Helene Manzo : Day/Night
May 26 - June 19, 2021
Artist present on Saturdays
The Blue Mountain Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of new monotypes and paintings of upper New York State and San Francisco by Helene Manzo. There will be a video interview with Cynthia Dantzig, date to be announced, that will be available for the duration of the show. Helene will be in the gallery every Saturday for the duration of the show. Due to the Covid-19 virus no reception will be held.
The artworks explore the theme of time of day, how light and weather can change what we see and how the play of sunlight and shadow changes during the day and the night. At the varied locations, the light defines surfaces with novel colors, patterns, angles and shadows. While responding to observation, Helene turns these sensations into paintings and monotypes, evoking a sense of place, personal history, memories, and emotion.
The show includes an exploration of “Bramble,” uncared areas of weeds and overgrowth — untamable, tangled, growing in all directions. Nature’s way of returning to the wild.
Artist statement: Why a Monotype?
A monotype is a unique print. The image is made on a clear, clean surface, usually plexiglass. The image is made with ink, and anything that can make a mark with ink . Brayers (rollers).Brushes, rags, q-tips, cut up Metro Cards, and fingers to mention a few. The image is then transferred to another surface (paper) by passing it through an etching press or utilizing a hand press . I am drawn to this process because the resulting print is full of spontaneous energy, unexpected results, and lovely accidents . Many of these are due to the unpredictably of how the ink transfers to the paper, and many due to the pressure of the press.
It’s a seductive process. Printmaking informs my Painting and Painting informs my Printmaking.
