Featured Artists
Georganna Lenssen
Give a brief description of your upcoming show. And what might have inspired it.
While there is always a thread of commonality as far as subject matter which attracts me, I have always painted many different subjects – abstract, figurative and still life. In 2015 I decided to change direction and focus primarily upon landscape painting for the next few years to shake things up and see what might develop. Being a studio artist, this was a huge leap for me. Rarely did I paint landscapes, and when I did, I painted them from the comfort of my studio.
How have you expanded existing themes/ideas for which you are best known/or if this body of work is a great deviation from your norm, what inspired this new approach?
In April I bought a plein air easel, lots of panels and extra paint, and drove with my German Shepherd to New Hampshire, someplace I had never been and someplace chosen rather randomly (I was looking for locations which had dog-friendly hotels), to dive into the experience of plein air painting.
Stylistically and/or technically, what do you hope collectors notice in your new work?
My thought regarding creativity was to put myself in an environment I had never experienced before and in a place where I knew no one. With that stimulation and change, I would immerse myself in a new kind of painting, and see what happened.
This was a life-changing experience for me. I discovered I loved painting outside. It was exciting to confront the natural world and all its elements, where everything is changing, uncontrollable, and rather chaotic. Having to sort out all that lay in front of me was challenging, stimulating and completely addicting. From a painter friend I learned that if the weather was bad, or the neighborhood worse, I could sit in the front seat of my car and paint. And so my car became a roving studio.
The subjects which attract me most are usually structures of some sort, or environments. Abandoned, vacant structures that have experienced a history intrigue me as they harbor hidden stories and secrets. They are open to interpretation and suggestion. “Story of a Structure” is just this. I have spent a long time with that building. Different times of day, different seasons, different stages. My perception of it is deeper and different from a place I might have been attracted to and painted immediately in a reactive way. I have a relationship with this building. Constantly I photograph from my car. I photograph everything, while I am driving and while sitting still. Rain fragments and distorts the world in front of me in a magnificent, fascinating manner. Winter’s Tale is a painting of just this.
Stylistically and/or technically, what do you hope collectors notice in your new work?
I am hoping that this past year, a year spent painting outside in nature, will have infused my studio work with more energy, a greater perception and a more dynamic approach.
Dick Whitson
Give a brief description of your upcoming show. And what might have inspired it.
This is a collection of nine “portraits” of people whom I find interesting…not necessarily admire or even like, just interesting. Charlotte Corday for instance assassinated Marat much as Lee Harvey Oswald killed Kennedy…one incredibly lucky stroke. Google her, she’s really fascinating. Or Elvis…not my musical idol, but what a story of fame and drug addiction. On the other hand, I could watch Fred Astaire all day. The paintings are as different as the subjects.
How have you expanded existing themes/ideas for which you are best known/or if this body of work is a great deviation from your norm, what inspired this new approach?
This group includes some usual Whitson looks and some not so usual. I hope each painting reflects my feelings in terms of style and palette.
Stylistically and/or technically, what do you hope collectors notice in your new work?
I paint for pleasure. I’m not trying to settle any long-standing scores with God or nature or mother or anything else. Enjoy!