In Praise of Summer
The Nabi Gallery in Chelsea featured landscapes by three New York artists--Kathy Buist, Robert Pillsbury, and Nick Savides--in a show titled In Praise of Summer that ran from February 1 to March 10, 2007.
Kathy Buist, Southwest Winds, oil on canvas, 24x24, 2006
The three artists share an obsession with the intricacies and mysteries of nature. Ms. Buist works in a passionate style evoking the energy of wind and heat; Mr. Pillsbury, on a meticulous and subtle scale, fascinated with the process of seeing; and Mr. Savides, in a more realistic but dramatic vein.
Ms. Buist has participated in many previous shows at the Nabi, both at its Chelsea space and at its previous location in Sag Harbor, L.I. The New York Times has praised her “powerful and successful” landscapes, which have been shown in museums and galleries throughout the country, including the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton, the National Woman’s Museum Archives in Washington, D.C., and the Long Island Museum.
Nick Savides, Path to Separate Road, oil on canvas, 36x48, 2006
Nick Savides is a representational painter with a keen interest in the effect of light on landscape, whether it be urban, wilderness, or tranquilly rural as in the current show, which includes scenes of upstate New York, Massachusetts, and other rural areas. The Nabi Gallery previously featured his cityscapes, along with Ms. Buist’s, in a 2004 exhibit titled New York Stories.
Robert Pillsbury, Sarasota Bay, color pencil and encaustic, 5x7, 2006
Mr. Pillsbury operates most often on a small scale, conjuring the spirit of a place through exquisite networks of cross-hatched lines, subtle colors, and waxen texture. His work, he says, “reflects an ongoing process of seeing and focusing on the relationship between conscious and unconscious observations of the environment.” His images reflect, too, his frequent travels in France, Eastern Europe, Puerto Rico, Canada, New England, and other places.
Along with paintings and works on paper by these three artists, In Praise of Summer also includes several pieces by the Sag Harbor sculptor John Philip Capello, whose themes of germination and divinity in nature are in keeping with the mood of the show.
John Philip Capello, Owl, Indiana limestone, 15x14x8, 2004
