GALLERY PRESS

Hunt Slonem Hops into a Solo Exhibition at Sag Harbor's Grenning Gallery - written by Alexandra Sillo

https://galeriemagazine.com/artful-life-july-30/

Classical realist artist Kelly Carmody already has an impressive list of achievements. In addition to creating and exhibiting award-winning, highly lauded paintings with subject matter ranging from large portraits to elegantly composed still-life to interiors that allow her to play with elements of light and dark — all done in the style of master painters — her works have been featured in “American Art Collector,” “Fine Art Connoisseur,” and “International Artist Magazine,” to name a few, and she was also responsible for creating the original art featured in Greta Gerwig’s film adaptation of Little Women about six years ago. However, it is through her most recent series, where she’s utilized a new style of painting she’s been experimenting with, that may be her most impressive, and alluring, feat yet. And it happened here on the East End.

A master of figurative painting and realism, Springs artist Nick Weberis exploring something quite different with his new exhibition at Grenning Galleryin Sag Harbor (26 Main Street). The show — which shares space with a wonderful selection of paintings by Marc Dalessio and is on view through May 5 — presents a remarkable body of work using a technique of Weber’s own invention. Written by Oliver Peterson.

There is a contingent of contemporary landscape painters whose works could easily be mistaken for those of 19th-century Russia's renowned "Itinerants," but Viktor Butko (b. 1978)'s educational lineage can literally be traced back to one of that movement's leaders, Isaac Levitan. 

Darius Yektai's "Falling Stargazers" painting graces the cover of HC&G's Fall 2023 issue.

On this week's cover of Dan's Papers, we have the 2020 oil painting "Girl, Morning" by Ben Fenske. Born in 1978 to a working-class Minnesotan family, Fenske dreamed of becoming an artist and was greatly inspired by the works of major Russian painters that he was introduced to in his teens. He sought classical art training at the Bougie Studio in Minneapolis, founded by former students of renowned artist Richard Lack, and continued his studies at the Studio of Joseph Paquet and the prestigious Florence Academy of Art.

Our cover artist, who was born in Moscow in 1978, breathed in the fumes of solvents and linseed oil daily as a child on visits to Verkhnyaya Maslovka street, where his grandfather, the well- known landscape painter Viktor Chulovich, had his studio. Viktor's parents, Nikolai Butko and Marina Chulovich, were artists, too, as were the Verkhnyaya Maslovka street neigh- bors: Arkady Plastov had a studio downstairs, and Viktor'sgrandfather would summon Plastov and his own artist off- spring to communal dinners in the studio by banging on the radiator pipes. In summertime, the Butko family would follow Chulovich to a village between Moscow and St. Petersberg called Vyshny Volochok, where young Viktor would wander the woods and build forts out of the native aspen and alder.

Written by Kelly Compton

In the context of these rush-rush, always-on-the-move times, it is gratifying to report that the genre of still life is very much alive and well. Today the longstanding tradition of depicting flowers, objects, and various kinds of food (especially fruits and vegetables) is being sustained by an unexpectedly robust community of artists who continue taking the time necessary to slow down and study their favorite inanimate things. This season we've slowed down, too, gathering three dozen impressive examples of what's happening in this field nationwide. Enjoy, and consider acquiring a still life for yourself.

This is the 199th installment of A View From the Easel, a series in which artists send in a photo and a description of their workspace. This week, artist studios from Texas, Virginia, New York, and Michigan.

If there is one word to describe the paintings of Darius Yektai it would be "alive." There is nothing still about his still lifes. Motion is essential to Yektai whether it is the visible stroke of his brush or his surf board sensing the perfect wave or the movement of the viewer required to fully experience the work. Working on large scale canvases, he leaves the mark of his physical process, epitomizing painting as a verb as opposed to a noun. "I tend to push painting towards sculpture and sculpture towards painting," he comments, "The work is very much about material and process."

Written by Heather Buchanan

Carl and Kristie Bretzke share a passion for painting; each has received numerous accolades for their respective works. Written by Jane Maiorano, photography by Spacecrafting.

An East-End Mother-Daughter Duo tell a talle of female resilience and fortitude through their plein air paintings. Written by Erica Pratt.

Get to know Local Gallery Owner, Laura Grenning, on the cover of this months Sag Harbor Neighbors.

"A youthful yet bold streak permeates the work of a local artist whos art roots are as deep as the imaginary world he inhabits". Written by Erica Pratt.

The outdoor exhibition on Long Island featured works installed at properties from Hampton Bays to Montauk, with social isolation as just one theme.

Written by Stacey Stowe

Daily life is a constant muse for artist Ben Fenske, who resides in Chianti, Italy. On his canvases he captures the landscape, people and interiors that surround his home, as well as nearby places and scenes from his annual trips to the East End of Long Island. August 24 through September 15, Fenske's newest paintings will be on display at Grenning Gallery in Sag Harbor, New York.

Russian and American "Plein Air" artists find their differences face when they communicate in the same language of painting. By Michelle Trauring

Painter Tina Orsolic Dalessio says of her approach to her work in general and to this week's cover, "The Landscape Painter" in particular: "I try to keep it simple and sincere, responding to the beauty around me with authenticity. I work with my brain as much as I do with my heart. It's a blessing to be able to call this my job and I'm very thankful to everyone who has given me their support in the process." Dalessio is currently based in Florence, Italy, where she recently celebrated her graduation from the Florence Academy of Art. She notes that "the revelry that followed the ceremony" was the highlight of her summer.

Maryann Lucas is the art queen of the music festival...

An interview with Landscape painter Leo Mancini-Hresko, who spent eleven years training and teaching in Florence before returning to his hometown of Boston to set up a studio in the urban outskirts of Waltham. After seven years in that space, Mancini-Hresko's style has become a synthesis of the nineteenth-century academic education he acquired in Italy and the nineteenth- and twentieth-century American Impressionist influence of his native New England.

George A. Morton - Overcoming drugs and jail time to flourish as a classically-inspired painter. written by Michelle Trauring, Sag Harbor Express 2017

Exploring the long journey of African-American artists, and the limited avilabilty of their history here on the East End of Long Island. Grenning Gallery along with the help of former Gallery Manager, Andree MiChelle, curated a group show of all black artists for the month of February.

The craftsman style home of this long island collector is adorned with fine realism paintings.

While he was remodeling he stated buying art. By chance, he met Laura Grenning of Grenning Gallery in Sag Harbor. Friends of his were renting a house full of contemporary art being kept there while the owners finished their new home. When they were ready, they took the art away. The renters approached Grenning to bring some paintings over for them to consider for their now empty walls. Grenning suggested they invite some friends over to see what she was bringing by. By chance I wrangled an invitation, the collector admits. I saw some wonderful paintings and really liked a painting by Kevin Sanders, Near Panzano in the Chianti but I didnt think I would be able to afford it.

A look inside a private collection curated by Gallerist and Art Consultant, Laura Grenning.

Fine Art Connoisseur magazine featured Grenning Gallery artist, Carl Bretzke, as one of Three to Watch in their November/December 2016 issue! The article starts by introducing Bretzke, noting his recent acheivements, and procedes to descibe his successful, painterly process as a plein-air painter.

Pat Rogers, of Hamptons Art Hub, investigated deeper into our Russian-american Painting Alliance as she interviewed the artists involved.

It was during an invitational plein air painting trip to Russia that several artists from the United States and the host nation formed an alliance -- and the art world has benefitted ever since. The budding relationship between the painters has recently resulted in group exhibitions, the latest of which is currently on view at the Grenning Gallery in Sag Harbor, New York.

A fantastic pairing of landscape, still life, and figurative works from two adroit painters will embellish the walls of Grenning Gallery this month. Who are the artists and where? Find out here!

The Grenning Gallery in Sag Harbor announced this week that one of its featured painters, Ben Fenske, has been selected to exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery in London this summer. His portrait of his muse and girlfriend Beatrice was selected from a pool of over 2,500 submissions to be included in the annual BP Portrait Award Exhibition.

Two artists, equally skilled from plein air to the studio, headline a pairing for the ages in Sag Harbor, New York. Treat yourself to it here.

Edwina Lucas dared to dream big. And its paying off.

In just a few short years the 24-year-old Sag Harbor native has gone from art gallery intern, to manager, to featured artist at the Grenning Gallery in the village. Not only has the classical painters most recent work been selected to hang in the three-artist exhibition Bretzke, Lucas & Sanders, her piece, Amagansett Ravens, will be the shows most prominent image. The 48-inch-by-40-inch oil-on-canvas will be featured on the back wall of the front room of the Washington Street gallery for the duration of the show, which will be on view from Saturday, April 9, through May 15.

Ben Fenske offers viewers a contemporary impressionist view of the female figure in a dazzling solo exhibition.

“Ramiro ┃Sanchez” presents a wide-ranging if understated conversation between husband and wife Melissa Franklin Sanchez and Ramiro Sanchez. The two share a studio in Florence and are annual visitors to the East End, where they paint seascapes and compelling portraits, often on commission.

A indepth article of Sarah Lambs career, studio and community, written by Allison Malfronte.

Realism that comes with a whiff of fresh paint has its job cut out for it in an abstract era. The impressive strength of the two-artist exhibition at Sag Harbors Grenning Gallery a bastion of traditional genres, shows the way that impromptu gestures can raise realism to the level of poetry while evading the possible trap of remaining prosaically photographic.

Ramiro | Sanchezpresents a wide-ranging if understated conversation between husband and wife, Ramiro Sanchez and Melissa Franklin Sanchez. The Two Share a studio in Florence and are annual vistors to the East End, where they paint seascapes and compelling portraits, often on commission.

Everything sounds better in French. Translated into English as deceive the eye, trompe loeil is understood universally to be realistic imagery creating the optical illusion that the objects depicted exist in three dimensions. Although this French term appeared four centuries ago, the technique itself has existed since Greeces classical period. Often integrated within architecture to evoke larger spaces or views into nature, trompe loeil really took off in the Italian Renaissance with masters like Andrea Mantegna, then gathered greater steam as the Dutch Old Masters produced thousands of realistic still life paintings.

Those pictures crossed the Atlantic as household decorations and were taken to breathtaking new levels by such American masters as William Harnett (1848-1892) and John F. Peto (1854-1907). In fact, on view now through September 4 at New Jerseys John F. Peto Studio Museum is its biennial juried exhibition of contemporary still life and trompe loeil. The tradition took on added force when American artists such as Richard Haas (b. 1936) began adorning the sides of urban buildings with massive glimpses of distant vistas.

Here we have gathered two dozen recent examples of artists deceiving our eyes. Few are as meticulously detailed as the roundel painted by Marina Dieul on this magazines cover; some are painted from photographs rather than life, one is sculpted, and another covers a giant brick wall. As with all vital traditions, trompe l'oeil is broad enough to be adapted by each artist to suit his or her particular objectives. We salute all of them and look forward to seeing what they create next.

Delicate works for a quiet time of year, the Grenning Gallery in Sag Harbor will open Works on Paper on Saturday, January 30 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The show will feature prints by Alejandro Sainz Alfonso (b. 1965) discovered on a recent trip to Cuba. It will also showcase charcoal and conte crayon drawings by Ben Fenske (b. 1978), as well as new watercolors by highly respected Long Island artist Christian White. Michael Kotasek (b. 1962) is also featured in the exhibit.

Artists to Watch

A Selection of Diverse Local Talents, featuring Maryann Lucas

This retrospective highlights the work of two pioneers in the Poetic Realist movement, who have recently passed on. James Del Grosso (1941- 2013) and Dennis Ramsay (1925 - 2009) were swimming way against the stream of their time.

Grenning Gallery will open its season Saturday with a new show featuring an eclectic mix of artists across several mediums.

A prominent east end art collector opens his home to showcase a collection curated and consulted by Laura Grenning. His walls display many beautiful works by Ramiro, Marc Dalessio, and Daniel Graves.

Laura Grenning writes about the Grenning Gallery Artists, Ben Fenske, Nelson White, Hege Haugen, Ramiro, and Melissa Franklin-Sanchez in their studios in Florence, Italy. Her article is accomplied with photographs by the talented photographer Patrizia Genovesi.

When painter Ben Fenske was 22, he found himself in the hands of stock market turned self-owned art gallery curator Laura Grenning. Twelve years later, he had shown in her Sag Harbor gallery twelve times and moved beyond his painting comfort zone.

A great little article touching upon our represented artists, new, and returning for our 2013 Holiday Show.

When painting coastal landscapes, most artists who work al fresco prefer to focus on summer views. This is especially true in a place like Maine where darkness falls early once summer ends and the winters can be downright brutal.

But on view now at the Grenning Gallery in Sag Harbor is the work of three artists, including Michael Kotasek and Ben Fenske who have not only spent an admirable amount of time painting in Maine - they have chosen to do so at a time of year when most painters -- and in fact many residents -- are no where to be found.

In the off season.

As artists, Leo Mancini-Hresko and Joe Altwer share a studio space with Marc Dalessio in Florence, Italy where they perfect their talents by painting still lifes, portraits and landscapes. Both artists are former students of the Florence Academy, a school which trains artists to work in the mode of classical realism.

Two American Artist editors review the work of an up-and-coming artist and offer their opinion on why this young painter is one to watch.

Editors at American Artist have the privilege of seeing a wide variety of work from artists all over the country and world, but we are often in the unenviable position of having to choose among great talent when it comes to commissioning feature articles, booking instructors for our events, or selecting winners in juried competitions and shows. As we keep our eyes and ears open in the ever-expanding world of representational art, we often catch a glimpse of a painter whose vision and style say something so powerful that even professional writers struggle to put it into words. Such was the case when my editorial director Michael Gormley and I saw the work of Ben Fenske, a young American artist who grew up in Minnesota and has lived in Florence for the last five years. As we both attempted to articulate what it is about this painter that stands out, we decided that we'd like to put our thoughts into writing, starting a new feature in American Artist that offers an honest assessment of work we feel is worthy of your attention

Angel Ramiro Sanchez and his wife, Melissa Franklin Sanchez definitely have a foot in two worlds -- and it's certainly an enviable life for a pair of artists. Ten months a year spent living and working in their studio in Florence, Italy -- the very cradle of artistic expression -- followed by two glorious months each summer painting on the East End.

Local Landscapes, a show opening at the Grenning Gallery in Sag Harbor on Saturday, August 30, 2007 captures the serene beauty of a summer spent on the eastern end of Long Island.