HOLIDAY HUES AND BLUES
treat gallery is excited to announce Holiday Hues & Blues, an online exhibition exploring themes of curiosity, isolation, cheer and optimism. The holiday season, especially in an ongoing/post-COVID era can be a polarizing event. As we step into another year of the unknown, we must take a step back to admire the beauty of nature, embrace those around us and offer (or accept) kindness to those in need. Through art, we can pour emotion into abstracted visuals, or focus in on detailed sculpture. Through art, we can capture human perseverance through photography, and redefine what “home” looks like through documentary work. Through art, we can inspire hope and confidence. The exhibiting artists in Holiday Hues & Blues have touched on one or more of these themes in a creative way.
Exhibitors include: Marcy Palmer, Julia Forrest, Ted and Nune, Ashok Sinha, Betsy Enzensberger, Bubblegum & Whiskey, Matt Mele, Parsley Steinweiss, Galina Kurlat, Andrew Littlefield, Sydney Beach Zester and Mark Liam Smith. To acquire a piece, please contact us at info@treatgallery.org. Full details on the work, including pricing can be found after the brief artist statement.
20% of sales will be donated to New York City based nonprofit NYC Kids Project, an educational arts program advocating empathy, acceptance, and inclusion.
Marcy Palmer
“You Are Eternity”
This project is an exploration of beauty as an antidote for personal and political crisis.
In times of heartache, disaster, impasse, many turn to the idea of beauty in the natural world as a place of refuge. Writer and philosopher John O’Donohue states, “I think that beauty is not a luxury, but that it ennobles the heart and reminds us of the infinity that is within us.” That idea resonates with me and inspired this project.
I have used a variety of botanicals in the images, many of them are often overlooked wildflowers or plants. I gild them to recognize and elevate them; this acts as a metaphor for moments of beauty or transcendence in life, but also for people and political change. Gold used in artworks has historically been attributed to themes of reaching a higher being or sense of self. I am considering beauty to be the fleeting moments of our higher selves and am interested in the multifaceted ways that can be experienced. This also speaks to how the images are symbolic of personal and political empowerment, particularly in our current times. The final prints are made by photographing the botanicals, printing them on vellum, hand gilding them with 24k or 18k gold leaf, and hand applying varnish and wax. The project is inspired by Anna Atkins’s botanical studies as well as Surrealist and Bauhaus photographers who manipulated imagery and materials such as Florence Henri, Dora Maar, and Maurice Tabard to visualize an imagined realm.
WORK DETAILS
”Duo,” 2021. 9x7 Inches, 24K Gold Photograph, Edition of 10. $750, $900 Framed.
”Once Was,” 2019. 9x7 Inches, Photographs on Vellum with 24K Gold, Varnish and Wax, Edition of 10. $750, $900 Framed.
”The Ballet,” 2020. 6x4 Inches, Photographs on Vellum with 24K Gold, Varnish and Wax. Edition of 15. $420, $450 Framed.
”Midnight Nosegay,” 2020. 6x4 Inches, Photographs on Vellum with 24K Gold, Varnish and Wax. Edition of 15. $410, $450 Framed.
”Elegant Petals,” 2021. 9x7 Inches, Photographs on Vellum with 24K Gold, Varnish and Wax, Edition of 10. $750, $900 Framed.
Julia Forrest
Using film photography with no digital manipulation, Forrest poses nymph like women in the landscape. By using mirrors, reflections, and forced perspective, she creates an illusion in front of the lens. Although they misleadingly appear docile, it is obvious they posses a mysterious power to move the landscape at will. They change shape and scale, picking up parts of the landscape or completely transforming it.
WORK DETAILS - All Photographs are Gelatin Silver Prints.
”Vision,” 2021. 11x14 Inches, $825.
”Expose,” 2021. 11x14 Inches, $825.
”Establish,” 2021. 16x20 Inches, $1100.
”Embody,” 2021. 11x14 Inches, $875.
”Root,” 2020. 16x20 Inches, $900.
Ted and Nune
Ted and Nune’s series Feeling Winter is about the waning human presence against a backdrop of extreme weather. Muted winter light and minimalistic scenes can be charged with trepidation, solace and melancholy; how we view these landscapes often reflects our emotional state.
WORK DETAILS - All Photographs are Archival Pigment Prints, 16x16 Inches, and in an Edition of 10. $450 each.
“Passing,” 2020
”Promise of Storm,” 2020
”Empty,” 2020
”Fenced,” 2020
”Unfinished,” 2019
Ashok Sinha
Ashok Sinha is an architecture and interiors photographer and filmmaker based in New York City. Sinha fell in love with architecture while photographing Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer's masterpiece Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum in Rio de Janeiro on a travel assignment. Ever since, he’s worked on a variety of residential, workplace, commercial and educational projects worldwide with the aim of creating timeless images that capture a sense of place. Many years of experience and a background in digital media has taught Ashok to think creatively as well as work collaboratively with his clients. His first book Gas and Glamour, a celebration of roadside architecture built in Los Angeles during America’s golden age of the automobile launched in 2020 and was chosen as one of the top picks of the year by The Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Magazine.
WORK DETAILS - All Photographs are Archival Pigment Prints and 16x20 inches.
”Beijing,” 2008. Edition of 25. $500 Unframed, $750 Framed.
”NYC,” 2017. 16x20 Inches, $500 Unframed, $750 Framed.
”Afternoon Sun,” 2012. Edition of 25. $450
”Blue,” 2011. Edition of 25. $450
Betsy Enzensberger
Betsy Enzensberger is a Southern California-based pop artist who has gained massive recognition in the art world over the last few years. Her Original Melting Pops™ sculptures enjoy extensive digital representation across the internet and social media. Enzensberger has become well known for her realistic, larger-than-life sculptures of dripping, frozen treats. Resin looks like candy. It appears delicious and sweet. The shiny exterior has a wet, melting quality.
“Resin - I love it. It’s beautiful, sexy, mysterious. It’s also toxic, messy, and annoyingly exhausting to create. However, I enjoy the challenges that resin presents. There’s just something about it I can’t resist. If the process was easy, I wouldn’t be doing it.”
WORK DETAILS - All Sculptures are roughly 5x3x3 Inches and created with Resin, Ink and Acrylic. $300 Each.
“Black Spikesicle,” 2021
”Black Spiketastic I,” 2021
”Black Spike Splat” 2021
”White Spiketastic II,” 2021
”White Spiketastic III,” 2021
Bubblegum & Whiskey
Bubblegum & Whiskey is a collaborative, interdisciplinary duo comprised of Sarah E. Swist and Kevin R. Mercer. Recent paintings, objects, and GIFS explore the highs and lows of these aesthetically significant rural experiences. Architecture, landscapes, old homes, thrift stores, and garage sales drive the sense of materiality and craftsmanship. Cultural importance is present in the American mid-western landscape, though real and perceived divides between city and country lifestyles present challenges. Thematic areas include need vs. want, making-do vs. excelling, or buying vs. creating. bubblegum & whiskey emphasizes new DIY artifacts designed to explore the gap.
WORK DETAILS - All Photographs are 12x12 Inches, Archival Pigment Prints in an Edition of 5. $300 Each.
”Flamingo Glitch,” 2019.
”Stuart Chair Glitch,” 2019.
Matt Mele
Matt Mele was born in Newark, Delaware and attended the University of Delaware, receiving a B.F.A. in Fine Arts with a Minor in Art History in 2016. His work spans from painting to printmaking to analog photography, often in combination to form visual narratives. Most recently, Mele's focus has been on his satellite home of Wildwood, New Jersey. While turning to documentary photography, Mele draws on the themes of memory and evolution.
WORK DETAILS - All Photographs are 16x12 Inches and Film Photographs printed onto Archival Silk paper. Edition of 20. $400 Each.
”Stardust,” 2019
”Gateway 26,” 2021
Parsley Steinweiss
Using the photograph to investigate the medium itself, Parsley Steinweiss works to uncover aspects of representation that pertain to seeing and believing. In other words, she asks the questions of what the role of the photograph is in the construction of our reality, what does it consist of, how is it filtered and manipulated, how does it relate to memory, and what is its relationship to visual perception. Through different modes of inquiry, each piece is an examination in how we see. She explores flattened space versus three dimensional space, real versus represented and image versus object.
What we see when we look at the photograph is, at its most basic level, a record of light. Parsley uses this essential aspect of photography as both subject and method. She photographs light phenomena to investigate the relationships generated between how we see and how the camera sees, charting the distance between us and our representations. While the photographic element of her work is not always immediately apparent, the physicality of the photo as object in relation to the photographic content allows for an exploration into ideas of perception, materiality, color, light, space and illusion.
WORK DETAILS - All Pieces are layered photographs.
“Goodnight,” 2021. 6x6 Inches, $300
”Road Trip,” 2021. 6x6 Inches, $150
”Star Gazing,” 2021. 6x8 Inches, $350
”Takes About a Year,” 2021. 6x6 Inches, $300
”Up Down,” 2021. 5x6 Inches, $150
Galina Kurlat
I examine the connection between subject and medium, by embracing the imperfections and possibilities of process-based photography. Using traditional darkroom techniques, including wet collodion, expired Polaroid film, and lumen prints, I address identity, intimacy, and uncertainty. There is a latent spark in analog photographic processes which inspires my practice; experimentation is as essential as the outcome.
WORK DETAILS - All Images are Unique Lumen Prints.
”May 28th (Used Bathwater, Hair)” 2021. 20x16 Inches, $2800.
”January 3 (Blood, Hair)” 2021. 20x16 Inches, $2800
”Moth,” 2021. 5x7 Inches, $200
”Bottle II,” 2021. 7x5 Inches, $200
”Bottle I,” 2021. 7x5 Inches, $200.
Andrew Littlefield
In March 2020, as the world entered strict lockdown, many people sought an escape from their small apartments on the rooftops of their buildings. Spaces that are typically dangerous suddenly felt like the only place one could be safe. Across these early weeks of lockdown, I documented people spending time on the roofs of their buildings—talking on the phone, smoking, playing guitar, working, doing yoga, and more.
These images bring to mind the strange and confusing early days of the COVID-19 pandemic as everyone struggled to find their footing.
Work Details - All Photographs are C-Prints on Matte Paper, 10x10 Inches in an Edition of 5. $150 Each.
”Rooftops I,” 2020
”Rooftops II,” 2020
”Rooftops III,” 2020
Sydney Beach Zester
Sydney Beach Zester is a mixed-media abstract artist based in Wilmington, NC. her work draws from her experience as an endurance athlete. she looks to replicate the feeling of content calm and bubbling energy that sweet swims in the ocean or long runs under canopies of trees provide. this balance between giddy and gusto consistently shows up in her work through playful color and wonky shapes.
WORK DETAILS - All Pieces are Recycled Linen and Mixed Media (dyed canvas, cotton)
”Mojo #1,” 2021. 8x8 Inches, $300
”Mojo #3,” 2021. 10x10 Inches, $400
”Night Run,” 2021. 10x10 Inches, $400
”Cartwheel,” 2021. 6x6 Inches, $240
”Makeshift #7,” 2021. 8x8 Inches, $300
Mark Liam Smith
In this series of digitally-manipulated photographs of paint tubes, Mark Liam Smith imagines the paint tubes contain experiences, emotions, and attributes rather than pigment. These metaphorical pigments that are available to us end up determining what the paintings of our lives look like. Some paintings will be largely made up of compassion, love, or hope; whereas, other paintings may be painted with envy and greed.
We are the artists and our lives are the paintings.