Gilles Giuntini, John Rohlfing, Carolyn Sheehan
November 27 – December 15, 2018
Clockwise from left: Gilles Giuntini, Five Ships, 30 x 65 x 2 inches, John Rohlfing, Sainte Chapelle, clay & glaze, 46 x 26 x 26, 2017, Carolyn Sheehan, Luminaire, mixed media, 18 x 6 x 6 inches
Reception: Saturday, December 1, 3-5pm
FIRST STREET GALLERY presents the Annual Affiliates Exhibition 2018 highlighting the unique and dynamic work of member artists, Gilles Giuntini, John Rohlfing and Carolyn Sheehan.
Gilles Giuntini revisits previously explored forms and themes in this series of abstracted ship pieces. The ship is presented as a visual metaphor. It connotes conveyance; a stand-in for states of transition or migration. They strive to be seen as emblems of refuge; the fleeing from the pernicious realities of the times; the turmoil, upheaval and the cloud of psychological and social peril.
Each ship, with its particular visual properties, can be viewed and appreciated simply for its own set of broader aesthetic and symbolic values. However, in addition to the purely visual, they should also be seen as invested with more subtle abstract characteristics, possibly more obscure, but decipherable, that hold meaning of a private and personal nature for the artist.
John Rohlfing uses nature in his current works as a vehicle to express a whimsical yet sensual exploration of life through clay vessels. This will be Rohlfing’s first time showing at First Street Gallery. Formerly, his work has been exhibited in New York City with Garth Clark Gallery and Nancy Margolis Gallery.
Carolyn Sheehan creates a process that begins with the layering of hand printed imagery using different materials. Sheehan’s exploration with collage is inventive, playful and imaginative. Her delight in making these pieces comes across instantly. The imagery is at once very personal and iconic. A single form serves as the focal point in each piece and becomes a theme connecting the two dimensional and sculptural work. Sheehan also creates continuity with the use of black and white, a departure from earlier more colorful work.
