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On a fine Friday evening, the sky still bright with the nascent long sun of summer, we embarked on our gallery tour. An agenda of four: Essex Flowers, Fierman, Shrine, and the Lazy Susan Gallery. Each unique, displaying artists of a wide aesthetic range. Taking advantage of the temperate weather, we met with the gracious galleries hosts, eager to welcome our gang of curious voyagers.
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We began at Essex Flowers. There we met with Jesse Hamerman, author of the sole work on exhibit. An amiable man, he offered us palomas, a mix of tequila and grapefruit, to pair with his piece, A Chronological Sequence of Swell Artifacts. The art in question grows like a flower in the desert, experimenting with form, texture, and time. Time, the 4th dimension, is of particular interest. Spread across a series of descending pedestals, the art evolves from a plaster cactus into a less discernible globose mass. Jesse plays with the geometry, reshaping through reconstruction over time. The cactus is layered and relayered, developing from a singular plant into a formless mold. A Chronological Sequence of Swell Artifacts speaks to the impacts that intervals of time inflict upon the individual beauty of form.
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Following our departure, we arrived at Fierman. A crowd had gathered and was spilling onto the sidewalk, with many enthusiastic onlookers hoping to see the works of Chuck Nanney & Nora Griffin. The Fierman exhibit explores a broad array of colors and styles. The Pretender, one of Nora Griffin’s, is an oil on canvas work paired with a painted wooden frame; amorphous violet bubbles float in the background, contrasted by neon orange that is marked with electric purple streaks. At the center, a lone figure sits in a position of zen. Many of the works by Chuck Nanney experiment with wood as a medium. Our Voices Echo is composed of acrylic painted on wood, arranged with metal hinges. The piece is largely black, except for small misshapen squares that stream through the center; each unique, implying singular vibrancy.
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After engaging with the pieces at Fierman’s, we continued to Shrine. Here, At the Beach, by artist Mimi Gross parades around the semi-circular room. Scott, the owner/curator, worked alongside the artist to maximize the emotional impact of the art with the gallery space. Like a wave, a series of individual characters flow around the room, each a representation of a beach time activity. The cast of castaways demonstrate a human-touch, exploring themes of loneliness, curiosity, happiness, camaraderie, and calm. The beach is a metaphor for the range of complexity of life.
The exhibits will be on display several weeks, at their respective galleries: A Chronological Sequence of Swell Artifacts by Jesse Hamerman will be Essex Flowers from May 25-June 25. Fierman’s exhibit, by artists Chuck Nanney & Nora Griffin, will be up from May 5 to June 18th. Mimi Gross’s work, At the Beach, will be shown at Shrine from June 2 to July 2. The collect works of Christopher Johnson, Mikhail Sokovikov, and Jason Aaron Wall will be presented at the Lazy Susan Gallery from May 25 to the 5th of June.