Friday, July 10, 2009

Julie Heffernan at Mark Moore Gallery, Santa Monica & April Gornik at The Heckscher Museum, Huntington, NY

I hate it when I find out about an exhibition just after it closes. That is the case with both Julie Heffernan's exhibition at Mark Moore Gallery, Santa Monica & April Gornik's at The Heckscher Museum, Huntington, NY. Even more so since I am a long time fan of Julie Heffernan's art and a great admirer of the work of April Gornik.

Despite the exhibitions closing a short time ago, I've decided to still post them up here, so follow the links to find out more about these two wonderful artists.



Julie Heffernan at Mark Moore Gallery, Santa Monica

JULIE HEFFERNAN: WHAT HOLDS UP: MAY 23 - JULY 3, 2009

To visit Mark Moore Gallery Click Here



Self Portrait with Albatross, 2008, oil on canvas, 72 X 54 inches

(Press release courtesy Mark Moore Gallery)

Mark Moore Gallery is pleased to announce new paintings from acclaimed artist Julie Heffernan. Heffernan's theatrical and opulent canvases are a hybrid of genres, encompassing portraiture, surrealism and still life, amongst others; yet their Old Master quality goes beyond simple irony or quotation. The initial impact of Heffernan's "self-portraits" recedes to allow the artist's skill in her technique and the allure of the paintings' beauty to emerge and entrance the viewer. Her works act as unexplained allegories of the imagination and indulgent guilty pleasures. Although Heffernan has refined the same subject matter for the better part of 15 years, her works feel particularly poignant today; their slightly ominous tone acting to forewarn, the sumptuous canvases both a talisman and a critique of brazen conspicuous consumption.



Self Portrait as Roots, 2009, oil on canvas, 72 X 56 inches




Study for Self Portrait as Booty , 2009, oil on canvas, 28 x 22 inches


The catalogue published to coincide with Julie Heffernan's solo exhibition at the Mark Moore Gallery, "What Holds Up" is available from BLURB Click Here




April Gornik at The Heckscher Museum, Huntington, NY

The Luminous Landscapes of April Gornik ; May 2, 2009 - July 5, 2009

To read the New York Times review of April Gornik's exhibition Click Here

To visit the The Heckscher Museum of Art Click Here


Dune Sky, 2007, Oil on linen, 70" x 81"


(Courtesy of the The Heckscher Museum of Art's website)

A resident of Suffolk County, Long Island, April Gornik can be firmly situated in the distinguished American landscape tradition. Devoid of people, her paintings portray the majesty and allure of nature but in a carefully composed manner that draws on diverse sources of inspiration, including photographs. The result is surreal, transcendental and sublime. Light plays a powerful role in her paintings, creating a sense of mystery, whether it is sunlight or moonlight. In a statement about her work, she says that she likes her work to be intuitive, open to interpretation and beautiful. This exhibition will feature approximately thirteen of her large-scale paintings.



Mirror Lake, China, 2004, Oil on Linen, 78" x 104"




Fresh Light, 1987, Oil on linen, 74" x 96"

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