“Flora”: Susan Greenstein, Joy Makon, Janet Pedersen, Sophie Pickering

Flora is the perfect show to open in April in the Project Space. Susan Greenstein, Joy Makon, Janet Pedersen, and Sophie Pickering are showing work that extols the allure of our natural world, while while reminding us of the ephemeral nature of this beauty. For as long as there has been art making, flowers and the natural world have been an important motif. Flora presents us with another opportunity to appreciate this timeless subject.

Embracing the fluid and dynamic nature of watercolor, Susan Greenstein captures the essence of flowers in a compelling way in her paintings. The immediacy of her approach which skips a preliminary drawing allows the medium to guide her. For example in Autumn Flowers and Purple and Blue her wet on wet technique creates a halo effect that enhances the ethereal quality of the blooms. And so, the subtle as well as the expressive nature of flowers has an immediacy and depth which is a direct result of Greenstein’s process, one that highlights the delicate balance between control and spontaneity.

In a nod to spring and the burgeoning warmth to come, Joy Makon is showing two watercolors that harken back to views from her past. The Japanese Garden in April is very much of the moment, and yet it also has a timeless quality. Indeed, Makon painted this particular painting ten years ago, but it could have been yesterday. We are reminded of the cyclical nature of the botanical world. Catnap, a recent painting recalls the hot, sunny afternoons from a past trip to Greece, and the luxury of a nap in the shade. These works of a classically envisioned realm are an ode to the charms of a verdant world. Makon says, “Painting astonishingly beautiful scenes is an antidote to the daily assault of bad news on a personal, and community level.”

Janet Pedersen’s paintings in Flashe on paper celebrate the many floral gifts of spring. Working larger than usual she makes expressive use of her medium. Spring Floral reveals boldly painted vases carved out of earth tones, while the loosely painted flowers and meandering stems decorate a pale blue background. Pedersen began this still life from observation, but then abstracted the image to suggest more movement and light. Light is also a feature of Blue Chair where the dappled light of a sunlit garden culminates in radiant blue. These pictures attest to her ability to capture the atmospherics of spring through color and gesture.

Sophie Pickering centers her work around recurrent cycles. In these recent mixed media pieces selected from a larger body of work Pickering explores where beauty and trauma intersect. She reveals the delicate balance between permanence and fragility, just as in the natural cycles of the seasons. the beach is still standing, an oil painting within a paper cast frame examines the way nature can relieve a painful present through the depiction of natural devastation, beauty, and life cycles. While, found in a pair of jeans that i haven’t worn since our very last hike together Pickering uses found sea glass and a delicate pulp painted scene to depict a personal memory.