If I had to sum the first exhibition at the Hidell Brooks for 2019 in one word, it would be… WOW! From the moment we walked in, I was an art lover version of a kid in a candy store. The use of color and light through the show was absolutely stunning, and the fluidity of the exhibition as you went from one artist to the next was perfectly done.
The exhibition, which will be on display through February 20th (giving you plenty of time to make a trip down/up to Southend) features the works of three gallery artists: Francis Livingston, Philip Geiger and Brigid Watson. Plus there’s an added bonus which is just oh, so delicious. Kim Testone’s Desserts are located in the viewing room that you won’t want to miss!
Francis Livingston | Impressions
Francis Livingston studied at the Rocky Mountain School of Art in Denver before moving to San Francisco in 1975 to attend the Academy of Art. He later taught there for 10 years. influenced by Sargent and Whistler, Livingston painted primarily in a monochromatic style until he began to study the work of the bay area figurative movement, including Richard Diebenkorn, Wayne Thiebaud and others. With a love for nostalgia, he paints places which may no longer exist or that have lost their luster. His bold and impressionistic paintings take the viewer back in time to the day when amusement parks with wooden roller coasters, movie theatres with neon signs and buildings with ornate embellishments were in their prime. Francis Livingston is known for his thickly applied brush strokes that emphasize shape rather than line, creating an abstract approach to realism. His scenes of yesteryear have exciting movement, color, texture and balance.
Philip Geiger | Interior Equilibrium
Philip Geiger has been an art professor at the University of Virginia for over 30 years. he earned his BFA from Washington University and went on to complete his MFA at Yale University. Geiger’s lustrous light, loose brushwork and subtle color tellingly capture the nuances of mood and feeling that make up the more peaceful moments of contemporary family life. Geiger eschews a specific narrative in his paintings, challenging viewers to meditate on our society’s daily rituals and settings, and the meanings which may underlie seemingly mundane moments. His work has been reviewed in the New York Times, Art in America, Artnews, and The New Criterion.
Brigid Watson | Mountain, Thunder
Brigid Watson is a Boston based painter. She holds a Masters Degree from New York University and undergraduate degrees from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Tufts University. Her lush abstract drawings and paintings are known for their rich color, and are inspired by people, places, experiences, and travels.
Outfit Details: Beret (Topshop) here | Turtleneck Sweater (Loft) old, similar here | Ne(X)t Level Skinny Jean (American Eagle) here | Boots (Sole Society) old, similar here
Getting a closer look
Kim Testone | Desserts
Kim Testone holds a BA in Drawing from the University of Central Florida and a Masters in Arts Administration from Savannah College of Art and Design. Kim is a former art magazine editor, writer and theme park caricature artist. Her paintings focus on ordinary objects, with a bit of a quirky and sentimental twist. She paints subjects that celebrate imagination and entertainment, from nostalgic toys and games to colorful desserts to trompe l’oeil pieces that aim to fool the viewer’s perceptions. She resides in Syracuse, New York, with her husband and their three cats.
To read more about the exhibition, you can view the post from the Hidell Brooks Gallery’s blog here.
Looking forward to being a follower of the avid pen.