Hudson River Gallery Aritist Feed: Entire Gallery

Landscapes in Pastel

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:10:59 -0400

Landscapes in Pastel (21 images)

New Paintings 2011

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:49:43 -0500

New Paintings 2011 (16 images)

The Hipsta Chronicles

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:17:04 -0500

The Hipsta Chronicles (15 images)

The Hipsta Chronicles

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:16:30 -0500

The Hipsta Chronicles (27 images)

2011

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:56:16 -0500

2011 (11 images)

Artwork

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:25:42 -0400

Artwork (21 images)

portraits and landscapes

Wed, 25 May 2011 14:38:51 -0400

portraits and landscapes (11 images)

Paintings: 2011

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 16:26:02 -0400

Paintings: 2011 (16 images)

Landscapes in Pastel

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:49:01 -0400

Landscapes in Pastel (24 images)

Foil Imaging

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 13:05:17 -0400

Foil Imaging (2 images)

Homage

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 16:23:19 -0500

Homage (7 images)

Statement

One of R. P Dana's titles of his book is The Power of the Visible. There are some poets who create what one can't help but see. Many of Bob Dana’s poems fit into that category. Every so often, I’ve been impelled to respond to these poems in the best way I can.

Of course, with me, they go through a transfiguration. As the painter Robert Richenberg said: "if you can’t transform it, you haven’t understood it". Moreover, in accord with Gotthold Ephrahim Lessing, and as an orthodox card carrying modernist (R.P. called me "the last of the red hot formalists"), I can't help but be sensitive to the fact that I use paint and plastic-not words, and so, mutadis, mutandi, something other than a poem appears on canvas and paper. Reification has its limits.

As I said in my eulogy at his memorial service "In his work he could be as lyrical about nature and love, or as nitty-gritty about the horrors of the world. Often he would combine the two in ways one is not supposed to, as in his poem "Mercy, Perhaps". He could be mundane as some birds, or as metaphysical in the same poem" the Riddle poems, or in that wonderful masterpiece: "Starting Out for the Difficult World, "which brings into such familiar focus: small town. Bob had a feel for towns, didn't he? One need only think of his later poem, Elegy for a Hometown” (used, in part in my painting: Two Cabins).

I hope I’ve measured up in my artwork.

Hugh Lifson

Unexpected Vistas

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 09:43:36 -0400

Unexpected Vistas (11 images)

As a landscape artist I have focused on the Iowa Landscape in all its beauty and variety but recently came to the realization that I had visited only 3 or 4 of the many state parks that have been set aside for our enjoyment. For this reason, I began my series of paintings and drawings of the Iowa State parks in 2009 and set out to visit as many of these diverse and beautiful landscapes as time allowed, painting on location and taking photographs for future studio references. As I immersed myself in these parks I was surprised and awed by these special places and the work that has resulted has caught the attention of all who have seen it, including the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, who have supported me in this endeavor. Many are reminded of places that are important to them, and everyone is inspired to visit places they had never known before. That is my goal and hope for this exhibit.

Artwork

Fri, 07 May 2010 19:42:34 -0400

Artwork (12 images)

"Art cannot exist without naked beauty displayed." -William Blake

I've always enjoyed drawing and painting the human form. In my career as an illustrator for books and magazines it was imperative that I also be a storyteller. In this exhibition of paintings and monotypes I wanted to create a body of somewhat narrative works unified by a common theme. Venus, the goddess of peace, beauty, love (and lust) seemed the perfect muse. The paintings in particular have been informed not only by the mythological figure but also by my interest in words, music, and travel...from the poetry of Pablo Neruda to the tone poems of Composer Gustav Holst and a visit to the Montreaux Jazz Festival. The images are a mix of experience, memory, and imagination. Stylistically, I can't ignore the influence of my heros from a century ago. They are post-impressionists like Matisse, Bonnard, and Picasso. I also can't resist the occasional twist; Botticelli's Venus reborn in the trenches of Verdum or Titian's Venus titillating the Duke of Ellington. Or perhaps a bit of provocation for the viewer to imagine his or her own scenario in response to a contemporary Venus enjoying her bath or missing her lover. And through it all the ghost of Pierre Bonnard is whispering in my ear, "Composition is everything".

Artwork

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 21:27:05 -0400

Artwork (12 images)

A knowledgeable presence at Prairie Lights Book Store, Deborah spends some of her precious spare time creating watercolor collages of the much loved Iowa landscape. A self-taught watercolor painter, she offers a practical reason for the small size of her paintings. The intimacy of space affords her the opportunity to explore layers of color.

Artwork

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 21:25:30 -0400

Artwork (8 images)