Written by Caroline Browne
Winter is fast approaching, but we guarantee you’ll feel warm and cozy viewing the wonderful blooming treasures in our annual holiday show! Through a variety of mediums and stylistic approaches, Co|So Artist Members have captured florals of all shapes and sizes.
In this week’s blog, Co|So highlights five pieces from our Holiday Small Works exhibition that showcase just a few of the many florals currently on view at the Copley Society of Art.
Pictured: Robin Frisella, Gardenia, pastel, 15 x 15”
Robin Frisella creates exquisitely composed and remarkably photo-realistic still lifes, patiently stroked in natural light. She blends pure pastel pigment on sanded paper to artfully achieve the tones, lights, and shadows of these objects she has so deliberately assembled. Often characterized by its brilliant evergreen foliage, here Frisella focuses on the flower itself, highlighting the beauty of this subtropical shrub.
Pictured: Nils Johnson, Vase in Space, oil on canvas, 12 x 15”
Nils Johnson’s painting style is all about color. He employs stacks of associated colors that breathe through each other to create a vibrant, textured surface. Using painterly brushstrokes, he represents the colorful flower variations and assorted sizes and shapes on his canvas. The arrangement of the florals invites the viewer to explore and enjoy the negative spaces of the bouquet as well.
Pictured: Matt Miller, CM, Dahlias and Roses, oil, 11 x 14”
Matt Miller pairs the reflective surface of the glass vessel with the lush petals of dahlias and roses in various hues, creating such harmony the artwork flows like music. Utilizing strong contrasts between light and dark in his compositions, the Copley Master wants viewers to feel the awe, wonder, and beauty that he sees in the subjects of his paintings.
Pictured: Rosalie Sidoti, Roses and Heirloom Vase, oil, 15 x 13”
Contemporary impressionist painter, Rosalie Sidoti, exhibits this painterly depiction of a floral arrangement in an heirloom vase. The artist balances light and dark values in a way that heightens the soft beauty of her botanic subjects. Inspired by the beauty light can create in the environment, the artist often incorporates filtered or splattered light resting on her subject matter.
Pictured: Kristin Stashenko, Yellow Roses, acrylic, 12.5 x 14.5”
Kristin Stashenko is well known for her graphic works of architectural interiors and exterior landscapes in gouache and acrylic. The artist is not afraid to use bold color and in fact, does so skillfully and confidently. She is not particularly concerned with the actual color of things as they exist, but prefers to develop the color as she feels it emerge naturally.
Holiday Small Works continues through Friday, December 24th and is available to view online and in person during gallery hours at 158 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116.