contemporary artist

SFA Projects: Home Sweet Home | A Group Exhibition in New York City

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September 29th, 2021 – October 23rd, 2021
OPENING RECEPTION: Wednesday, September 29th, 6pm–8pm
Gallery Hours: Fri-Sun, 1pm-6pm (and by appointment)
131 Chrystie Street, New York, NY 10002

ARTISTS: JORDAN BUSCHUR, PETEY BROWN, MICHELLE FARRO, NATSUMI GOLDFISH, ELIZABETH REAGH

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“Perhaps home is not a place but simply an irrevocable condition”
— James Baldwin, Giovanni’s Room

FROM THE GALLERY: This exhibition seeks to present the home as a connection to family and to our soul. A home is more than simply a house or an apartment; places, favorite belongings, and people may conjure the concept of home by bringing comfort, memories and happiness. Home may be the memories we can carry with us anywhere.

I’m honored to have my work included in this group exhibition along with four other talented artists. The concept of home and memory resonates with me as I am often working from old photographs, observation, and my personal memories. The two paintings pictured below were chosen for this exhibition- one is about the celebratory gathering of an Italian immigrant family, and the other about hunting dogs, the ideas for each image both rooted in the early 20th century on the East coast.

If you can make the event opening on September 29th, I would love to see you in person. For those who cannot physically see the show, you can view the other works from the exhibition here.

Golden Anniversary, oil on canvas, 24 x 30”, purchase

Golden Anniversary, oil on canvas, 24 x 30”, purchase

Tally-Ho, oil on canvas, 24 x 28”, purchase

Tally-Ho, oil on canvas, 24 x 28”, purchase

My Backyard Art Studio

My art studio, converted from an old shed.

My art studio, converted from an old shed.

I got my first real studio while studying painting in art school, something given to students in their final year. It was an old building in Laguna Canyon, quaint in size but large enough to fit the senior class of fifteen or so students. Prior to this I usually painted in a small corner of my home, and the quiet hum of artists all trying to figure it out was a welcomed change.

After graduating, I worked my way through a number of canyon spaces that were rustic but romantic in a California way, like an outdoor storage room and a series of garages that had likely been around since Laguna’s hippie artist colony days. Years later in Nashville, I found myself in an extra bedroom, community shared studios, and then a converted mill building. This was the first place I shared with the public, through both studio visits and a curatorial project exhibiting the work of artists I knew. That studio, I was most sad to leave of all.

Three years ago, I departed Nashville for New Jersey. I moved to my family’s home in a rural part of the state near the coast, and a forgotten shed building caught my eye as a potential studio. It was overgrown with plants and filled to the ceiling with the things that tend to accumulate in sheds. I spent a few months removing debris, replacing rotting walls and floors, and adding new windows and a door along with insulation. The end result was somewhat rough but suiting for my needs which revolve around good natural light and a quiet atmosphere. 

Funnily enough, as I write this I have just a few days left of working in this studio before I move to the next one. If you’ve seen my paintings and prints in the past few years, it most likely happened here. I love thinking about all of the different ideas that were turned into woodblock prints and canvas paintings in this space, along with the hundreds of minutes I spent meditating while lying on the blue painted floor. With that, I welcome you to my studio.

The Before Photos

The After Photos

5 Places to See Art in Central New Jersey

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Growing up in central New Jersey, I had little idea that I was surrounded by cool places to see art in person. Now living back in my home state, I wanted to share a few of my favorite local places for art excursions.

ArtYard | Frenchtown

Janet Ruttenberg show at ArtYard in Frenchtown, NJ

I came across ArtYard by accident and was blown away I hadn’t heard of it before. What was this beautiful contemporary art space doing in a quaint river town? ArtYard was founded by a group of artists and encompasses a few buildings in Frenchtown, sharing a wide range of programming. During my visit, I saw a show of Janet Ruttenberg’s massive Central Park paintings. I believe they will reopen in September, by appointment.

ArtYard website

Grounds for Sculpture | Hamilton Township

Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton Township, NJ

Grounds for Sculpture is a 42 acre park, home to 300 contemporary sculptures and 6 indoor galleries that show temporary exhibits. The organization puts on educational workshops, concerts, and performances. It’s a good place to visit on a day you’d rather be outdoors, and I think there is something special about seeing the art and gardens as the seasons change.

Grounds for Sculpture website

Main Street Gallery | Manasquan

Main Street Gallery in Manasquan, New Jersey

Main Street Gallery is a great place to see some of my work in person locally. The owner Jen is an absolute joy to work with, and I always enjoy going in to see what’s on display. You can expect to find a selection of work that speaks to the local coastal community along with a wider range of figurative and abstract contemporary art. Some of my favorite pieces are the etchings by Helen Frank, a painter/printmaker who was recently inducted into The Met’s permanent collection.

Main Street Gallery website

Princeton University Art Museum | Princeton

Princeton University Art Museum

I consider this museum a hidden gem of New Jersey. The permanent collection of artifacts and paintings is incredible, and they usually have a more contemporary exhibit going on as well. They are technically closed right now, but there is plenty to explore on their website until the museum reopens.

Princeton University Art Museum website

Schmidtberger Fine Art Gallery | Frenchtown

Schmidtberger Fine Art Gallery in Frenchtown

Another great art space located in Frenchtown. Founded by painter John Schmidtberger, SFA gallery shares the work of mid to late-career artists. The few shows I’ve seen speak to the painterly painter in me, with a variety of life paintings reminiscent of Fairfield Porter.

SFA Gallery website