Co|So Exhibitions :: Summer Members’ Show "New England Perceived"

Co|So’s summer exhibition New England Perceived, features work by a selected group of artist members that explore and celebrate New England.  Juried by Jonathan Fairbanks, (Director of the Fuller Craft Museum and former curator of American Decorative Arts and Sculpture at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) the show includes a wide variety of media, including oil, pastel, watercolor, graphite, photography and wood carving. The works are tied together through their evocation of the spirit of New England in the summer months and beyond.

Perfect Pairing by Ann Trainor Domingue depicts the iconic New England lobster meal.  Sun pours in through an adjacent window, gently illuminating the feast of lobster and white wine. Domingue’s prominent use of reds and blues produces a contrast in temperature, creating the impression of cool shade at the end of a hot summer’s day.  The overall effect is the feeling of leisure and relaxation, two ideals that are synonymous with summer in New England.

Steven Simpson’s The Other Side of the Tracks is the 2^nd place prize winner of the Summer Members’ Show: New England Perceived. This work depicts a view from the Charles River with the Boston University Bridge in the foreground and the Boston cityscape receding into the background. A B.U. sailboat shares the focus of the painting with the bridge as other boats are shown behind it on the water. The Other Side of the Tracks is a common image for many during the summer as they walk or run along Memorial Drive and look across the River to Boston. 

Claudia Kaufman’s Jar of Limons is an innovative and refreshing take on fruit still lifes. Assorted lemons and limes are packed within a traditional mason jar, presumably to garnish a summer dish or drink. One cannot help but imagine the tart citrus flavor of these fruits when observing the saturated green and yellow pulp. The dark background highlights the subject and creates the focal point of the hyper-realist depiction of the mason jar and its ripened contents. Jar of Limons is a stunning display of Kaufman’s talent as a still life painter, and is a perfect summer work.

With thirty-six works in all, New England Perceived presents a diverse array of artists and styles and is sure to feel as much like summer as lively Newbury Street outside.  New England Perceived will be on view through August 22, 2012. Stop by the gallery for a taste of summer in Boston!