203-594-3638 [email protected]
Select Page

Pattern, Rhythm and Cycles is a lively mixture of representational, abstract and non-objective paintings, sculpture, mixed media, graphics and two photographs by thirty-one members of the American Society of Contemporary Artists, a national organization known as ASCA. Artists in this exhibit are predominantly from the tri-state area as well as California, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. The society is in its 95th year and limits its membership to 100 artists chosen by a peer revue panel.

The show includes many paintings, sculpture and mixed media work. It is refreshing to see so many paintings and sculptures that are inviting due to their tactile nature. A spare green abstract painting by Maria de Echevarrai, Nina, is quietly compelling as is Annette Lieblein’s Waiting (B), a beautiful small encaustic of numerous small figures in black and white. Run Rabbit Run, a colorful, boldly painted abstract oil by Richard Karp, is small but vibrant, and Scream, a large and imposing canvas by Sachie Hayashi, demands attention. It is a turbulent abstract landscape dominated by swirling puffy clouds. Eleanor Comin’s elegant pencil and gouache drawings are intricate patterns with small little windows of color unexpectedly appearing amidst the soft graphite drawn forms.

A few highlights of sculpture include Lubomir Tomaszewski’s Portrait of a Woman, an unusual mixture of rough glass and weathered wood. The glass is formed into the silhouette of a woman’s face framed by the wood resembling flowing windblown hair. When the afternoon light pours through the gallery, the face seems to glow. Harrient FeBland’s Turning, is a visually strong wall relief in the shape of a column with spiraling linear black and white ovals. In contrast, two untitled totemic-like wall pieces by Marcia Bernstein seem simultaneously ancient and contemporary. They are crafted out of metal parts and other materials with an overall rough stone finish. Jeremy Comin’s Double Pleasure is a tall and elegant geometric wood sculpture with a few smaller organic shaped components. The center of the gallery is dominated by his square format puzzle-like piece of wood and metal entitled Delicate Balance #3. Mihai Caranica’s Unknown Portrait in wonderstone is an elegant spare form as is the bronze abstract figure Counterpoise by Isabel Shaw. In contrast, Estelle Levy’s Queen of Hearts is a whimsical porcelain portrait in celadon green. The Queen smirks and proudly adorns a red flower on her “crown.”

Barbara Brown Schiller has two fiber works in the show. Sunlight and Shadows depicts a striking adobe suburban house. In regard to the inclusive show theme, Schiller, president of ASCA, said, “Every artist has a rhythm to their work.”

Enjoy the Pattern, Rhythm and Cycles of the American Association of Contemporary Artists at the Betty Barker Gallery through April 1, 2011.

These comments are from our curator, Lydia Viscardi, on the ASCA show.  What do you think? Share your thoughts below!