DAN REMMEL
The earth as seen from above—in aerial or elevated vantage points—shows the vastness of its beauty in both nature and man-made terrains. Often the two intersect or meet, providing a glimpse that is frequently overlooked at eye-level. In the new exhibition From Above at Principle Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia, artists Jill Basham and Kim VanDerHoek will explore these viewpoints through their individual yet complementary visions.
Around 2012 Basham painted her first aerial work—an imagined view of a beach from above that was inspired by flying in airplanes and looking at the landscapes below. The painting was well received and even became one of her prints, but it wasn’t until 2018 that she returned to the perspective. VanDerHoek has also been inspired by the views from planes, having done her first work from a photo she took out the window down on Washington, D.C. “I painted this aerial perspective in a demo years ago, and Jill was there,” says VanDerHoek. The two went to drop works off at Principle Gallery for another show they were in together and seeing them hanging side by side gave them the idea for a two-artist exhibition.
Basham’s style is a more organic one than VanDerHoek’s, where she lets the painting dictate much of the process, allowing for an atmospheric and serene quality to the paintings. “I tend to take memories of places I’ve been and then paint them from memory, sort of creating my own world so to speak,” Basham explains.
In the show will be Basham’s 48-by-60-inch painting Social Distance, a vast landscape, and the cityscape The Windy City. That piece, and other cityscape art in the show, differs from her usual process to one that relies on photographs, such as the view of Chicago she took while visiting her daughter.
VanDerHoek started her series for the show with the painting Tying the Knot and developed from there. She also paints both cityscapes and landscapes, such as Where All the Veils Fall, a large work that is from even above the clouds and looking down at the patchwork land, and City of Bridges, which shows the waterways,
bridges and rooftops from above.
A common thread through the majority of her works is her color palette, which is done in a method true to her more modern style. “I’ve been experimenting with using my own color choices for the paintings,” she says, adding, “I pick the palette and then paint the painting, regardless of what the reference looks like in terms of color.”
Along with their larger works, Basham and VanDerHoek will each exhibit 10 paintings measuring 10 by 10 inches and there will be one large collaborative painting that melds their styles together. The painting, depicting Washington, D.C., is set to be unveiled during an opening reception on September 18 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The show will remain on view through October 12.
Just as the city of Portland, Oregon, began to shut down because of the new coronavirus, Mary Alayne Thomas had started painting for her September solo show at Lotton Gallery in Chicago. As an artist who focuses on nature, Thomas found positivity amid the uncertainty in news reports of “the natural world rebounding and flourishing with the absence of humanity.”
She elaborates, “Polluted rivers became clean, skies became clear, wildlife returned into the spaces abandoned by people. I began to imagine trees and vines growing tall and taking over, animals roaming our streets and yards, reclaiming the planet. When I went on walks, the ravens seemed to be cawing in victory! I wanted to capture my vision of this world in which we coexisted with nature, and held its care as a priority in our hearts. Although the changes I saw were fleeting, I remain inspired by the flexibility of the natural world. It appears that by changing our behavior, we could change the world in which we live—something that often seems impossible—and that gives me such hope.”
Her paintings are often derived from daydreams or experiences in nature. While on hikes or from having lived in wild, remote areas, Thomas sees glimpses of wildlife and then builds a human connection to that wildlife on her canvas. “Going back to my inspiration for the show, a renewal for the planet, I try to imagine where I would like to fit into this new beginning,” she says. “I liked the idea of a green and wild awakening leading human beings to an awakening of our own.”
In paintings such as The Wild Wood and The Hawk Shares its Secret, Thomas was inspired by the abun
dance of life she has experienced on trips to Forest Park in Oregon.
Describing the former work, Thomas says, “There was a spot on this trail where a family of barred owls lived, and I returned to them several days in a row. On one particular day, I glanced at the ground while catching my breath, and I was astonished by the density, richness and variety of life just in a patch of earth near my feet! It was completely grown over with vines, ferns, trillium and mushrooms, the very mud seemed alive, and I knew that I wanted to try and capture it in a painting.”
The Hawk Shares its Secrets came about from a springtime visit to the park’s arboretum, which has acres of magnolia groves, and walking “through the mass of magenta and white blossoms,” she says. “A few days later, I was dragging a kayak to the Columbia Slough, when a hawk flew over my head, so low that I locked eyes with it. A single feather came drifting down, and I dropped my kayak and caught it in my hands. So, of course, I had to include a hawk in my painting.”
Another work in the show is A Message from the Sun, which depicts one of her favorite animals to paint, the sandhill crane. Being from New Mexico, Thomas saw them when they migrated yearly along the Rio Grande. “I once read a quote where it was stated, ‘When you see the cranes here in New Mexico, you know everything is going to be alright,’” Thomas shares. “In these uncertain times, I feel there is a message being given to us. As we heal nature, we ourselves are healed.”
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Artist Jack Gerber made a career painting his own view of city life with bold colors and energy that radiates off the canvas. They show his skill in interpreting the noise and ambiance while stylistically moving beyond reality to exaggerated figures and forms. September 3 to October 2, RJD Gallery in Bridgehampton, New York, will host a retrospective for the 93-year-old artist. Titled Jack Gerber: Life in Color Revealed, the exhibition will feature paintings from throughout Gerber’s career that highlight his contemporary point of view.
“I met Jack Gerber in 1985, and purchased several artworks, long before I was in the art business,” says gallery owner Richard J. Demato. “Jack told me, ‘I’m developing my own mythology, otherwise, according to William Blake, you will be forever enchained by somebody else’s.’ Gerber loves expressing himself, was never afraid