Chester Gallery brings together a diverse group of artists that excel in their craft of painting, collage, printmaking, etching-engraving, and sculpture. Each express the wealth of nature, both inherent and physical, in their work.
Featured are the trompe l’oeil paintings of Michael Theise, master of detail and optical deception. Trompe l’oeil means to “deceive the eye,” and his works depict hyperrealist images of the many mundane objects we find so fascinating. Hardly has money seemed so crisp yet so unattainable; a deck of cards so worn and played; a postcard so deliberate but left aside. We know the feel, we know the smell; we know the wrinkles and the creases and the tears like they were the very lines on our palms, yet coming upon Theise’s work in passing, our eyes are caught, and we are tricked, the irony as real as the empty spaces of our pockets.
Richard Ziemann, beloved artist of Chester and master-engraver, achieves his own strain of detail in his depictions of the natural world rather than the material. Though done in black and white, the warmth and jarring reality of the scenes are not lost – an achievement that takes a truly patient hand and a peaceful state, or perhaps just a long, long stretch of time.
Also included in the exhibition will be a large piece by renowned artist Wolf Kahn. The spirit and imagery of his work rests on his Vermont farm – the kind of place and aesthetic that begs you not to overthink. “The more you concentrate on factors other than emotional content in your paintings, the better off you are,” he said. “Nature and the artist’s feelings are merely the raw materials.”
Other Connecticut artists included are Sheila Barbone, Rosamund Christison, Sean Kratzert, Nancy Pinney, Fred Trinkaus, Michael Viera, Jerry Weiss, and Australian artist Irene Barbaris - each working two dimensionally in a wide range of styles and mediums.
Throughout the gallery and sculpture grounds we continue with three-dimensional works in metal, glass, bronze and ceramics by Gil Boro, Ashby Carlisle, Stephanie Chubbuck, Mundy Hepburn, Michael McLaughlin, and Eric Serritella.
We are excited to exhibit Eric’s one of a kind sculptures for the first time in the gallery. He specializes in hand-carved ceramic sculptures transformed into birch, charred and weathered logs. His hyperrealism sculptures have been exhibited, awarded and collected on five continents for their exquisite organic design and incredibly lifelike textures.
The exhibition is on view through September 22. Normal business hours are Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 6 p.m., or by appointment. (Sundays by chance.)
Top left: Richard Ziemann ‘Sunflowers’ detail, etching/ engraving, 18” x 24”
Top center: Wolf Kahn ‘Vermont Barn’ monotype, 36” x 58”
Bottom center: Michael Theise, ‘Monopoly’ oil on board, 11” x 21”
Top right: Eric Serritella ‘En Vogue’ ceramic, 23” x 20” x 11”
