Alexander/Heath Contemporary
is to proud to present
a group exhibition by eight painters
from around the world:

ATMOSPHERES

September 3 through October 29, 2021
Curated by Laura Vahlberg

 

OPENING RECEPTION:
Art-by-Night Friday, September 3rd, 2021, 6-10 pm

Refreshments / Music / Parking Map
Gallery located at Campbell Ave SW and 5th Street
(Enter on 5th Street between Campbell Ave SW and Rorer Ave

Documentation of Exhibition / Virtual Tour of Exhibition available here

 

 

Artist Lennart Anderson once said, “a painting is a box of light and air.” This idea illustrates the concept of a painting being its own world where gravity works and light falls.

In “Atmospheres” the work of artists from 4 nations has been brought together at Alexander Heath Contemporary in Roanoke, Virginia.  All the work demonstrates a consideration of the quality of air in a painted space. In addition to the element of air there is a certain reality of light present in the work where the light source is very convincing– it lays on the earth like a blanket. In Elise Schweitzer’s paintings of Italy you can feel the lightness of air as if you are a bird flying over the cultivated land.  The earth is sculpted with paint where the distance between the viewer and the motif is tactile. You can taste the dusty air of Jerusalem in Lena Chermoshniuk’s architectural cityscapes and the humidity of London in Clare Haward’s landscapes.

A pictorial consideration of space is also present– how the subject of the picture takes up space in the rectangle of the painting. In Yonatan Becker’s paintings of buildings there is a monumentality that transcends the actual size of the painting. In Ronit Goldschimdt’s airplane landscape there is a bowl of air in the valley between mountains.

There is also a real humanity present in these works. Though they are representational paintings where certain facts are recorded, what is included creates a sort of narrative of how the artist sees. In Conrad Frankel’s bonfire painting you can feel the fire and the darkness. Not all the facts are required to feel the heat and time of day and the hot smoke in your mouth. In Elana Hagler’s Hampstead Lake, notice the thoughtful colors of the yellow lights from the building. Each lighted window is a loved and carefully crafted color.

Many of the artists have studied under art world giants such as Israel Hershberg, Ken Kewley, and Scott Noel. They live and paint in many parts of the world including Tuscany, London, Alabama, Jerusalem, the Irish countryside, Staunton, and our town of Roanoke, Virginia. Though they come from many cultures, they are united under a visual language that interprets atmospheres that are simultaneously unique and universal to the human experience.

Laura Vahlberg – Curator July 2021

Information about participating artists from their:

Clare Haward: https://www.clarehaward.co.uk/

Ronit Goldschmidt: https://www.ronitgoldschmidt.com/

Elana Hagler: https://elanahagler.com/home.html

Elise Schweitzer: http://www.easchweitzer.com/

Martin Geiger: https://www.martingeigerart.com/

Laura Vahlberg: www.lauravahlberg.com

Lena Chermoshniuk: https://lena-art.weebly.com/

Conrad Frankel: http://www.conradfrankel.com

Yonatan Becker: https://yonatanbecker.com/

In addition to these websites Curator Laura Vahlberg has interviewed or written about some of these artists. The interviews can be seen on Laura’s website blog. Here are the links to the blog posts:

Elana Hagler: https://www.lauravahlberg.com/blog/2020/4/28/notes-from-a-portrait-drawing-demonstration-with-elana-hagler

Yonatan Becker: https://www.lauravahlberg.com/blog/2021/6/9/an-email-interview-with-yehonatan-becker

Conrad Frankel: https://www.lauravahlberg.com/blog/2021/3/3/an-email-interview-with-conrad-frankel

Lena Chermoshniuk: https://www.lauravahlberg.com/blog/2021/2/12/interview-with-lena-chermoshniuk