On Friday night we stopped by Four Eleven Studio in Provincetown for the opening reception for new work by Helen Grimm, a Cape Cod artist whose work I became aware of a couple of summers ago. Helen's work makes me happy. Plain and simple. And for me that is reason enough to look at a painting over and over.
Each year, Liz Carney, artist and arts organization director, mounts shows that keep me paying attention to what she is doing at the lovely little gallery at 411 Commercial Street in the East End Gallery District. Whether it was the Carney family--they are ALL super talented with strong creative genes in the blood lines-- exhibition a couple of Summers ago or the annual Bear Week celebration show, there is always something good going on at Four Eleven Studio.
Each year, Liz Carney, artist and arts organization director, mounts shows that keep me paying attention to what she is doing at the lovely little gallery at 411 Commercial Street in the East End Gallery District. Whether it was the Carney family--they are ALL super talented with strong creative genes in the blood lines-- exhibition a couple of Summers ago or the annual Bear Week celebration show, there is always something good going on at Four Eleven Studio.
I was greeted on Friday night by the lovely Liz and these fantastic new pieces by Helen Grimm.
Colorful and full of good energy, the work of Helen Grimm captures the emotion and movement that Provincetown is full of and, I think, Grimm is doing something different than many of the painters of this area of Cape Cod. Sure, there is a nod to the Cape Cod School of Art particularly in the palette used in her dune scapes, but her work is more than that. The pieces are not about the colors, which I think some artists use as a gimmick to give their work that "P-town art" vibe, but are about a feeling that one gets when walking through the dunes to get to the beach or on a dune tour or simply sitting at the edge of the dunes looking towards the sea. And I love the framing which seems representative of the simple wood slat dune fences at the beach holding it all together and protecting the dunes in a way that frames the view of the dunes as one looks at them.
About this Truro, MA, artist from a Four Eleven Studio description:
"Throughout her career Helen Grimm has been drawn to the color, texture and repetition of abstracted forms. Her most recent paintings explore the landscapes of the Outer Cape. Grounded by their influence in the natural world, her paintings are a joyful expression of color and shifting rhythm."
I found that when looking up what town on the Cape Helen is from. I think that last line perfectly supports and sums up what I wrote in the prior paragraph!
Here are my three favorite Helen Grimm pieces in the current show:
Helen Grimm
Towards Emily, 2013
Oil on Canvas, framed
8" x 10"
$ 475.00
Helen Grimm
Towards Beach Path, 2013
Oil on Canvas, framed
8" x 10"
$ 475.00
The piece from the exhibition card at top of this post:
Helen Grimm
Vertical Dune, 2013
Oil on Linen, framed
24" x 30"
$ 1,900.00
Although the current exhibition is all about Helen Grimm's great new work, I had to get into the Liz Carney corner. Liz Carney is a brilliant artist who, fortunately, is in our collection. Liz captures so much in her work. I know her, I like her, I feel her. And she, the person, comes through in her work. Liz deserves her own blog post and will get one soon. For now, here is some of her brilliance currently tucked away in the right corner of the gallery...
Henry likes this piece as much as I do and was guarding it on Friday night:
Liz Carney
East End Houses
Acrylic and Graphite on Canvas
36" x 36"
$ 2,200.00
There is a companion or rather, a precursor and a mate, to this fantastic piece. The story is Liz's to tell. If you know Liz and stop by Four Eleven Studio, ask her about it. The story and both paintings are beautiful.
Liz Carney
Family
Acrylic on Panel
36" x 36"
$ 2,200.00
After a lovely visit with Liz and experiencing both Liz and Helen's work, we walked down to Alden Gallery to see Joerg Dressler's amazing new work...more on that in an upcoming blogpost.
As we walked past Four Eleven Studio about an hour later and I saw the Helen Grimm dune scape hanging in the window and Liz Carney's flower piece on the wall I thought, "all is well and it all works." It does. And Four Eleven Studio is a not to be missed Provincetown gallery.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment