qualities necessary to an artist’s career.” Works on view include painting, sculpture, photography, and mixed media.
30 Paintings in 30 Days
“Best of 30 Squared,” an unusual exhibition of work by 18 artists, will open today at the Water Mill Museum and remain on view through July 12. A reception will be held Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m.
The show is the result of a challenge conceived by Aubrey Grainger, a member of Plein Air Peconic, and disseminated via social media, to paint 30 paintings in 30 days. The resulting works feature landscapes, beaches, people, children, fish, flowers, fruit, and both urban and rural scenes. Stylistically, they include both realism and abstraction, and they range from very small to large, framed works.
The show will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Tuesdays. Thirty percent of sales will benefit the museum.
“Wattsup Montauk”
“Wattsup Montauk: Photographs by Ben Watts,” is on view through July 11 at the Milk Gallery in Chelsea. The exhibition coincides with the launch of Mr. Watts’s new monograph, “Montauk Dreaming.”
The show includes images from the book as well as a survey of the photographer’s 30-year career. The book is a celebration of “the End,” Mr. Watts’s home since 1995 and, in his words, “paradise three hours outside the walls of the greatest city in the world.”
An established commercial and fashion photographer, Mr. Watts has collected the photographs he takes on his days off for the book, which has an introduction by the actress Naomi Watts, his sister.