Adirondack Style | Book Release and Photography Show by F Stop Fitzgerald and Richard McCaffery
SANDY MACDONALD | Toy Portraits
My reason for painting has never been about the subject matter. It was important to capture a certain quality, but the subject itself never defined the end result. Painting has always been about creating form and atmosphere on a flat surface. It starts on the palette before my brush even touches the canvas. I’m obsessed with mixing the paint to create subtle shifts of hue, tone and value. It’s then the placement on the canvas, creating planes and edges in which define the form. For years I forgot this.
After graduating from Rhode Island College with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, I searched for subject matter that would define me as a serious painter and make an impact on the world. This was a journey in which I was slowly becoming overwhelmed and uninspired. It wasn’t until years later when my husband requested a painting of a spark plug that inspired me to paint again. Yes, this simple inanimate object literally sparked my passion. I remembered why I liked to create and took the painting process seriously, realizing the subject matter was secondary. I then started the series of very serious paintings of not so serious subject matter.
I decided to work small scale and paint the items around me. My collection of toys proved to be great models, they sat still and worked for free. More importantly, they had personality that could be easily overlooked. I wanted to capture this presence in the style of an informal portrait instead of traditional still life.
Both inanimate objects and humans make impacts on us everyday. It’s whether these impressions stay with us that makes them significant. You, as a viewer, can decide to discard them as inconsequential or observe something that you may have overlooked at first glance.
-Sandra MacDonald
RUSSELL SERRIANNE | tendrils

(meet the artist opening reception Thursday, June 9th from 5p)
'I have long been inspired by the drawn mark…line weight, swiftness and deliberate execution.'
I am captivated by the energized line naturally found in the strength and determination of the vine tendril as seen melding in a forested cluster or clinging to urban brick. I experience the individual tendrils as if evoking a written language within nature, visually reminiscent of the vertical, dripping gestures of Fujiwara Sukamasa, the tenth century Japanese calligrapher.
In my work I use the vine tendril as my drawing tool, as my mark. The twisting, gripping forms transform into a 3-dimensional line and interplay with surface shadow. Simultaneously my intent is to present a deception of perception, as when surfaces reveal to be other than they appear. In my work I alter the appearance of the vine tendril’s thin bark with burnishing techniques such as steel wool and coatings of clear shellac, creating a mark that appears to be fabricated; mechanically twisted, metalized, and disassociated from its natural intent. The assemblages and surface papers evoke a perceived interpretation while at the same time provoking a realization of the naturalness of the vine tendril. I want to present the viewer with a conscience moment of that realization.
My pencil and graphite drawings explore individual tendrils as statements of tension, power and fluidity.
Russell's studio is located in Glens Falls, NY at the historic Shirt Factory, a collective of artists studios, shoppes and galleries.
KYLE FORD | second nature
on display:14th May 2011 thru the 4th June 2011
(meet the artist opening reception Saturday, May 14th from 8p - close)
“The Ultra Majestic Mountain” is the title of the most recent iteration of the Paramount Pictures logo. Birthed from the mind of an illustrator, the infamous Paramount Mountain does not actually exist in real life. However, if asked to describe a mountain visually, most might appropriate the aesthetics of this logo as a basis for their depiction.
The Paramount Pictures logo has embedded itself in the American visual lexicon. So much so, that its non-existence often escapes us. Consequently, it has transformed our expectations of what a real mountain can/or should be.
The Ultra Majestic Mountain, Wyomissing, PA is a direct allusion to the allegory of Plato’s Cave. Socratic thought suggests that if a man is only exposed to projections of reality (shadows), then when exposed to actual reality he would believe he was gazing upon an untruth. For him, the shadows have become his reality.
ARTIST STATEMENT:
I am fascinated with the way we represent the natural world by preparing it for display and visual consumption. Decided manipulations like selective preservation and engineered wilderness, act as a lens to explore ideas of mediated experience, perpetuated aesthetics, and transformative hyper-reality. This series is a catalogue of the varied ways we go about [re] contextualizing the “natural world,” and thus, redefining the way we perceive it.
ARTIST INFO
Kyle Ford
www.kylefordphotography.com
2011 Summer/Fall Schedule
5/14 . Gallery Opening. Kyle Ford. www.kylefordphotography.com . 8p - close
6/3 . First Friday Film
6/9 . Gallery Opening. Russell Serrianne. www.lanternshow.net . 5p - close
7/1 . First Friday Film
7/7 . Gallery Opening. Sandy MacDonald. www.sandymacpainting.com . 5p - close
8/5 . First Friday Film
8/13 . Book Signing/Gallery Opening. Adirondack Great Camps By F-Stop Fitzgerald and Richard McCaffrey . 5p - close
9/2 . First Friday Film
9/4 . Hobofest
10/1 . Book Signing/Gallery Opening. The 7444 Gallery
10/5 – 10/9 . Adirondack Aperture: fall foliage digital photography workshop w/Burdette Parks. www.adirondackapature.com
11/4 . First Friday Film – B Rate Horror . 8p
11/10 . Gallery Opening. The 7444 Collective . 5p - close
12/2 . First Friday Film – B Rate Horror . 8p
**Gallery Hours Tuesday thru Saturday 1a – 3p from 5/1/11 thru 1/1/12
**Gallery open by appointment from 1/1/12 thru 5/1/12
Aaron Hobson - 'Shop 'til you Drop' + 'Turkey Time' with calligraphy by Gail Brill


Photographer Aaron Hobson's holiday postcard featuring panoramic narrative that one would expect from the cinemascapist. "Shop 'til you drop" features an exhausted pajama clad xmas shopper (and gifts) sprawled out on snow covered Lake Colby in the Adirondacks. "Turkey Time" shows the lower half of an axe-wielding fella being approached by a wild turkey at the scenic first hole of the Lake Placid Golf Club. These cards are offered exclusively through the 7444 Gallery.
Cards sell $10 each, shipping is $2. (add $2 for Canada and add $5 for international shipping)
Additional Custom Holiday Message (up to 30 characters, $5): Available by professional calligraphist Gail Brill (see example below).

Add the Name and Address that we will mail the card to in 'Note to seller' on Paypal payment screen or send it in an email, with your 30 character message, direct to todd@7444gallery.us
Purchase below or here.





