We invite you to enjoy some artistic delicacies in our April exhibition, Sur la Table, translated from French to mean ‘on the table’. This show focuses on objects commonly found on or around the kitchen table, with each artist translating those parameters into something unique to their personalities.     

 

    The collection features a mixture of styles, with some artists opting for traditional still life and others taking a more modernist approach to the theme. Bright, colorful, and delicious, this show is sure to whet your appetite!   

 

    “All but one of the artists featured in this exhibition are new to our gallery,” says co-owner Tony Boyd-Heron, “so it will give our clients the chance to see some new and very different work.” 

 

    Jennifer Kahn Barlow has based her career around painting life’s most delicious moments. She is inspired by vibrant, texturally dynamic, and unique cuisine, which leads much of her subject matter to be confectionery, and the gooier and more colorful the better! For Sur la Table, Jennifer’s mouth-watering sweets are on display, including her famous macarons, as well as some citrusy treats.     

 

    An artist for over 30 years, Laura Bethmann’s work has been exhibited in many museums and galleries, in addition to being published in books. Combining her passion for writing and storytelling with art, Laura has created a series of works called Invitations, which serve as metaphorical dinner invites to some of her favorite people who live on through her work. For this exhibition, Laura has painted visual invitations for Beatrix Potter, Benjamin Franklin, Edward Gorey, and more.  

 

    Kristin Blanck is a realist painter working in traditional techniques. Largely self-taught, she paints in a highly detailed style that is influenced by historic and contemporary Dutch artists. Working primarily in oil, Kristin finds her voice in minimal compositions and familiar subjects coupled with a strong sense of light and shadow to establish a counterpoint between the classical and contemporary. Kristin’s soft and poignant still lives capture the beauty of the ordinary and elevates them to the extraordinary, making her works more subtle and quieter compared to the vibrant works in the show. 

 

    Jan Crooker’s style comes from her admiration of early 1900’s modern painters. She draws on Van Gogh’s use of complementary color, Edward Hopper’s interest in contrast, Wayne Thiebaud’s play of color and light, and Janet Fish’s love of transparency to create her own playful and colorful works. Jan’s contemporary realism pieces feature entire table scenes, using a variety of flowers, dishware, sweets, fruits, and pottery to populate her works.

 

    Barbara Efchak has had a life-long journey with the arts, practicing both visual and musical art. Her pursuit of a more classical approach to realism led her to Grand Central Atelier in New York in 2013, studying with accomplished portrait artist Greg Mortensen. Painting, for her, is a meditation, which focuses on capturing a moment in time, seeking to elevate the objects, and often suggesting a narrative. Like Kristin, Barbara’s work draws from a traditional still life style, giving a regal and grand quality to her fruity subjects.  

 

    As a Finland native, Nina Mickelsen’s artistic roots are in Nordic design: clean, bright colors, bold shapes, crisp, strong lines — conveying energy, strength, and motion. She draws her inspiration from nature but also from contemporary design. Nina keeps to this style for Sur la Table, choosing to include large, colorful, and whimsical silkscreen paintings, which depict different foods through graphic illustrations.