Carol Taylor-Kearney   {  taylor-kearneyarts.com  }

Atlantic Gallery sits in Chelsea, in a historic arts building just steps from the High Line. As with all the galleries in New York, it floats in limbo. But that is the physical space. The artists of Atlantic Gallery not only continue to create artwork—YES, actual timely, new ART! But the gallery itself continues to exhibit with Future (Perfect): An Online Exhibition. (Click on “FUTURE (Perfect) to link to all the pieces from the exhibition.) The artists participating are #Kar

Welcome to you and to 2020! Before beginning with the new year, I thought it would be informative to finish up 2019 at Cerulean Arts with their December events. Cerulean Arts was very busy in December. The last Collective Members’ Exhibition—which I wrote about in a previous post called "Expressing Expressionism"—was for artists Laurence Bach, Kitty Caparella, Jeanne O’Shell, Stephanie Rogers, and Ruth Wolf. During this exhibition, on Saturday December 7th, Cerulean hosted

When I hear the word “Expressionism” I think of Abstract Expressionism, the American post-war art movement centered in New York and characterized by gestural brushstrokes and marks. I also think of Expressionism, a style of artwork, particularly painting, in which the artist distorts the subject in an effort to connect to emotions or ideas. And finally, I think of Neo-Expressionism with its vivid colors and contrasts, distorted subject matter; and spontaneous technique and

Walking into Cerulean Arts Gallery this past weekend I was reminded of a little ditty from my childhood, “All the animals in the zoo are jumping up and down for you!” The exhibition before my eyes is “Menagerie”. It includes artworks by Phillipa Beardsley, Molly Sanger Carpenter, Matthew Courtney, Millicent Krouse, Dan Miller, Kerry Sacco, and Dori Spector. And “menagerie” is a perfect word for this group. It includes animal subjects that would be considered exotic or dom

Alas, I am late to writing my blog about this current exhibition of the artworks of Fran Lightman Gibson, Andrea Lyons, Tilda Mann[CT1] , Michael Moore, and Amanda Moseley at Cerulean Arts Collective Gallery. What is most frustrating is that I saw much of the work early as it was being readied to be hung for exhibition. And I was very excited to see these exhibitions. They are all so lyrical! As I moved from gallery to gallery different poems about the nature of “Truth” c

In the Realm at Cerulean Arts Gallery presents the paintings of Brian Boutwell and Tom Csaszar. These relatively smooth paintings are dense with materials making their surfaces feel like skins on a frame. But the change of colors and loose geometry of the shapes invites the viewer to see each painting as a Realm of its own and a perception of lived experience. For example, in Bounce, an extremely symmetrical composition, Boutwell stacks diminishing sized rectangles in the c

September 18th was the opening day for Cerulean Arts Collective Members' Galleries. The current grouping of artists share a keen attention to detail and to story-telling developed through documenting in their respective mediums, minutia, and detritus. Sandra Benhaim’s paintings are layer upon layer of detail upon detail of color applied with personal marks that become the words of her abstracted vocabulary. Her art is both about the quality of the color that can only be obta

Close at Hand, an exhibition of artwork by artists Sheila Chimes, Elizabeth Heller, and Ed Kent, opens Cerulean Arts Gallery’s season with a nice flair. On the one-hand Close at Hand presents many paintings of traditional still life—that is, representations of known and commonplace objects. On the other hand, although the objects represented are familiar—I would even say “close at hand” to the artists who make these works-- there is an interesting twist to each artist’s way

September is the start of the exhibition year for most galleries. Atlantic Gallery at 548 W. 28th Street, Suite 540 is beginning its season on the heels of Labor Day with an extraordinary exhibition, Night Vision(s): Recent Work By Melissa Rubin. An interesting title as “night vision” can suggest so much: devices that allow one to see in low-light conditions, the eye’s adaptive ability (or disability) to see at night, and even the mystical or dream scenarios that occur to

Part 1: Cerulean Arts Associate Collective Members Exhibition Summertime is a time of heat. And what is hotter than meeting new artists and new artwork?! So, I was very excited when I not only received the invite to attend the opening for Cerulean Arts Gallery’s 7th Annual Juried Exhibition but also something new— Cerulean Arts Associate Members Exhibition. The Associate Members program is a result of the success of Cerulean Arts Collective. Fortunately, and unfortunatel

Part 2: Cerulean Arts 7th Annual Juried Exhibition As galleries enter the summer months of June and July, many group exhibitions appear on their schedules. Some are “themed”, some are based on a renowned artist or critic choosing the works to be presented, some do both. This is a perfect condition as newly minted “students” and emerging artists have received their bona fides and are beginning to network and build their professional resume while mid-career and even establis

It is always flattering to be asked to exhibit your work—especially when you can imagine it as being beneficial for a community. So when Hal and Linda Robinson telephoned to invite me to put together a show of my artwork at Waverly Heights Gallery, a senior complex in Gladwynne, PA, I was enthused. Hal had seen my paintings at Cerulean Arts in Philadelphia. I was slightly familiar with Waverly Heights in that I knew several other artists who have shown there, although I ha

Light is streaming outside and changing with the drifting clouds. This is also true as I visit the galleries at Cerulean Arts Collective this month where artists Cathleen Cohen, Ian Wagner, Mashiul Chowdhury, Denise Sedor, and Kimberly Hoechst are exhibiting their paintings. Each takes a very personal and distinctive approach to handling this element. Cathleen Cohen shows work that runs the gamut of representation to lyrical abstraction. Although the handling of her materia

Art has a way of taking us to places both familiar and exotic. The artists at Cerulean Arts Collective Galleries this month do just that. United in their approach, with bold color and decorative appeal, each of these artists—Lydia Hamilton Brown, Diane Pieri, Ruth Formica, Susan K. D’Alessio, and Liz Price— present a room with a unique atmosphere. Lydia Hamilton Brown takes us to an alternate universe. She presents both two- and three- dimensional works based on character—

Fame 2019, PA Academy of the Fine Arts Fellowship Show at Hot Bed, 723 Chestnut St, 2nd floor, Philadelphia Juried by James Oliver, Director of James Oliver Gallery Juried group shows are always interesting. They reflect the group that organizes the exhibit, and the juror selected by the organizers to select the works and the prizes. This show follows that pattern in that all the entries are members of the Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, therefore Ac

The artwork of Laura Marconi, Nancy Neill, Gary Jenkins, Mary Powers Holt, and Jeff Thomsen is being presented at the Cerulean Arts Collective Galleries from April 10th through May 5th. These are all artists who work within the visual art tradition of drawing and painting. But I would also say that they go beyond the traditional-- whether in the way they handle their materials, the straight-forwardness of their compositions, and the pure joie de vivre of the moods they sug

Carol Taylor Kearney loves to play with words, as with Plein Air, Plain Air, Plane Air. This is the title she has given to the exhibition that she has curated at Cerulean Arts Gallery in Philadelphia. The artists presenting their work are (clockwise, starting top, left) Ellen Abraham, Roni Sheman Ramos, Melissa Rubin, Susan Stefanski, and Joan Walton. It is on view from January 30th through February 24th and there is an Artists Talk by Carol and Susan Stefanski on February

Andre Breton once said, “The imaginary is what tends to become real.” The artists at Cerulean Collective galleries this month—Kathleen McSherry, Elaina Posey, Diane Collins, Rachel Romano, and Karen Rapp Bull—fulfill that rare ability to marry what they have at hand, that is their materials and observations, with their imagination to come up with the unique. And moving from one gallery to the next really calls on mental agility to contemplate each artist’s distinct vision.

Each month I look forward to visiting the Cerulean Collective. This month promised a re-visit to three artists whose work I had seen and written about from previous exhibitions —Sandra Benhaim, Kathleen Craig, and Janice Merendino; and two artists who are new to me—Joe Bowling and Ronnie Bookbinder. So I went with some expectations and was completely delighted! The artists that I know had expanded their oeuvre. The artists I didn’t know expand the offerings of the Collect

I noticed that Cerulean Collective has started to place the Artist Statement on the back of the List of Works for each of the artists exhibiting in the Collective Galleries. This is much appreciated as it provides a perspective for viewing the art work-- something about each artist, possibly their process or their history, in their own words. Which is especially nice as a visitor to these venues. I cannot always make it when the artist is present. In a similar spirit, I am