My Place in American Realism

I’m happy to say that I’m part of a illustrious group show, “American Realism: From Past to Present,” at Cavalier Galleries in midtown Manhattan which runs through November 30th.

From start to finish, Jay and I thoroughly enjoyed the opening of this exhibit, packed full of visually striking representational works, and quite a welcome change from the many purely conceptual shows in Chelsea.

Realism is alive and well on 57th Street.

It was nice to see familiar faces as soon as we arrived, when we were greeting by our friends Nina Fixler and Mark Rosenstein. The reception was well attended throughout the evening, which kept me so busy that I didn’t have much time for the art!

After taking a quick look around, we found my two paintings in this room, with a striking painting of Manhattan views by Jenness Cortez on the far left. It was especially fitting to find Bonnie’s Carrot Cake (4 panels) on the far wall, together with Crumbs Bake Shop Cupcakes (Bonnie’s 12-Pack) on the right, since Bonnie played an instrumental role in both works by eating the original subjects.

People often ask me what style or category my work falls in. Usually I answer contemporary realism. This show gave me a new perspective on my own work by positioning it within the much broader context of the American Realist Movement, harking back to the 19th century.

Some of the great icons in American art were included, such as Eastman Johnson, George Inness, John Singer Sargent, James McNeil Whistler, Mary Cassatt, J. Alden Andrew and Jamie Wyeth, among others.

This was one of my favorite walls with paintings by a Joel Carson Jones, working in the tradition of American trompe l’oeil (“fool the eye”) 19th century painters John Frederick Peto and William Harnett, whom I have always admired.

The show was full of pleasant surprises, like this particularly appealing Louis Comfort Tiffany painting (where Jay is talking to our friends Carol and Len Schwartz). I want to make sure give Carol a shoutout since she’s been my #1 fan, religiously following my blog through both monthly painting-a-day challenges. Being the daughter of an artist, she sees things that many people don’t and gives me valuable feedback.

When Barbara Pedersen arrived, the proud owner of Jay’s Blueberry Tart, I knew we would have a lively discussion about the exhibit. Barbara has been to more art galleries than I have!

American Realism is an impressive show that you truly have to see in person to appreciate and savor – which is exactly what I did when I went back for the second time. It will be worth the trip (and I’m not saying that just because my work is in it!)

Cavalier Galleries is located at 3 W. 57th Street, just west of Fifth Avenue, on the 4th floor. Since there’s major construction on the corner, be sure and look for the street level signage by the entrance.

Enjoy the show!