Works by Marjorie Kramer and Sam Thurston Go on View at Blue Mountain Gallery, 1/28

Blue Mountain Gallery presents the work of two artists, Marjorie Kramer and Sam Thurston, who both use the carefully observed world as a starting point for range of expressive works in a variety of mediums. The artists work in New York City and Vermont.

MARJORIE KRAMER will be showing seven paintings done over several decades while sitting deep in the Vermont woods. It is a series through time, similar to others the artist has done of other subjects such as self portraits and snowy landscapes. Kramer will also show recent drawings done while looking out of friends' apartments in New York City or while sitting in the car in parking lots in Vermont looking at the wild juxtaposition of new and old buildings, rich and poor people, and vehicles and empty spaces.

The artist says of her work:These woods paintings were each worked on all one summer, in different summers from the 1970's to 2010's, most of them are 40" x 48". The woods has been logged over several times during the two hundred years of white settlement, Hard Maple, Beech, Spruce, Balsam, White Pine each being cut and carted off. The woods recovers eventually, through winter temperatures as low as minus 45 degrees and through lush short summers. There are bear, deer, and raccoon, songs of Hermit Thrushes...and the artist sitting for hours painting in the midst of so much open beauty, being sometimes subject to Northern Forest Fears. Paint tubes and glass palette are hidden at night behind trees while the canvas and brushes are taken back to the house, an idea gotten from Gretna Campbell.

SAM THURSTON will exhibit eight wood sculptures of archetypal figures: five recent and three older to give conceptual context. Thurston is also exhibiting paintings of New York City street scenes depicting Fourteenth Street, Brooklyn Bridge, Long Island City and Queens Plaza.

The artist says of his work:When I use the image of the human body in sculpture I simultaneously resist its reality and embrace its reality. Resist it because I really want to show my self- not a dumb, inert, academic reality. But I need to embrace the real because the real is the only tool with power I can use; if I abandon that tool I am just guessing or using someone else's idea. My middle way between is to use myth, archetype, story and dance along with looking and intuition. In my cityscapes I find a similar situation - to embrace and reject the real. By working directly from life and from drawings done on site, and continuing to work on them in the studio, and by allowing subjective distortions and narrative to enter I try to balance the two.

MARJORIE KRAMER : Survey of Woods Paintings and Urban Drawings
SAM THURSTON : Sculpture and Paintings

Exhibition runs January 28 - February 22, 2014:

Opening: Thursday, January 30, 5 - 8 pm
2nd Reception: Saturday, February 1, 3 - 5 pm
Event: Alternative Art Histories Series, Jennifer SametIdeas on Art from "Beer with a Painter" on Thursday, February 6, at 6:30

Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 11-6. For additional information, contact the gallery at info@bluemountaingallery.org or call 646-486-4730.