IN AUGUST,

August 12 - September 9, 2023
Opening Saturday, August 12th 6–8pm

Elizabeth Atterbury
Jenny Hata Blumenfield
Strauss Bourque-LaFrance
Anna Betbeze
Carrie Cook
Emily Davidson
Hannah Rose Dumes
Jamey Hart
Janine Iversen
RJ Messineo
Jonathan Rajewski
Natalie Smith
Jane Swavely
Molly Zuckerman-Hartung

Curated by Strauss Bourque-LaFrance

In August,

We see the end
The days darken
The heat rises
We mood out

We cut the last fruit
The pools drain
The moons change
We roll our eyes

We fuckit one last time
The mirages fade
The truth bites back
We pass on the vaulted sky


In August, is a celebration of fourteen artists who leave me in awe through their ability to rupture expectations within their mediums.

The works in this show are moody—they hold a cumbrous beauty, slightly standoffish, almost sinister. Deep, bold colors are used widely but not irreverently. Rich hues signal a code of conduct and an assertion of power. A vibrant spirit ripples beneath the skin of the artists' gestures. They treat their materials with bluntness and dexterity through energetic impulses—impastos, patterned layers, appliqués, protrusions, mimicry, illusions, alchemy, chance, erasures, masking, and burns.

Moments of abstraction probe concepts of form while actively disrupting their own logic; some appear to be caught mid-transition. Within the more representational images, bodies and objects are placed in voids or non-spaces, intentionally luring the viewer out of the realm of the real. The heart of this exhibition beats in arrhythmia, defying expectations and allowing seemingly strange bedfellows to find one another and flourish in each others' presence.

In August, marks summer's imminent end, the transition to autumn, the bittersweetness of it all.

So, here's to stepping over the sun.

SBL

Field with Spaceship, 2023
Jonathan Rajewski
Oil, acrylic, corduroy, fabric, balloon, dog rope on canvas
49 x 47 in / 124.5 x 119.4 cm

Eve and the Serpent, 2022
Natalie Smith
Oil on woven canvas
22 x 18 in /55.9 x 45.7 cm

Way, 2023
Jamey Hart
Grout, duct tape map, nails, glue, Wood, the stones along the route, Placed accordingly, other things
16 x 14 x 2 in / 40.6 x 35.6 x 5.1 cm

The Blue Light #5, 2019
Jane Swavely
Oil on canvas
56 x 44 in / 142.2 x 111.7 cm

Ladder Baby, 2023
Strauss Bourque-LaFrance
Papier-mâché
9 x 12 x 11 in / 22.9 x 30.5 x 28 cm

26 Waves, 2018
Elizabeth Atterbury
Mortar, plywood, glue
22.5 x 19 x 1 in / 57.8 x 48.3 x 2.5 cm

Belly, 2023
Anna Betbeze
Wool, acid dyes, ash
60 x 40 in / 101.6 x 152.4 cm

Blue and Yellow and Leaves and Sunshine, 2019
RJ Messineo
Oil and wood on canvas
86 x 65 in / 217.8 x 165.1 cm

Veronica, 2022
Hannah Rose Dumes
Oil and acrylic on panel
24 x 20 in / 60.96 x 50.8 cm

Pond in the Pool in the Pine, 2023
Strauss Bourque-LaFrance
Flashe, acrylic, graphite, canvas collage, adhesives
64 x 58 x 1.5 in / 162.6 x 147.3 x 3.8 cm

Hill, 2021
Jamey Hart
Liquid rubber, wood, glue, 488 paintings on paper, nails, flashe, metal, pencil, marble egg, other things
17 x 14 x 3 in / 43.2 x 35.6 x 7.6 cm

Winsted Wilt (in memory of Tulum, or my feelings), 2023
Molly Zuckerman-Hartung
Oil on canvas
28 x 20 in / 71.1 x 50.8 cm

Mantra Massage, 2023
Molly Zuckerman-Hartung
Oil on canvas
28 x 20 in / 71.1 x 50.8 cm

The Eternal Idol, 2021
Natalie Smith
Oil on woven canvas
24 x 14 in

Four Candles, Five Fish, 2022
Carrie Cook
Oil on Canvas
48 x 64 in / 121.9 x 162.6 cm

Three Clocks, 2022
Janine Iversen
Oil on wood panel
30 x 24 in / 76.2 x 61 cm

She’s the Brooding Type, 2012
Jenny Hata Blumenfield
Stoneware and glaze
22.5 x 11 x 9 in / 57.2 x 28 x 22.9 cm

Big Apple 2, 2023
Emily Davidson
Oil on linen
14 x 11 in / 35.6 x 28 cm


Big Apple 1, 2023
Emily Davidson
Oil on linen
14 x 11 in / 35.6 x 28 cm

Stone Chop 3, 2022
Elizabeth Atterbury
Granite
9 x 3.5 x 3.5 in / 23.5 x 8.9 x 8.9 cm

Peanut III, 2022
Elizabeth Atterbury
Basswood, cherry
8 x 3.5 x 4 in / 19.7 x 8.9 x 10.8 cm

Island, 2020
Elizabeth Atterbury
Beach sand, paper, glue
4 x 4 x 4 in / 10.2 x 10.2 x 10.2 cm

Jade Ornament, 2020
Elizabeth Atterbury Chlorite
6.5 x 4 x 0.5 in / 17.1 x 10.5 x 1.1 cm

Sticks, 2011/2020
Elizabeth Atterbury
Oak
12.5 x 1 x 0.5 in / 32.4 x 1.9 x 1.8 cm

Cactus Cutting, 2022
Elizabeth Atterbury
Basswood, paint
24 x 1.5 x 2 in / 61 x 3.8 x 4.4 cm

Dirt Jewels, 2023
Strauss Bourque-LaFrance
Flashe, acrylic, graphite, canvas collage, adhesives
13.5 x 12.5 in/ 14.5 x 13.5 in

Dipped Cup, 2022
Carrie Cook
Oil on canvas
32 x 26 in / 66 x 81.3 cm