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‘Reclaiming
Space’ Art Show Supports
GreenEdgeNYC Gallery House Grassroots Eco-Themes a Clinton Hill Delight
“Style
of
Nature” artist Jonathan Levy's latest artwork at current
“Reclaiming
Space” exhibition at the By
Harold
Egeln CLINTON
HILL — Since it opened a year ago, there is a strong green edge
to the Gallery
House, highlighted by its latest art exhibition of nature-related work,
tied to
supporting environmental organizations that are making a difference for
a
sustainable city. The
current, delightful “Reclaiming Space” fine art group
exhibition, showing
through August 31, has been holding a series of auction/raffle
receptions in
support of GreenEdgeNYC, a vibrant social eco-network composed of
groups
focused on various aspects of environmental activism. “This
is
our third exhibition. Each one has given support to environmental cause
groups
as well as bringing together artists from “Reclaiming
Space is about this space in this wonderful house we are restoring and
how we
reclaim space in our lives and the world,” said Levy, a curator
of the
exhibition, about the two-room, first floor space. “It
showcases the multitude of languages in which The
GreenEdgeNYC collaborative was founded over three years ago by Carolyn
Gilles
to create and expand a community for a sustainable future through
social
networking and the formation of associated focus groups. Executive
Director
Judy Harper coordinates the activities. These
include groups for foraging, green buildings, sustainable farming,
trash and
recycling, filmmaking, sustainable design, a neighborhood supper club
and the
Brooklyn Green Team. Among
activities of the groups are the Solar Power Film Festival, Solstice
Soiree,
Green Crafting and the Annual Birthday Bash for GreenEdge, recently
having its
third. GreenEdgeNYC is financially sponsored by the Open Space
Initiative, part
of the Citizens Action Program. Art
Inspired By the Natural World There
is an
intriguing “color shift” in Levy’s art, entering
“a digital stage” with
somewhat slightly subdued hues but still vibrantly full of life’s
motions. It
is a joy to view, along with his “Primordial Soup.” His
inspiration in the
natural world came from the time he spent in To
observe
his creative outpouring at work, the paintings in his current series
include a
floor spot with a video screen and wonderful videos of Levy in the act
of
creating his artwork in swipes, swirls and swoops across and around the
canvas.
“The work comes from within as I go along,” Levy said. Among
all
the wonderful and diverse artworks by 11 artists on exhibit are the
back lit
“Dendrites” on paper by Another
of
the intriguing artworks by mixed media artist Adrian Roman is his
“Cage De La
Memoria Viva” box painting, with its four sides floating above
space in the
rear gallery featuring a fascinating face that invites the viewer
inside the
workings of its head. Placing
one’s
head inside the box floating above the viewer is truly entering the
mind of the
artist, with the inner four-sided surface filled with a collage of old
family
and friends’ photographs, written items and reminders of
long-gone times, a
memory treasure trove. One
of the
show’s artworks that incorporated an American flag,
“Evolve” by Clark Clark
caused a little public controversy ended by a decision to withdraw the
piece
from the exhibition shortly after it opened, the only hitch in the
popular
summertime exhibit. The
“Reclaiming Space” show once again, as in the two previous
exhibits, inspires
the spirit, sparks a creative stream of consciousness and brings
artists
together to share their ideas, igniting new ways to look at life
through art.
‘eARTh’ Exhibit Helps MillionTreesNYC Project
“Style
of Nature” artist Jonathan Levy's “Uncut Flowers”
painting series. He is the
curator of the “eARTh”
exhibition at the Gallery House in Clinton
Hill Show Aims To Raise
Eco-Consciousness By
Harold Egeln With
the immense loss of tree-rich rainforests worldwide and other threats
to the
environment’s stability, an exhibit at the Gallery House (www.galleryhouse.org),
located at 272 Clinton Ave., has been celebrating trees, raising
ecological
awareness and encouraging environmental activism with its attractive
“eARTh”
exhibition. The exhibit also benefits the MillionTreesNYC project. “This
has been an environmentally themed group exhibition, in both form and
function,
that is meant to celebrate and highlight the challenges our planet is
currently
facing,” said the Gallery House group of artists and supporters
in the
exhibit’s press release. The show opened in February and will run
through
Friday, March 12. “It
is
critical for our survival that we learn to put a priority on the
environmental
needs,” the Gallery House statement said. “Many of us have
become so immersed
with day-to-day responsibilities and possessions that we have begun to
neglect
the stage that our lives play out on. And ‘eARTh’ refocuses
the viewers'
attention to nurture through the medium of art.” The
current show, Gallery House’s second after its grand opening
“Style of Nature”
exhibit by artist Jonathan Levy and other artists last summer, has Levy
as
‘eARTh’ exhibit curator. It is dedicated to helping the
city’s MillionTreesNYC
project (www.milliontreesnyc.org)
to plant one million new trees citywide by 2017, with 400,000 already
planted. The
planting project, recently the focus of special presentations at
community
boards throughout Brooklyn, is a public-private partnership between the
city’s
Department of Parks and Recreation and New York Restoration. Board
presenters
inform members of the tree species planted in their districts and how
the trees
are maintained. The
city is committed to plant 60 percent of the trees in all its parklands
and
playgrounds, while New York Restoration operates 40 percent of the
plantings, a
project launched by Mayor Bloomberg a few years ago with the goal of
one
million new trees planted by 2017. Three
receptions, the first two hobbled by snowstorms, have served as
occasions to
raffle off exhibit paintings to raise funds for the MillionTreesNYC
project,
noted Levy. He voiced support for the project, with the goals to
“plant,
protect, preserve and participate.” There
are 17 artists and photographers in the exhibit, with a total of 40
artworks
and photos. Among them are some Brooklyn artists, such as Erik
Maniscalco with
the riveting “Gates of Change,” Amanda Gentile with her
awesome “Sky,” Jenna
Bonistalli, and Aaron Mauder with “Divination.” Mauder’s
almost surreal work, explained Levy, shows the future-tech world of the
human
mind divorced from a connection with nature. Levy, as curator, smartly
juxtaposed “Divination” between two beautiful tree
paintings. Levy’s
“Uncut Flowers” painting series on display creates an
experience of the life of
flowers untouched by human intervention as the flowers’ colors
swirl around.
“If someone views the cutting of flowers as being even a little
bit wrong, how
will that affect the cutting of trees?” Levy wonders. His
experience of nature was inspired while living in Hawaii where his
“Style of
Nature” artwork took off, and also by his work earlier in a state
forest in
Rockland County and being fascinated by the variety and beauty of
trees, Levy
said. Among
the outstanding artworks are “The Blue Path”
and “The Enchanted Forest” by Brittney MacKensie, a New
York-area artist whose
paintings can make viewers feel like they are in the woods and enjoying
the
experience of trees.
NYC
Winner
11/23/2009 Jonathan
Levy’s extremely unique style blends acrylics on canvas to
creates patterns
that appear almost digital in origin. Using twirling wisps of
color, he
loosely solidifies his image and creates little areas of sporadic
motion which
challenge the eye. It reminds me of stumbling around in a drunken
stupor or
maybe it represents the fragments of memories which are pieced together
the
morning after. Real, fictitious or somewhere in between; the
women in the
painting is a beautiful way to remember any evening.
‘Green’ Art Show Highlights New ‘Gallery House’ in Clinton Hill
“Style
of Nature” artist
Jonathan Levy's Humming River
paintings
By
Harold Egeln CLINTON
HILL – An impressive 19th century brownstone that developing into
a new arts
venue here is housing an exhibit that benefits both the idea of the
human
spirit reconnecting with nature and the Council on the Environment of
NYC. The
show in question is the “Style of Nature” solo art exhibit
by Jonathan Levy. It
is in the first-floor space of a five-story 1877 brownstone called
“Gallery
House” at 272 Clinton Ave., an exciting new venue that celebrates
the arts in
all forms. Gallery
House and the inspirational show opened on July 24 with a reception
followed by
a second reception over this past weekend. At other times the exhibit
can be
viewed by appointment only by contacting Gallery House. The
venue is a gift of joy to its restorers and artistic community, said
Levy, a
Pratt Institute fine arts graduate. “The silent investors want to
use this
space as a way of giving back to the community. We’re grateful
for their
commitment,” he explained. “This
is a fantastic place to work and be in,” said architect Patrick
Malloy, another
Pratt Institute graduate who is part of the working group restoring
Gallery
House. “We’re fortunate to be in a great neighborhood with
a wonderful
cross-section of people who bring their energy and involvement into the
area.” Gallery
House, its mission statement says, “is a Clinton Hill-based
organization
dedicated to the sharing of ideas pressing our world today. Through our
hosted
receptions, we aim to gather and communicate ideas through art, music
and other
types of artistic expressions.” The
centerpiece of Gallery House’s first show is Levy’s Style
of Nature solo show
celebrating the patterns, movements and colors of the natural world
that
surrounds us but which is not usually noticed in people’s daily
activities,
noted Levy. “Soon
after I graduated Pratt I went to live on Maui in Hawaii in search of
inspiration,” said Levy, who was on Maui from 2003 to 2008.
“It was there that
my eyes opened with a new perspective with my creative drive inspired
by the
flowers, ocean and land of that wondrous and beautiful island. There I
developed my artistic style of nature as I observed the random
movements and
patterns in nature’s forms.” In
2005
he first got his first show at the 27th Annual Juried Exhibit on Maui
with his
acrylic on canvas paintings. In the last two years he has been in
several
exhibits across the nation and at the International Art Expo-New York
at the
Javits Center in 2008 and 2009. Levy’s
paintings are a wonder to view and experience. His Humming River, Walk
Under
the Shadow of the Tree and Setting Sun series of paintings, and
individual
paintings such as Lake Nowhere, Cross the Pond and Violet make one
linger near
their colorful swirls. The show helps people focus on nature and gets
them away
from a focus of everyday activities. Fifty
percent of the sales of Levy paintings sold from this exhibit will be
donated
to the Council on the Environment of New York City. Levy and Malloy are
excited
about the opportunity to promote the appreciation and study of the
urban
environs through the three-decades-old council and its multifaceted
work. “Our partnership with Jonathan Levy and Gallery House for Style of Nature reflects a shared vision of preserving the natural beauty of the city,” said Council Executive Director Marcel Van Ooyen. CENYC is responsible for programs such as Greenmarkets, Open Space Greening, Environmental Education, Office of Recycling, and Learn It, Grow It and Eat It. B’klyn
Artists Exhibit At
International Expo: Flowers, Levy and Heck Show Works at Javits By
Harold Egeln JAVITS
CENTER
— Brooklyn is a creative city for curious minds when it comes to
its ever-growing
community of artists, and a few members of that large community
displayed their
latest works at the city’s largest annual international public
art exhibition
and trade show this past weekend. The
natural random rhythms of nature and intense personal energy redirected
onto
canvas were the central expressions displayed by three Brooklyn artists
who
attracted much attention at the five-day 31st International New York
Art Expo
at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, ended yesterday. “I
am a
professional actor who decided five years ago to find another way of
expressing
my creative energy,” said artist Washington Flowers Jr., smiling
at his booth
among his varied artwork, seen in all its glory on his web site.
Obviously
happy to be there as thousands of people passed by, the brightly
smiling artist
told of his work. “It’s
a
way that challenges my internal and external energies and corrals them
onto a
blank canvass, expressing the truth of life in the flow of time,”
said Flowers.
“This Art Expo is a wonderful opportunity to meet so many
interesting people
and share my art.” The
“Aloha Spirit” of Hawaii had an impact on Brooklyn artist
Jonathan Levy,
bringing the garden of earthly delights alive at his “Style of
Nature” booth.
“I’ve been painting since I was a little boy; that’s
nearly 30 years ago,” he
said with a broad and pleasant smile. “But it was my five years
living on Maui
on the Hawaiian Islands that opened me up to nature and the art I do
now.” That
life-changing experience for Levy, who earned his Fine Arts degree at
The Pratt
Institute, was profoundly inspirational. Levy explained at his booth
and on his
web site (www.styleofnature.com),
that people usually are engrossed in their day-to-day lives with a
focus on
“things, possessions and routine responsibilities.” That is
the way of the
world; but something is missing, he said, that can both help humans and
planet
Earth. “Our
collective focus on ‘things’ has contributed to a
philosophy that is
progressively destroying our planet,” Levy writes on his web
site. At the expo,
he said of his time living on Maui that it is “a beautiful place
where I
experienced a revival of my natural senses. That drove me forward to
create
artworks fostering an appreciation of the natural world’s
patterns of design
and its random movements.” What
the Heck? Literally
drumming up attention was Brooklyn’s own popular pop artist Ed
Heck at his
spacious “The World is Going to Heck Again” display and
performance space at
the expo. Four times during the weekend, legendary rock drummer Carmine
Appice,
who started out with the Vanilla Fudge rock group 40 years ago,
performed on
his drums. He and Heck were signing posters of their joint new work,
“Drum City.” Fans queued up after the performances to chat, as Heck and his son sat at a table. Heck, who works out of the Morgan Fine Arts Building in Greenpoint, is noted for his weird, quirky and whimsical, colorful doodle-like paintings of flying saucers, dogs, birds, crayolas and everyday objects. “It’s kind of oddball art with brilliant color and bright fun in the mix,” said Heck to a fan.
From
Stephen Sawyer,
Juror: "As
a fellow artist the notion of judging something as beautiful and
subjective as
original art is daunting. The selections for Prizma Virtual
Gallery's
Best of Show, First, Second and Honorable Mention are clearly as
uniquely
subjective as is each entry. I found real accomplishment and
skill in all
of the entries and am therefore hoping each artist will continue
pursuing
excellence in their chosen medium(s) and unique visions of the world
whether
they won an award or not." Best
In Show
"Humming
River 3" Juror's
Commentary: It
is
very refreshing to see the illusion of reality done in this way.
At first
glance it looked like a Photoshop "smudge" technique. As I
inspected it further I was really pleased to see the effort taken to
manipulate
the paint. There is an immediacy of this painting's motion which
does not
seem frozen in time and if that can be duplicated in another painting
there is
a talent here that I and many more people would like to see more of.
JONATHAN
LEVY" by
Michael Corbin Jonathan
Levy is a young, New York City bred artist who I met while visiting
"The
Artists Fair" at Art Basel Miami Beach in December 2008. I was struck
by
his style, which he calls "Style of Nature." He's a very talented
artist and I asked him if he would consent to an interview. Starting
off, I
asked him about how he was surviving as an artist in this current
economy. He
sent me a really great, but long email that not only addressed that
question,
but several others. So, with his permission, I broke up his answer into
the
conversation that you see below. In short, I got creative, but this
remains
true to his voice. I think you'll enjoy his insight and his website at www.styleofnature.com
but first, here's our chat: JONATHAN:
(Well,) that five-year hiatus proved to pay off. I landed on my feet,
running
as fast as I could. I applied to every gallery on the island for any
type of
work I could find. It was important for me to learn the business end of
the
"Art World" which I was willing to do anyway. After sending out
nearly 80 resumes and receiving no response, I finally got an interview
with a
contemporary art gallery for a sales position. During the interview, I
was told
the only reason I got it was because I accidentally applied on four
different
occasions in a two-week span. Luckily, that was viewed as persistence
and I
guess they appreciated the effort. MICHAEL
CORBIN IS AN |
