Tom Swope's blog: Gallery shows in Hudson, NY

Since I live here, in Hudson, I thought I should make some mention of what is going on in the art scene in my own town. It actually has blossomed in the years I have lived here, with a number of quite good and interesting galleries now open. I will only mention a few here, with more to come in future posts.

Tony Thompson painting at Carrie Haddad
titled, Kensett, clearly meant to evoke or inspired by the wonderful paintings by the artist of that name, one of the leading practitioners of the Hudson River School.

Tony Thompson is well known to those of us who live here in Hudson, he has been here for quite a few years now, so I follow his work partly as a friend, but also I actually like his paintings. He has very good technique, and here he employs it in an odd way, doing a double image, one right side up, the other upside down. Between the two is a heavy application of oil paint to forming a cloven ridge down the boundary between the two images. This painting in particular I don't see an upside down image, the mirroring of the images creates a satisfying symmetry which makes a complete picture in ones mind. I will illustrate with another painting which does something similar in a different way.

Tony Thompson, F.H. Lane. Named after another Hudson River School painter, this mirrored image again creates a beautiful symmetry.

Another painter exhibited in the Gallery that I liked is Russel DeYoung, whose abstract expressionist paintings remind me of Joan Mitchell and other practitioners of that school. They are somewhat beautiful, the application of paint to canvas is satisfying. Below is a sample of his work, you be the judge.

King of Beers, 36 x 40 inches.
Russel DeYoung

Abstract expressionism is a hard school to describe, I find I judge it on the color palette, the application of paint to the surface, the composition, and the overall feeling. At its best it induces a contemplative feeling, which this work does for me. Here the title almost ruins the painting, it is too specific, when nothing apparent is being depicted.

There are other painter shown at Carrie Haddad, visit the gallery and her website;
www.carriehaddadgallery.com for complete information. Her gallery is always worth a visit, if you don't like the show, you will inevitably like something being shown in the less formal back room, or the photography upstairs.

View of the back room showing paintings by Paul Rowntree, which I actually rather like.

another view of the back room of Carrie Haddad Gallery showing a wide range of the artists she shows.

Among the galleries now in Hudson, of which there are a number, John Davies is one of my favorites. I like the art often that he shows, and I like John's courtly manner, always self effacing, kind, and appreciative of those who visit his gallery. The gallery itself is a jewel box, very crisp, and a pretty space on two levels. During the summer months the carriage barn is an adjunct gallery space and it is spectacular, four floors with an hand drawn elevator going up the middle. No pictures yet, it is now closed, but look for more on it in the spring.
John's current show is of an artist whose last name is familiar, Robert Reitzfeld. His wife Lucy, also shows at John Davies. Roberts paintings are not so much my taste, but they are interesting to see, and he has had a long and distinguished career. Below are some of the paintings in the show to give you a flavor of his work.

view of downstairs gallery with some of Robert Reitzfeld's paintings.

Here is one of Robert Reitzfeld's paintings, TBT 48. I respond to its masterful composition and energy, and color. However, I don't get the imagery at all, perhaps that is the point, there is no point to what is depicted. I like the fish, but what does it mean?

For more information visit the galleries website: www.johndavisgallery.com

Another art space is that of the Columbia County Council for the Arts, or CCCA, at 209 Warren Street. Currently on view is a show of postcard sized works titled "The Postcard Show", each of which is just $50. The idea was to allow everyone a chance to buy an original work of art by a local artist. Many are really sweet and present good buys. Below are some images from the show.