Exhibition Feature: Sam Vokey

Moonlight and Peonies:  these two titles evoke the simple serenity that exudes from the images. The paintings by Sam Vokey were featured in the Copley Society of Art's premiere exhibition at the Boston Private Bank & Trust in the Prudential Center. In 2007, the painter’s consistent ability to fashion well-balanced compositions while cultivating the light and dark values awarded him the John Singleton Copley Award, the highest honor given by the Copley Society. 

Moonlight, oil on linen, 36 x 60

 Moonlight’s endless tumble of waves rolls forward from the gleaming dark turquoise ocean, in curves and swoops of thick, salty flurries. Dark masses of slippery rock emerge from the depths, interrupting the glide of the water into flying white sprays. A haze of pink and blue sky sits on the horizon, while the faint glow of distant houses and moonlight shines from within powdery clouds. The moon's luminescent reflections become distorted as they recede on the water. Moonlight and Peonies are exemples of Vokey's painting style: Realism infused with the softness of Impressionism.

Peonies, oil on linen, 23 x 22

The seascape of continuous, undisturbed motion of layered waves is isolated in the window frame of Peonies. The pink and blue smolder of the sky is reflected in the blushing flowers and their translucent vase. Vibrant accents of domestic life sit in a semicircular composition on the polished wood table – crisp green apples, smooth tangy oranges, and a gleaming silver pitcher, all peaceful observers of the spread of moonlight from their smooth yellow cloth. Vokey's typical serene views are currently on display at Boston Private Bank until mid-November.

Information taken from http://www.svokey.com/, About the Artist

Artist Feature: Kate Sullivan

“I thought the locomotives were overwhelming, 
and I wanted to express that.”
 - Kate Sullivan

On October 13,  the Copley Society welcomes you to indulge in the visual decadence of the latest show : Kate Sullivan's “Slow Roads & Hard Lines.” This solo show exhibition provides viewers with close-up, blown-up, industrial snapshots of a mode of transportation that paradoxically reads as both modern and anachronistic. The drawings encompass not only the intricate details of their subject matter, but capture a three-dimensional atmosphere – from streams of sunlight glaring off curves of metal to urban facades reflected in shop windows. Not to be mistaken for black and white photographs, these detailed graphite images seam the contemporary art world’s affinity for photo-realism with good old-fashioned drawing.
 

The striking Streetcars and Electric Locomotives: Waiting - Locomotive at Dockweiler, Germany imposes bold lines of smooth contours supported by complex weaving of angles and shapes. Sullivan puts every inch of the colossal canvas to use, including every dent in the diligent shell and every churn of wispy white smoke extending from the resting wheels.  Layer upon layer is recreated of the beautifully engineered structure, reinterpreting strict mechanics into a unique sculpture of the artist’s own creation. Every angle of shadow against the hot metal translates the power of the locomotive to that of the burning sun, and the complexity of the structure is further emphasized by the bare white background, permeated only by a cluster of slender trees.

Streetcars and Electric Locomotives: Waiting - Locomotive at Dockweiler, graphite on paper, 44 x 60

The three industrious vehicles in Buses of Truth sit exposed in the engulfing glare of the sun, whose rays simultaneously caress the gleaming shells and bounce off the broad windows. The light streams into the undisturbed structures, revealing rows of empty seats, while a pool of cool shade is contained under the heavy masses of the vehicles. In this way, Sullivan continues her play of light and shadow, using the wall of buses to project the extending light back into the viewer’s space.

Buses of Truth, graphite on paper, 20 x 30

This striking series of works engages beyond a simply literal reading of its industrial realm. Allowing the viewer a kind of aimless, meandering contemplation, Sullivan provides the trains, but she does not lay the tracks.

"Slow Roads & Hard Lines will be on display until November 10, 2011. 

Click HERE to visit the online exhibition.

Members' Reception Tonight!*

Thursday, October 13 5:30 - 7:30

*Members: Free | Non-Members: $10