This gallery contains 2 photos.
Fourteen Gallery35 artists show work created before and during the pandemic. The work of art is a scream of freedom.–Christo WELCOME TO OUR ONLINE EXHIBIT! Click on any of the thumbnails in each individual artist’s gallery to see a slideshow … Continue reading
To see in color is a delight for the eye but to see in BLACK AND WHITE is a delight for the soul.—Andri Cauldwell.
Using just Black and White, eleven Gallery35 artists have created work containing diverse subject matter and a wide variety of media!
All four of John Devaney’s drawings are portraits, one done in the chaos of Herald Square, another in the mirror, a third from a series of studies of doormen, and the last was our waiter at the Empire Diner. “I often have only seconds to capture a gesture, or multiple views, but that can be a gift to the energy of the piece. And, on occasion, as in Sufi Doorman,I take a figure and give them a new identity or role.” Ingrid Sletten, whose work progresses from an inner place to the paper, is presenting a study for portraiture. “I am looking intently into my own soul in this pencil drawing self-portrait.”
(l-r) Ellen Mandebaum, Martinique; John Devaney, Jeremy at Empire Diner; Juanita Gilmore, Empire State Bldg at Night
Virginia Asman’s digitally manipulated photographic series The Painted Man I. II. III shows an artist from South Africa and Santa Fe painting himself in performance. Another dramatic photograph is Juanita Gilmore’s Empire State Bldg at Night which joins her Bud Vase rendered with lamy pen.
(l-r) Pat Gericke, Cabana Peppers Caught in the Shadows; Marsha Peruo, Heavenly City; Virginia Asman, The Painted Man III; Ingrid Sletten, Study for Self Portrait
Pat Gericke has been exploring works in black and white, particularly charcoal. “…although its messy, I find it challenging and pushes me to concentrate and study values found in lights, darks, shadows, and textures.” Other artists working in charcoal are Denisha Wright and Ellen Mandelbaum, who is also showing work in watercolor and stained glass.
Mandelbaum describes her small stained glass piece, Martinique, as “one of the best I ever made. Like my watercolor Chinese Mountains, I painted it on site. One of my favorite ways of working is to see something beautiful and try to “get it”—to capture it in paint. Here I was sitting on a rock and holding up a piece of glass and painting it with special metal oxides that could be brushed off and damaged. Somehow, I was able to get it home safely in the plane and then fire it at 1200 degrees to make it permanent and then lead it together to become stained glass.”
In describing her charcoal Heads Up, Wright explains, “I was aware of how much each of us were shamed physically for our archetype, juxtaposed with the measures others would go to acquire the same features that we’ve been taught to doubt ourselves with. This instilled my journey to seek acceptance from within as opposed to superficial validation.”
Rounding out the exhibit are acrylics by Cari Clare and Valerie Lynch, oil paintings by Susan Harris-Demmet and Marsha Peruo’s monoprints.
Our SMALLworks exhibit features affordable art no larger than 12” in any dimension—perfect for our NYC spaces!
(l-r) Patricia Garbarini, Rouge; Denise Fryburg, Shells and Apple; Marsha Peruo, Flowers
Patricia Garbarini loves working close up in nature to create abstract designs. Rouge is a petal from a gorgeous rose in New York Botanical Garden.
Bev Thompson’s Four Strings Standing arouses the viewer’s curiosity unable to recognize the medium used – looking more like a cubist painting than a photo.
Reena Kondo is exhibiting a series of collages of aura photographs.
(l-r) Bev Thompson, Four Strings Sanding; John Devaney, Drummer
Exhibiting Artists:
Bev Thompson, Cari Clare, Denise Fryburg, Jil Novenski, Jody Leight, John Devaney, Marsha Peruo, Pat Gericke, Patricia Garbarini, Reena Kondo, Teresa Hommel,
Valerie Lynch
Ingrid Sletten and Susan Harris-Demmet share insights into their work in this compelling video shot at their opening reception in October.
The exhibit was well received and worth a first—or second—look at the Closing Reception on November 23rd, 6-8 pm.
SOUL SPEAKING features the works of Susan Harris-Demmet and Ingrid Sletten in a two-person show. This powerful and thought-provoking show brings together 21 major works that explore the workings of the “all knowing unconscious mind.” Each artist uses different visuals to portray what the soul communicates.
Harris-Demmet works in watercolor, oil and pencil to give voice to images that heal and transform both her and she hopes the viewer. Implied in her work is the presence of bodies with their references to generations past and present. Harris-Demmet states, “The subject matter of my paintings and drawings is of pre-birth, birth and the events that follow in abstract and fantastical visuals.”
Susan Harris-Demmet—Tipping Point, Landscape
Sletten’s body of work emanates from her regular practice of contemplative prayer. Using acrylic, gouache, watercolor and charcoal on gessoed paper she translates snatches of interior spiritual energy in a collaborative process she calls the ‘footprints of God’. Sletten says, of her works, “I seek to show the human spirit as palpable, almost mineral-like energy within and around the human form.”
Ingrid Sletten—Energy Shape, Eyes
Both Susan and Ingrid have been active members of the Gallery35 collective for several years and are part of New York’s emerging contemporary spiritual artists.
Harris-Demmet holds a bachelor’s of fine art from NYU. Presently, she works out of Gallery 35 and is continually searching beneath the surface. Her most recent exhibit was the Blue Show at Gallery 35.
Sletten earned a bachelor’s /Summa Cum Laude in the history of art from the University of Missouri. She holds a master’s degree in Christian Spirituality from Fordham University and is a certified spiritual director. Sletten is a frequent exhibitor at Manhattan’s Gallery 35. She is also the founder and director of Seeing God, an art and meditation ministry. Her most recent major exhibit was Spirit’s Flight (2018) at the Gallery of The Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Manhattan.
Top l-r: Pastor Isaac Scott, Jil Novenski, Pat Gericke; Bottom l-r: Maureen Chen, Michael Davis, Rick Perez
The artists showing work in We Bend, Not Break have each interpreted the theme of perseverance in unique ways. This video provides a peek into the creative process of six of our artists.
Click Here to view the video, We Bend, Not Break: Artist Interviews
America’s history has been faced with 400 years of perseverance starting with the Jamestown Settlement. Taking people from their homelands and placing them in shackles for the sake of sowing land is an old story but continues in other forms of bondage. We hope this exhibit will enlighten our visitors to the plight of African-Americans and other historically and currently marginalized groups.
Nine Gallery35 and four guest artists are showing works which dramatically depict both the struggles and triumphs of oppressed peoples in a variety of media and styles: Cari Clare, Denisha Wright, Pastor Isaac Scott, Jil Novenski, Jody Leight, Kevin H. Maxwell, Maureen Chen, Michael Davis, Pat Gericke, Rick Perez, Thadine Wormly-Herndon, Valerie Lynch, Virginia Asman.
l-r Michael Davis, Sharecropper Family; Rick Perez, Man in a Hoodie, Woman in a Head Wrap
Michael Davis’ oil on canvas, Sharecropper Family circa 1870, was painted from a reproduction of a daguerrotype or other early photographic process. Sharecropping was a form of agriculture that began mainly after the Civil War as an alternative to land grants of 40 acres and a mule in which a landowner allowed a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on their portion of land. It was widespread in the South but fell out of favor in the mid-20th Century when mechanized farming became the dominant form of agriculture.
Head coverings are prominent in two thought-provoking paintings by Rick Perez—Man in a Hoodie and Woman in a Head Wrap. The hoodie has become an emotionally-charged article of clothing from its still strong association with the wrongful shooting of Trayvon Martin. This portrait of a white man wearing one resonates with some of the many contradictions that characterize our attitudes towards race in this country. A head wrap accentuates the sense of dignity of a proud woman. She looks ahead decisively and purposefully and with a sense of fearlessness in being able to confront the obstacles put in her path.
l-r Maureen Chen, Learning to Read; Virginia Asman, Fabric of Progress
Learning to Read by Maureen Chen is a calligraphic rendering of two quotations from the autobiography of the leading abolitionist and author Frederick Douglass. As a slave, Douglass overheard his master warning his wife against teaching Douglass to read, which made him more determined to learn on his own.”
Virginia Asman is showing two digital collages—Fabric of Progress featuring heroes of the civil rights movement and The Struggle Continues, incorporating slogans that have inspired various groups as they seek full participation.
This exhibit is also being presented as part of the arts festival of The Community Service Society of New York (CSS)’s 2019 conference, Full Participation is a Human Right—Moving Beyond Punishment, at Community Church, October 17-19.
Gallery35 At Community is pleased to have had our Opening Reception for BLUE videotaped by Odelle Abney for his NYC Gallery Openings online listings. Gallery35’s video can be viewed at https://youtu.be/QO2Ntu4Kerk
Several of our artists speak about their work and a representative piece from each artist is highlighted!
Speaking about their art on the video: Row 1—Kevin Maxwell, Denise Fryburg, Lois Ross; Row 2—Ellen Mandelbaum, Michael Davis; Row 3—Patricia Garbarini, Juanita Gilmore, John Connors
BLUE is the third in a series of exhibits which move around the color wheel. Earlier exhibits featured Green (2012) and Red (2018). In this exhibit, artists explore the rich possibilities of the color blue from blue moods to beautiful blues.
Details of artwork by (l-r) Marsha Peruo, Ellen Mandelbaum, Patricia Garbarini
A few of our artists talk about their artwork for BLUE.
Ellen Mandelbaum:
Blue Skies forever: a tour de force, huge water color painted on a huge piece of arches paper—the best that money can buy, 100% rag. I began painting with ultramarine blue then bought tubes of cobalt and cerulean and kept on painting until it was a large field of the color blue. On the top of that I imagined three houses (or three boats) and some arced lines like foliage. All in all it was great fun to paint and should also be enjoyed by all.
Juanita Gilmore:
Blue Moments – Occupy WS 2012: a blue mood describes the prevailing atmosphere during the time period of Occupy Wall Street. The blue mood was not only the frustration of people but also the expression found in literature and the arts.
Details of artwork by (l-r) Michael Davis, Juanita Gilmore, John Connors
Michael Davis:
Long Island City: a view that was painted quickly as the skyline is bound to change again soon.
Brooklyn: a blue man group of one longing to be anywhere but Brooklyn. Maybe in the East River.
View from The Highline: blue skies, smiling on me, nothing but blue skies do I see. All the time, everywhere; not a cloud in the sky, and the Highline is sunny all day.
White Tulips on Purple: if the flower were a rose, this would be a purple prose.
Patricia Garbarini:
As In a Blue Dream: an expression of the way the artist feels when she goes to a quiet place in nature to find stillness and time for reflection. The setting in nature becomes a dreamlike sanctuary…
Virginia Asman:
Blue Dog Blue Moon: inspired by my life in the New Mexican high desert, where coyotes live amongst us.
Blue Footed Boobies: those amazing birds that I photographed in the Galapagos Islands. Their striking blue feet stand out in a stylized montage.
Bluesy Boogie: a distortion of my drawings of musicians I have encountered in various venues and locations, blended together artistically in an imaginary blues session.
Details of artwork by (l-r) Denise Fryburg, Virginia Asman, Susan Harris-Demmet
Now that you have seen some “teaser” details from the exhibit, visit the gallery to see the entire show of 30 outstanding works by 15 artists inspired by all things BLUE!
EXHIBITING ARTISTS: Cari Clare, Denise Fryburg, Ellen Mandelbaum, Jil Novenski, Jody Leight, John Connors, Juanita Gilmore, Kevin H. Maxwell, Lois Ross, Marsha Peruo, Michael Davis, Patricia Garbarini, Susan Harris-Demmet, Valerie Lynch, Virginia Asman
Dubbed the “secret gallery” of Murray Hill, Gallery35 has a venerable history. A committee of Community Church of NY UU, its first exhibition was held in September 1966 as part of the dedication of Community Church’s renovated brownstones at 26, 28 and 30 East 35th Street. During the next 20 years the gallery—then known as “Community Gallery”—celebrated diversity by exhibiting the works of Native American, Murray Hill and Chinese artists. One notable show featured a series of John Henry oil paintings by Harlem Renaissance artist Palmer Hayden.
In 2006, a small group of artists, largely members of Community Church, came together and began mounting an annual exhibition of their work. As artist membership grew, so did the number of exhibits—now up to 5 or 6 solo and group shows each year from September through June, including one featuring the work of displaced or refugee artists from such countries as Iraq, Burma and Haiti.
In 2010, the name of the gallery was changed to Gallery35 and later to Gallery35 at Community to reflect its relationship to Community Church. Today over 20 artists—from both the church and the larger community including Murray Hill—regularly exhibit at Gallery35. The artists’ collective includes several nationally known and award-winning artists working in a wide variety of disciplines – as well as artists who have had solo shows throughout the country.
