“Rocky Mountain Flower Pots” (Photo by Jerry Heffner)
“More Moors” in watercolor (artwork by James Maloney)
When looking at black-and-white artwork, it’s important to first notice the mood—how emotions come to the forefront when there’s no color to support a narrative or scene. Visit the Pine Shores Art Association’s main gallery and studio on the second floor of the American Legion Hall on historic Stafford Avenue in Manahawkin and lose yourself in a moody, monochromatic world where light and shadow dance and play.
But do it soon. The current exhibition will be on view through Wednesday, August 28. An awards reception was held on August 4, where ribbons were awarded to the works deemed worthy by jurors George Mattei, who viewed the photographs, and Diane Tomash, who evaluated the paintings and drawings.
The next most striking quality of grayscale art is its timelessness. Unlike everyday life in all its colors, the white, black and intermediate tones of a portrait, still life or landscape leave the viewer to decide whether the inspiration was reality, memory or dream.
Particularly in abstract and graphic applications, the design elements must compensate for the lack of color, so an artist may rely more heavily on composition, line, value and texture to convey meaning.
The Pine Shores show offers the whole range. The jury examined 62 entries and selected eight winners.
First place in the Connie Purves Memorial Award for Photography went to Anna Simmons for “Sunday Congregation,” a dramatic photograph in which a dozen wading birds appear as a jumble of long, arching necks and undulating reflections on the water, brilliant white against dark foliage.
In contrast, Stephanie Belenets was awarded first prize for the Alex Stillano Black and White Painting/Drawing Award for her acrylic painting “Mr. Tony’s Barn,” in which warm feelings meet cold atmosphere. The delicate treatment of the gentle winter scene with leafless trees standing protectively around an old outbuilding evokes a childhood memory.
“As the Light Fades to Dark” is an acrylic painting. (Artwork by Ellen Nagy)
Second place in the photography category went to Jerry Heffner for “Rocky Mountain Flowerpots,” in which worn work boots are repurposed as planters – for two right feet. The carefully composed image is full of contrasts in subject matter, value and texture. Heffner has juxtaposed sturdy footwear and delicate petunias; hues ranging from the purest white to the deepest black; and the almost tangible tactile qualities of cracked leather, soft petals, the gritty cement floor and a chunky stone wall.
Christine Koutsogiannis continued the floral theme and took second place in painting with her “Sunflowers”. Two elegantly depicted stems rise from the darkness and stretch towards the light. Confident brushstrokes make efficient use of the vertically oriented space.
Third place went to Lisa Romano with her photo “Beach Drift” and James Maloney with his watercolor “More Moors”.
Romano’s grainy “Beach Drift” shows a dune protected by fences, each with a seagull perched on its post. With the soft focus and visual impact of film photography, the moment could be today or decades ago. Maloney’s Moore are the black version of dragon-eyed goldfish, seen from above, swimming (or flying?) among the floating plants across a masterfully light-dappled, gravelly bottom. His technique achieves sharpness and detail in an illustrative way that shows his mastery of the watercolor medium.
Honorable mentions went to Christopher Thomas for his photograph “Bangka on the Bay” and Ellen Nagy for her acrylic painting “As the Light Fades to Dark.”
Bangkas are a type of double-outrigger watercraft, originally dugout canoes, native to the Philippines. In Thomas’s image, the mood is created by the dim light conditions of the day, which could be either dawn or dusk, the ominous clouds, and the tree on the shore with its silhouette and exposed roots. The boat in the foreground is empty.
In Nagy’s still lifes of arranged flowers and fruit, she has applied paint in a loose, energetic manner, seeming to blend classical and contemporary approaches.
“Breadline” in watercolor (artwork by MaryBeth McCabe)
Not to be missed is MaryBeth McCabe’s watercolor “Breadline,” which shows five men from behind, all modestly dressed in practical hats and long coats. With a strong narrative, their indefinite wait creates tension in the work; their shoulders visibly bear the weight of their circumstances. But the real star of the painting is the invisible source of light. McCabe has added the charming touch of the shadow each man casts on the back of the man in front of him.
Other artists have also used shadows and silhouettes as focal points. Kathleen Leschke did this in watercolor for her work “Father’s Day,” which depicts the time-honored tradition of man and boy in a fishing boat; Susanne Porter did it in gouache for her boaters in “Listening to Music on Manahawkin Lake”; and Phil Meara painted “Shadow Sailor” in watercolor, a perspective that makes the shadowy figure of the sailor/viewer the main subject.
And some eschewed gray and stuck strictly to black on white. Irene Bausmith took the opportunity to explore patterns in pen and ink for her abstract landscape “Montana.” Linda Blum used mixed media for a bold, simple composition of trees and sun on the horizon called “Ahma and Zaza.” And Paul Daukas submitted two abstract portraits – line drawings in pen and ink that betray his love of Picasso – a “Paul” and a “Lois.”
With a limited palette and unlimited imagination, Pine Shores artists faced the inherent challenges of the show and challenged themselves to speak a specific artistic language. Viewers are encouraged to stop by and see what speaks to them, Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. during “Do Your Own Thing” and from 7 to 9 p.m. during the portrait drawing session.
The next show, a double exhibition by the two artists Paul Hartelius and Carlo Gaboardi, will adorn the walls of the gallery in September and October.
Visit pineshoresartassociation.org.
