Provincetown is full of galleries. When I say full, I mean full--there are over fifty galleries in this village of a town. Over the years I have learned which I love and need to go in every Summer and which I can skip. As I've gotten to know which P-town artists whose work I love and I've gotten to know gallery owners, I now have my list of favorite galleries down to a number I can count on two hands. It varies by the season but somewhere between five and eight would be a safe bet for those I say are a must. I will feature a few of them over the next month.
One absolute MUST is ALDEN GALLERY. I received this notification for the show that opened on July 12th featuring LAURENCE YOUNG whose work I know really well (I represent him in the South) and Paul Kelly, an artist whose work I didn't know at all. I was intrigued by the pairing of these two artists and was bummed that we would get into town too late to make it to the opening. So at the top of my list for Saturday was to get down to ALDEN to see this show.
WOW! Howard Karren and Stephen Syta knew exactly what they were doing when they planned this show. Now in its sixth season, ALDEN is a gallery I have seen from the beginning. Alden has been at the top of my list for years now because the gallery represents several artists whose work I've bought for clients and for our collection. So I know the gallery well and I have to say that I think the walls of ALDEN have never looked better than they currently do!
I entered the gallery to see three of the best Laurence Young paintings I have ever seen. I was in love, particularly with "Pick Up Sticks" and "Are We There Yet", the two pieces with structures. IN LOVE!
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| L to R on Walls: Laurence Young's "A Passing Rain" diptych; "Pick Up Sticks"; "Are We There Yet" on chair: a painting I asked to be placed there for a future blog post that will include Linda Reedy, Texas artist |
And then I turned and looked into the other room. Oh my gosh. The juxtaposition between Laurence Young's Oil and Wax on Canvas pieces with Paul Kelly's Oil on Canvas framed architectural pieces is just incredible...seriously good. Understatement. I learned that Paul Kelly is an architect hence the insane level of skill in capturing everything about a structure. Yet he plays around with it just a bit..holds a little back and makes a subject that has been painted ad nauseam fresh and interesting again, achieving in his work what Laurence Young did in "Are We There Yet" which makes the Truro cottages feel like they have never been painted before. Both Laurence and Paul's paintings make the viewer want to be there, right now. And that is what I felt while in the gallery. I wanted to be IN Laurence's paintings and IN Paul's paintings.
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| L to R: Laurence Young's "Are We There Yet" and "Seeking Solace" in front room. In the back room, past the columns, are paintings by Paul Kelly. |
Here are my favorite LAURENCE YOUNG paintings that are in the show:
Laurence Young
Pick Up Sticks
Oil/Wax on Canvas
30" x 30"
$ 3,500.00
Laurence Young
Are We There Yet
Oil/Wax on Canvas
30" x 36"
$ 3,800.00
Laurence Young
Seeking Solace
Oil/Wax on Canvas
30" x 30"
$ 3,500.00
I LOVE the figurative piece on the left:
click on photo to see this piece in its entirety:
Laurence Young
A Passing Rain Diptych
Oil/Wax on Canvas, framed
18" x 48"
$ 4,500.00
Laurence Young
Young Poet
Oil/Wax on Canvas
14" x 11"
$ 950.00
To see all of the Laurence Young pieces in Alden's inventory:
And here are my favorite Paul Kelly's in the current show:
L to R: "Johnson Street Two Sides" and "Pearl Street Hedges"
on left:
Paul Kelly
Johnson Street Two Sides
Oil on Canvas, framed
48" x 30"
$ 2,400.00
on right:
Paul Kelly
Pearl Street Hedges
Oil on Canvas, framed
20" x 24"
$ 1,200.00
Those who have been to the beaches of Provincetown will recognize these three as the old cinder block snack building and bath houses that have now been torn down and replaced with new shingled modern cottage versions.
The piece in the middle is the one that I was drawn to. Incredibly drawn. The abstraction of this building that I've seen so many times is just incredible and the view towards the ocean is just spectacular. I felt this painting.
Paul Kelly
Bathhouse No. 5
Oil on Canvas, framed
20" x 16"
$ 850.00
and then this piece, Blue Porch, WHOA! This is SO Provincetown....the blue beat up door from which the viewer stands looking towards the slightly too pristine house across the street...that is what Provincetown means to those of us who love it. We never want things to get too perfect, too groomed, and peeling paint is wonderful! For those who "get" Provincetown, this painting means something really special.
Paul Kelly
Blue Porch
Oil on Board, framed
11" x 14"
$ 800.00
To see more of Paul Kelly's work:
I am so glad we arrived in town to experience this show and if you are in Provincetown now or arriving this week, make ALDEN GALLERY at 423 Commercial Street your first stop! For more information on any piece featured in this post, please contact Howard Karren or Stephen Syta at ALDEN GALLERY at 508-487-4230 or aldengallery@gmail.com.
Continuing the run of fantastic Summer shows, the next show to open at ALDEN includes two great artists, Joerg Dressler and Mike Wright whose show will open this coming Friday night. I will be there and so should you!
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