b. j. spoke gallery will open two new exhibits in Sept. — Katherine Criss’s solo exhibit and window installation titled Surreal Encounters in Paint & Pixels #2 — along with a large member show that will fill the rest of the gallery.
Both exhibits can be viewed from Sept. 1 through Oct. 1 during gallery hours or by private appointments with the artists.
Criss will give a talk during a reception and green-tagged silent auction of some of her work that will take place on Saturday, Sept. 9, from 6 to 9 p.m.
About her work, Criss said, “What is a surreal encounter? At first it may appear as an everyday scene, but upon a second look there may be a custard the size of a man, trains slithering through eyes or the dreamland of a street sleeper.”
She went on to say, “The work you see here was created with paint and pixels using the language of symbols to communicate a visual message. It is through surrealism that I examine subconscious significances of imagery, and explore the effects of unexpected juxtapositions on my subjects. I experience surreal moments all the time, especially since 911. Sometimes I even feel submerged in them. Just look and see what you can find.”
A work by Criss, My best job Ever!, is a collage of photographs on a hanging torso.
The images depict the artist’s experience working in a 1960s’ commercial fashion photography studio on 5th Ave. in Manhattan and is available for sale during the silent auction reception on Sept. 9, with a starting bid at $375.
The artists in the September members exhibit include the following:
Richard Anello, digital painter
Phyllis Baron, abstract painter
John Bell, metal sculptor
Katherine Criss, surreal artist
Liz Ehrlichman, painting and mono prints
Barbara Grey, painting and photography
Barbara V. Jones, drip abstractions
Karen Kirshner, abstract paintings
Robert Korval, photography
Kevin Larkin, abstraction expressionism
Joanne Leftsky, floral abstraction
Lili Maglione, abstract expressionist
Diane Marxe, bronze animal sculptures
Lorraine Carol, abstract expressionism
Nicolette Pach, fabric fantasies
Gia Schifano, realistic painter
Cindy Shechter, abstract landscapes
Constance Wain, naturalist painter
Bert Winsberg, impressionist painter
For more information, go to www.bjspokegallery.org or call 631-549-5106.
b.j. spoke gallery is located at 299 Main Street in Huntington.
The museum also invites the general public to join the Artist Circle, a discussion group centered on creativity and the sharing of art with colleagues that meets twice a month – on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. — on the following dates: Sept. 4, 17, Oct. 1, 15, 29, Nov. 12, 26 and Dec. 10, the last meeting of the year.
