Spring Exhibition at 1053 Gallery: Interplay

Deborah Freedman, Janice La Motta, Amy Masters of the the Interplay exhibition at 1052 Gallery 

Always a friendly face welcoming folks entering the 1053 Gallery 

Deborah Freedman’s ongoing and evolving study of the Ashokan Reservoir 

By Robert Brune

FLEISCHMANNS — The 1053 Gallery in Fleischmanns reopens after a short break for renovations with a bouquet of colorful abstract art embracing the renewal of that which spring brings with lush landscapes and a spectrum of flowering trees and gardens. In a statement provided by co-curator Lindsay Comstock, “The mid-career artists, whose studio practices are based in Upstate New York, play with the painting process through quotidian objects, found materials, re-purposed works, and

collage, in series that mark new directions for each of them. Drawing from internal and external landscapes and their personal perception of space, they re-imagine and transform physical, material, and stylistic constraints into dynamic compositions during a period of global instability.”

Deborah Freeman has transformed her collection of monotype paintings by incorporating collage works, adding vibrant colors, and increasing depth with outstanding results. Comstock explains the challenges Freeman had to overcome to create her new pieces, “She has monocular vision, meaning her eyes interpret input separately, so she perceives space in a unique way. Painting became a necessity to create the three-dimensional depth that she can’t see through her eyes.” 

The results of this amazing artist who has been creating art from her property overlooking the Ashokan Reservoir is mesmerizing. 

Janice La Motta's contribution to this exhibition consists of three different collections of her work, La Motta explains, “Of Power and Time is a series named for an essay by the poet, Mary Oliver. The work represents the initial shift towards abstraction in my work. The scale of the work is intimate at 7 x 5 inches, and the materials are oil on Yupo paper. All of the painting is done with a palette knife and incorporates a lot of drawing and mark-making with colored pencil and graphite. These pieces are worked quite spontaneously and begin with two mixed colors that I feel create an interesting color relationship I am also very interested in the small incidents that occur throughout the pieces and an awareness of the edge of the paper.”  

In 2020 during Covid La Motta began returning to abstract with her LS series works with smaller more intimate pieces initially meant to be concept paintings enlarged. La Motta says she had to work on a smaller scale because she was between studio spaces during the lockdowns. In La Motta’s third series, “I resumed work on the large paintings when I took a studio in High Falls in the fall of 2021. But the cost of oil paints and art supplies began to affect me. 

That precipitated a shift to using house paint and the eventual move toward a series that used recycled product packaging (cereal, pasta, lightbulb boxes...) as the support and starting point for the construction of the Box Top collage series. The grid of 18 collage pieces in INTERPLAY is the most recent work (all 2024). In this series, I return to the spade shape, which appeared in earlier works, and in these collages, I play with deconstructing and bisecting the form.” 

Amy Masters had three years ago been working on her abstract versions of outdoor barns and plants, then transitioned to subjects that represented both inside settings with window views, and not drawn her focus on abstract still life objects more closely with a bit more muted color choices (using oil sticks and wax pencils), but the color selection compliments each other with magical life. Seeing Masters at the opening reception at 1053 Gallery this past Saturday was a great joy to see her more confident and pleased with the direction of her work. The praise from this gallery packed to the rafters with fellow artists and patrons created an electric atmosphere of excitement. Mark Birman on the new Interplay exhibition and the renovation, “I’m very very excited by the direction of our gallery”. 

The other shift in the makeup of 1053 Gallery is that Monte Wilson is taking over the title of director of the gallery, with Comstock as co-curator. Comstock in a recent radio interview with Birman and Wilson on WIOX Roxbury Radio, “I’m excited to see Monte take up the helm as director as I sorta focus more on my writing and herbalism. I’ll still be very much involved as a curator and writing for the gallery.”  Wilson having worked at the MET, Museum of Images, and doing production with the Blue Man Group doesn’t need to prove himself, as he has played a significant role in the doings of 1053 Gallery for the past few years. 

For more information see www.1053gallery.com