Sharon Henderson

Sterling Peonies: framed contemporary oil painting of pink & white flowers

2024

"In the series “This is a real place!” I was fascinated by how the underside of the pier at Saint Simons Island, GA was like a readymade collage. The way the pilings and rails divide and frame the spaces between them looks artificially imposed on the scene until you notice the way the waves bounce off the pilings and the railings cast shadows on the water. In some iterations, I chose to simplify the structures of the pier and lighten the values so that it would emphasize the detail in the water. Likewise, I omitted a family of starlings and their droppings in favor of highlighting the geometry of the architecture and the colors and patterns of the water. Making paintings in a series allows me to investigate the results of making different decisions about an image. How I crop or stylize it, the manner in which I apply the paint, what gets included or excluded all add shades of meaning to each piece. Additionally, depictions of the same subject in different weather, seasons, times of day, and tides allows me a deeper understanding. I notice more relationships, colors, and details every time I paint the subject. Every painting is a pile of decisions. Playing with removing more and more details to see what is truly important sometimes improves the painting. The fewer elements you include in an image, the more each one means, and the more important it is to get each thing perfect. At times I like to paint every single detail I can find in a scene, and other times I feel like the unadorned components are sufficient to hold each other in a satisfying composition. I often add simplified shapes to my paintings to highlight the presence of absence or to heighten the importance of each area by creating stark visual contrasts. ⁠The physicality of the paint also plays a role. I used highly textured, thickly applied paint to construct the solid structural elements, and luminous layers of thinly glazed paint for the delicate linework and subtle blending of the water." - Brooke Lanier...

"In the series “This is a real place!” I was fascinated by how the underside of the pier at Saint Simons Island, GA was like a readymade collage. The way the pilings and rails divide and frame the spaces between them looks artificially imposed on the scene until you notice the way the waves bounce off the pilings and the railings cast shadows on the water. In some iterations, I chose to simplify the structures of the pier and lighten the values so that it would emphasize the detail in the water. Likewise, I omitted a family of starlings and their droppings in favor of highlighting the geometry of the architecture and the colors and patterns of the water. Making paintings in a series allows me to investigate the results of making different decisions about an image. How I crop or stylize it, the manner in which I apply the paint, what gets included or excluded all add shades of meaning to each piece. Additionally, depictions of the same subject in different weather, seasons, times of day, and tides allows me a deeper understanding. I notice more relationships, colors, and details every time I paint the subject. Every painting is a pile of decisions. Playing with removing more and more details to see what is truly important sometimes improves the painting. The fewer elements you include in an image, the more each one means, and the more important it is to get each thing perfect. At times I like to paint every single detail I can find in a scene, and other times I feel like the unadorned components are sufficient to hold each other in a satisfying composition. I often add simplified shapes to my paintings to highlight the presence of absence or to heighten the importance of each area by creating stark visual contrasts. ⁠The physicality of the paint also plays a role. I used highly textured, thickly applied paint to construct the solid structural elements, and luminous layers of thinly glazed paint for the delicate linework and subtle blending of the water." - Brooke Lanier...

Mat Tomezko's latest series of abstract mixed media paintings are constructed from traditional acrylic painting and the incorporation of ash into a hand-mixed paint of his own creation. This piece is part of a body of work that uses evocative materials and imagery of fire, flowers, food, newspapers, asphalt, and ash to illuminate the interconnectedness of destructive and creative forces. "Ash" is a traditional still-life and landscape composition interrupted by broad black geometric chevron lines or "arrows" that divide the composition symmetrically in a geometric balance. This painting is signed and dated on the back. It includes all hanging hardware and is ready to install -- no need for additional framing. Tomezsko is an artist from Philadelphia who creates abstract paintings, public art installations, and community art projects based around participation and everyday visual language. His approach to composition is informed by mid-century formalism and conceptualism. His work was recognized by the 2017 Americans for the Arts Public Art Network Year in Review for outstanding public art. Tomezsko’s work has been exhibited at numerous art spaces regionally and nationally, including the Crane Arts, Woodmere Art Museum, the Center For Emerging Visual Artists (CFEVA), and Wexler Gallery in Philadelphia; Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago, IL; the Delaware Contemporary in Wilmington, DE; and Thomas Hunter Projects in New York, NY. He has created several notable public art projects including "14 Movements: A Symphony in Color and Words," a mile-long temporary mural installed in downtown Philadelphia during the 2016 Democratic National Convention; "Look Long and Look Good," a series of 30 paintings currently installed along Main Street in Manayunk; and "Flowering Axes," a mural in the 5th Street Vehicular Tunnel underneath the Ben Franklin Bridge. His work is in the collection of The Wharton...

This is an original sill life interior painting of fruit (apples) with a geometric fractured composition. The artist made the painting one section at a time. When working on one section, the artist would block off the rest of the composition so the objects and background needed to be placed again. By building the composition this way, the background and table appear at different levels and the shapes don't quite align. These imperfections convey a sense of passing time. In each section, the tone of the light changes, and the shadows switch directions. The apples and geometric shapes were chosen as much for metaphorical value as for aesthetics. A seemingly simple arrangement in a familiar painting genre contains a depth of observation, artistic choices, and interpretation. This painting is signed and dated on the back. Includes all hanging hardware and ready to install; no need for additional framing. Mat...

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