“My Mom has often told me there are many seasons to our lives, though she may have been referring to the quote from Ecclesiastes rather than lyrics from the Byrd’s ‘Turn, Turn, Turn’. Fittingly, through this body of work, I’ve come to realize this particular time in my life has been about letting go.

“Previous assumptions related to my painting process were replaced by questions and reflections.  I swapped heavily observational patterns for a deeper immersion in reaction, interaction, and sentiment.  I developed a new trust in my instincts that allowed me to be less concerned with a predetermined final result and more in tune with the process of getting there.”

-Rebekah Callaghan

Rebekah Callaghan met the unique challenges of this past year by turning inward, moving away from observation and focusing more on her process and feelings.  Callaghan scaled up the plant-based imagery.  She played with color and pattern to fit the mood of the painting rather than limiting herself to a faithful adherence to the original source.  

The artist’s hand and state of mind is prominent as Callaghan layers, scratches, and paints over the surface of the canvas, allowing the image to evolve in real time.  As the artist says, “Some of the paintings are filled with commotion and others peace.  They’re a record of what I found in the details of the daytime…responses to particular light, tenor, temperature. They represent my search for a moment of solace in uncertain spaces.”

Rebekah Callaghan lives and works in Philadelphia, PA. Callaghan graduated from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and earned her BFA at Tyler School of Art at Temple University. She has exhibited nationally and this is her second solo exhibition with Gross McCleaf Gallery.

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Claire Kincade chooses familiar and often used household items for inspiration. In Kincade’s hands, various bottles, pitchers, cups, and bowls become players on theatrical stage sets. The simplicity of the subject matter lends itself to complex manipulation of the constructed space as Kincade builds unexpected relationships through color patterns, dramatic lighting, and unusual perspectives.

Her paintings are activated by the occasional addition of a plant that casts its intricate shadow, a swatch of fabric, a patterned rug or a decorative wall grate, all of which serve to underscore Kincade’s unique preferences, welcoming further curiosity and a closer engagement with her work.

American Art Collector states, “The arrangement of objects in unexpected locations and lighting conditions causes the viewer not only to appreciate the whole but to slowly contemplate them as individual objects and how they relate to the space they occupy.” Likewise, Kincade says of her process, “I know these items well, but the painting is never about the individual pieces. When I place them in a new situation, I perceive them differently, and when I add a new object, the dialogue changes. My observation and time spent with the space becomes the primary subject.”

Claire Kincade received her Certificate in painting from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and her BFA from the University of Pennsylvania.  This is her second solo exhibit with Gross McCleaf Gallery.  The artist lives and works in Philadelphia, PA.

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Gross McCleaf Gallery is pleased to present Pet Show, an exhibition featuring the work of fourteen artists and filled with furry and feathery friends.

Joan Becker combines botanicals, portraiture, art historical references and non-traditional pets in her intricate watercolor. Indiana-based artist Su A Chae promotes interspecies friendship in her airbrushed and hand-painted work. The oldest cat in the show is Toby, the subject of Eileen Goodman’s 1976 painting, while a close second and third are the sleepy kittens appearing in Frank Trefny’s two interiors from 1978. Morgan Hobbs paints patterns and purrs in her whimsical and humorous portraits while Katie Hubbell’s pets slither and swish through her seductive photographs. Darla Jackson’s sculptures add dimension to the show, as does Jonathan Mandell’s low-relief mosaic piece.

Christina Leone explores the individual personalities of her sitters, and Douglas Martenson’s paintings of family pets catch them in quiet moments.  An invasion of rabbits disrupts Joseph Lozano’s meticulously articulated pencil drawing of a human being. In a life-size oil painting, Scott Noel’s husky, Courtney, protectively guards a classical nude.  Lastly, Bethann Parker and Ted Walsh take us on a tour of the farm.