Anne Sanger
Anne Sanger,above, pictured with her painting ‘Electronique | La Musique’ (2023) 48” x 60 acrylic on canvas.
Anne Sanger is an abstract artist and fashion illustrator who is also the founder of Pinkwater Gallery in Kingston, NY. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati School of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) and pursued a career in the fashion industry before relocating to the little town of Hurley, New York, in the Catskill Mountains and opening the gallery in September 2019.
After rediscovering the joy of painting at the Woodstock School of Art in 2015, Anne transitioned from a corporate job to life as a full-time artist. Anne’s work is rooted in a passion for color as well as a long-held obsession with line. She is a-okay with folks calling her paintings “beautiful”, a quality that she pursues with gusto. Having dabbled in printmaking, encaustics, gold leaf, and other media, she has found that drawing with pastels and painting with acrylics and oils give her the utmost satisfaction.
Electronique | La Mer 2023, 36 in. X 48 in., acrylic on stretched canvas
Having taught herself as a small child to draw shoes and “ladies in big dresses,” Anne still finds much of her inspiration in fashion and continues to create fashion illustrations when the mood strikes. However, these days her focus is on the endlessly fascinating possibilities of abstraction. Exploring shapes, juxtaposing colors, refining her understanding of composition, and pursuing line are her key interests.
Victoria(2021), Fashion Illustration bu Anne Sanger, Digital Media
The year 2023 has been momentous for Anne’s development as both an artist and a gallerist. She did a 2-week residency at Senate Garage in Kingston this past March, during which time she executed a large (48” x 60”) painting on-site and which now hangs in the CoWork Kingston space upstairs. She has completed eight paintings in the Electronique series, all of which were shown in her solo show Sunday Painter at YWCA Ulster this past spring. In addition, her latest series of pastel drawings on paper, the Jeu de Patience series, makes its debut at Pinkwater Gallery this month.
In addition, Anne invited Helena Palazzi to join the business this past spring as co-director at Pinkwater Gallery. The pair has curated an upcoming show of abstract art found in an open call for contemporary women artists living in New York state, which will be on exhibit from September 16 to October 28, 2023.
Anne said, “Since women were made second-class citizens in our own country last June with the Dobbs decision, I have made a declarative decision to show only work by women artists at Pinkwater Gallery. We need to amplify women’s creative voices more than ever now, at a time when our equal rights as citizens are under threat.” [Editor’s note: The U.S. Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) held that the federal Constitution does not confer a right to abortion.]
Electronique/ Le Loup, 2023, 26 in. X 22 in. On canvas paper (framed)
Anne’s abstract work as well as her fashion illustrations can be seen on her website, www.studioparapluie.com and available work can be purchased on https://www.pinkwatergallery.com/shop-anne-sanger.
Diana de Avila
My Artistic Journey: From Structure to Unstructured
I started my artistic journey in 2017 and have consistently gravitated towards utilizing computers to create my art. I exclusively work in the digital medium, housing my collection of 2000+ works in the domain of bytes and bits until they are fabricated and brought to life through various substrates such as metal, high-definition acrylic, wood, clothing, shoes, jigsaw puzzles, and more. My creative process revolves around actively engaging with my tablet and computer, where I blend layers and ideas together through multiple iterations to craft a finished work.
My artistic journey has recently taken a thrilling turn as my fractal geometry art has evolved into something more abstract. I now incorporate fractal geometry as one element in my compositions, blending styles to create a unique artistic voice that expresses my profound experiences in life. My art gains depth and complexity by moving beyond traditional boundaries and formulas, inviting viewers to explore its hidden meanings.
Vibrant colors infuse my digital art with energy and passion, allowing viewers to connect emotionally. The playful nature of my abstract pieces creates a visual playground for the eye to wander. I take pride in experimenting and embracing artistic risks, pushing the boundaries of digital art.
The constant interplay of twists and turns in my creations mirrors life’s ever-changing nature and reflects my growth as an artist and person. I find beauty in the unexpected and embrace change as a vital part of my artistic journey and life.
My art now holds a powerful and unique voice, conveying my artistic evolution and life experiences. It’s a deep exploration of myself and a testament to the transformative power of the creative process. I hope my fusion of fractal geometry and abstraction inspires others to embrace creativity, welcome change, and celebrate the beauty found in complexity.
As my art continues to evolve, I enjoy sharing my journey with others even when words cannot convey it, inviting them to connect with their paths in life through my creations. The possibilities are limitless and look forward to this artistic exploration’s exciting destinations.
[Diana’s work may be viewed at https://www.dianadeavila.com/]
Helena Palazzi
‘Solstice’ (2023) by Helena Palazzi, 36” x 36” acrylic mixed media on stretched canvas
Helena Palazzi, born and raised in Sweden, embarked on her artistic journey as a young teenager; channeling her passion for visual storytelling by carrying around a secondhand analog camera everywhere she went. Hours spent in her family’s garage- turned-darkroom solidified her love for the art form.
‘Solstice’ (2023) by Helena Palazzi, 36” x 36” acrylic mixed media on stretched canvas
‘Dis’ (2022) by Helena Palazzi, 48” x 18” encaustic photograph on wood panel
In 1993, Helena’s path led her to Italy, her father’s homeland, where she co-founded a photography and art studio alongside a group of talented young creatives. Fueling her artistic growth, she enrolled at the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts Pietro Vanucci in the region of Umbria. It wasn’t long before she held her first solo exhibition, marking the beginning of a series of showcases that featured her photography, paintings, and mixed media art.
In 1998, Helena’s artistic aspirations drew her to New York City, where she pursued a career in commercial photography. Her seductive and refined images caught the attention of renowned clients and creatives worldwide, propelling her into collaborations with some of the industry’s luminaries.
In 2019, Helena made Kingston, New York, her home, and she launched “Art by Helena Palazzi,” a fine art studio that allows her to explore her creative depths. Having introduced encaustic as a medium to enrich her fine art photography, Helena has moved on to doing mixed media paintings. She is showing her work in various solo and group exhibitions around the Hudson Valley and New York state. With her distinctive fusion of artistry and technical curiosity, she consistently produces visual art that profoundly resonates with viewers.
Helena’s paintings, works on paper, and encaustic photography can be viewed on her website, www.artbyhelenapalazzi.com and available work can be purchased on www.pinkwatergallery.com.
Susan Rostan
I have been an artist most of my life. I began training in my grandmother’s atelier when I was six, sitting beside like-minded students eager to learn how to paint and draw. Taking instruction and listening to my grandmother working with other students taught me how to teach. My skill sets were enhanced by an undergraduate degree in psychology and a master’s degree in fine arts. I added a doctorate in education to this rich foundation. Even as I ran my own art school and conducted empirical investigations of the development of artistic talent and creativity, I continued my studio art practice.
Stan Brodsky, oil on canvas, 2018
Interactions with people have stimulated my artistic endeavors since childhood. The evolution of my work began with portraits, giving tangible expression to the elusive moments of understanding encountered in relationships. Portraits became glimpses and explorations awash with a sense of truth – an epiphany – revealing both myself and myself in relation to others. Noticing and depicting a moving exchange with someone amplifies reflections on the meaning of human connections and the experience of being seen and cherished, even when the images focus on color and gesture in abstract compositions.
Excursion #3, oil on canvas, 2019
These personal moments and memories of others before them, have extended to interactions with the world around me, including nature and the stimulating clutter of my immediate exterior and interior environment. A moment’s glance now engenders less reference but more generative ideas and feelings. From this, my visual expression of a personal experience becomes art. Thus, my work has evolved from exploring intimate human relationships to visual explorations of self-referential observations and feelings. Color, gesture, texture, and movement are my visual vocabulary as I capture myself in a self-revealing moment. As I relish the experience or grasp the meaning of the encounter, my mind brims with conversations negotiated in paint. Color, words, and emotions interact in a dynamic, multidimensional canvas, craving sense and meaning from arousing interactions.
Fallen, oil on canvas, 2021
This work runs in tandem with my writing, using words to create intimate and meaningful visual sequences. With narrative stakes as momentous as the life-threatening or life-changing, or often as minor as an encounter with nature, I tell the story of an artist’s evolution. My interest in artistic development is a thread forming the warp of my creative enterprise, be it my explorations while painting, a full-length biography of a renowned Long Island artist, interviewing artists for NAWA NOW, or shorter stories of the Past Presidents of NAWA forming the beginnings of NAWA’s historical research project.
