ESTHER SOLONDZ
Esther Solondz is currently showing at Naga Gallery (through February 27th) on Newbury Street in downtown Boston. Hidden in part of a large church on a street corner, the gallery is tucked inside and full of fantastic works both by Esther Solondz and other artists who have installation pieces. Solondz’s work varies as she experiments with different natural processes. In this exhibit she chose the rusting process and did a series of women. The pieces are all rather large and have a meticulous process to reveal the features of the female head, each named after a rose.
She creates women that she does not know personally and they can be imaginary, though she works off of vintage photographs that she collects. It is important for her to work with different processes and the rusting process is one that she has clearly mastered. The process starts with a rough sketch that is not seen in the final product (with a couple exceptions in this exhibit that have trace markings). She then applies fragments of metal carefully over her outlines and uses salt and water as well as other materials such as cotton. Depending on her desired effect, she allows the rusting process to take place hours, days, or weeks. The final product is stunning and has very delicate features with dark and layered hair, or visa versa. One way she controls this outcome is through applying the metal directly to the paper that she places on a panel, or inverting the image onto plastic for an especially faint look. All of these methods are stunning and the ghost-like images are as interesting as the layered and thick ones.
Solondz received a degree from the Rhode Island School of Design in photography as well as a graduate degree from New York University in film. She currently lives and works in Providence, Rhode Island.
NAGA GALLERY
67 NEWBURY ST.
617-267-9060
CLIFFTON PEACOCK
Cliffton Peacock is currently showing at Alpha Gallery (until February 24th) on Newbury Street in downtown Boston. His exhibit is called “New Paintings” and features a series of portraits hung around the main room upon entering the gallery.
The figures are painted onto canvases and for the most part only depict the upper torso and head of the subjects. Though they have an almost childish feel to them due to the rounder faces, the style and color choice is stunning. While Peacock usually employs flesh tones on the figure, he also frequently uses other shades such as blue. His colors are bright and the direction of light is made clear in this way. The shading is very dark and dramatic as each painting evokes different expressions and emotions. The application of paint appears thin at times with bits of canvas peaking through the paint, but the portraits are layered thick with paint. It is evident that the portraits must take a great deal of time as any heavily layered oil painting would. The paintings are not trying to depict a realistic representation of the figure, but take a more expressive, simple, and lively approach. They are intriguing to look at and ponder about, perhaps the way Peacock himself does when he paints his imaginary figures.
Born in Chicago and a graduate of Boston University, Peacock currently teaches at the College of Charleston.
ALPHA GALLERY
38 NEWBURY ST.
617-536-4465
