Written by Michael Goldstein for THE ARTISTS FORUM MAGAZINE
Edited by Amos White V for THE ARTISTS FORUM, INC
Photos: Michael Goldstein
REVIEWER RATING:
3.5 out of 5 stars
SALMAGUNDI CLUB 132ND ANNUAL MEMBERS’ EXHIBITION
NEW YORK, NY (May 10, 2016) Out of the 132 annual members’ exhibitions that the Salmagundi Club has held, the 132nd might be the most exotic, featuring a wide array of specializations such as oil, watercolor, oil pastel, photography, colored pencil, and sculpture and mixed media. While nothing stopped the night from being a master class of housing inspiration from all over the world, some stuck out and faired more than others.
Of the various sculptures that occupied the entrance to the exhibition, Lou Lalli’s interactive piece entitled Feed Me seemed to stand out the most. The attendants place a few marble balls from a small, copper bowl into the mouth of a limestone-made, amorphous, four-legged creature and the balls reemerge through the other side and back into the bowl. Such a playful interaction seems to emphasize an element of recycling and a possible message of eventually becoming what we eat.
Jane McGraw, meanwhile, brings to the floor her world, Feel the Ocean; a large, pastel painting that successfully freezes in time both the ocean’s serenity and malleable personality as a single wave crashes into the shore.
In a similar manner, Jane Pronko’s oil canvas, Rain Forest, successfully reflects a fog as he brushes over the rainforest, creating an aura of mystery of sorts as several trees began to appear.
Aida Garrity’s oil still life, Unforgettable Memories, is anything but a still-life portrait. With her vivid coloring and blurring, this expressive painting becomes a a trip down memory lane and throws us back into our childhood days.
Shawn Sullivan’s oil panel, Beholden, depicts several cameras preparing to take pictures of a bowl of oranges, becoming comically self-referential of its own existence as a result.
John Leicmon brought his oil painting, One Morning, to the evening floor. The portrait of a small child beautifully interprets the flow of her character through both vivid and dark colors. You’d swear for a second it was an actual photograph!
Killing two birds with one stone is easy, but seeing multiple personalities with one pair of eyes is no simple feat. Each of these artists, and the rest that companied them, brought something fresh and exciting to the floor that night, making it an unforgettable memory.
For more information about Salmagundi, visit: salmagundi.org
