Get ready for not one show, but six as Haven Gallery proudly celebrates the solo exhibitions of Brian Despain, Adam Oehlers, Jeff Echevarria, Amy Minchew, Larysa Bernhardt, and Calvin Laituri. You’ll be whisked away into the imagination of these beautiful collections as they convey the unique voice and distinct style of each artist. Through varied compositions and palpable narratives, the duality of dark surrealism and whimsical fantasy invite you to experience each creative vision.
**Exhibitions remain online as quarantine measures continue.**
Brian Despain, Adam Oehlers, Jeff Echevarria, Amy Minchew, Larysa Bernhardt, Calvin Laituri Solo Exhibitions
Exhibition Dates: May 2 – May 31, 2020
Haven Gallery
155 Main St., | The Carriage House Square | Northport, NY 11768
For additional information and images, please contact Erica Berkowitz at info@havenartgallery.com
Brian Despain, “Lesser Known Saints”
Haven Gallery is pleased to present “Lesser Known Saints”, a collection of new paintings by Washington based artist, Brian Despain. “Lesser Known Saints” is Despain’s second show at the gallery and features six oil paintings that canonize the the artists known characters and symbolic motifs. Set against forbidding landscapes, metaphorically and subconsciously derived imagery provokes the viewer with a number of questions using universally understood shapes and motifs, allowing for ubiquitous comprehension and interpretation. Despain’s blending of the dualities of life are presented in often witty and playful compositions allowing us to approach the darkest aspects with a lighter heart while reminding us of the continued pace of life and its many evolutions.
Adam Oehlers, “Thistledown”
Haven Gallery is honored to present Adam Oehlers for his third solo show, “Thistledown”. “Thistledown” will consist of a collection of new watercolour paintings, ink drawings and shadowboxes that explore the natural world. It is through Oehler’s nostalgic exploration and desire to survey the world at its most tiny and grand scales, that his work transcends our experiences and brings us back to the curiosity and wonder of our younger selves. His use of intricate line work results in highly detailed compositions that speak to our inner explorer; leaving no blade of grass or rock shape unturned. A notable aspect of this new collection is its feature of recent illustrations created for a publication entitled “The Strangers Tale”. A narrative work of fiction by Natasa Xerri, whose characters and settings echo Oehler’s timeless tales of imagination and adventure. Adam’s characteristic female protagonists and animals can be seen embarking on new adventures throughout this series, some of which are inspired by his own personal experiences with his family in the woodlands near their home.
About the Artist // Adam Oehlers was born in Coventry, England and now lives and works out of the UK. He works in pencil, pen and watercolour to create his Illustrations and shadowboxes. He is an Award winning illustrator and well known artist whose illustrations grace many publications, such as his interpretation of the classic text ‘The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner’, “Cinderella Jump Rope Rhymes”, his ghost story graphic novel “Dear Little Emmie”, ”The Errand” written by Leo LaFluer released in 2017 and the second in the series ”The Warlock” due to be released later this year. He is currently working on his next book ‘The Mushroom Garden’ which he has authored himself.
As well as his publications and exhibitions he has turned his hand towards animation, he has worked as concept artist for the Award winning Music Video for Steven Wilsons ‘Routine’, as Writer and Artist for Matallicas music video ‘Here comes Revenge’, Writer and Artist for Passengers music video ‘Beautiful Birds’ and Steven Wilsons ‘People who eat Darkness’, currently being use in his live shows, due to be released publicly soon. He also worked as writer and Concept artist for Ovosonios emotional award-winning game ‘Last Day of June’. His inspirations include well known illustrators such as Arthur Rackam, Gustave Doré, Edward Gorey, Tony Wolf, John Vernon Lord and Shaun Tan and he finds endless inspiration from the Music of Tom Waits, a constant backdrop to his studio. Oehlers work has been exhibited in the U.K, Europe, America and Australia.
Jeff Echevarria, “Go Then, there are other worlds than this…”
Haven Gallery is pleased to present “Go Then, there are other worlds than this…”, a collection of new charcoal and graphite drawings by New Jersey based artist, Jeff Echevarria. “Go Then, there are other worlds than this…” is Echevarria’s first solo show at the gallery and features a selection of expertly rendered drawings reimagining characters and stories of folklore and legend. An aptly chosen title finds its inspiration from a line out of Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower” series, as Echevarria invites us into these mysterious and magical realms rekindling narratives found within our hearts and own imaginations.
Echevarria’s technique is praised for its realistic tendencies, but also its heartfelt approach to technique and story telling. Each drawing is masterfully drawn but imbues heavy emotion as the artist revisits stories of the past with new eyes and perspective. A near death experience, resulting surgery and subsequent rehabilitation, left Echevarria with an opportunity to learn again how to draw and see the world anew. His art represents just that; a beautiful revival and celebration of perspective; a familiar but novel visit to the transportive and comforting worlds of the supernatural and a revival of hope. A reminder of the power and strength of human perspective and heart.
Amy Minchew
Haven Gallery is pleased to present a collection of oil paintings by Amy Minchew for her second mini solo show at the gallery. Amy’s paintings fuse the beauty of flora with the female form. A notable aspect of this new collection harks back to historical motifs such as art nouveau framework. Intricate and stylized borders can be seen intermingling with her quintessential, highly detailed flora, as they harmonize and serve as a framing device for her female sitters. Much of Amy’s work is inspired by her dreams as she states, “My dreams are to blame for the most vivid, dark, sad and terrifying moments of my life and they, more than anything, fuel the inspiration behind my work. I like to think of my work as capturing moments that we initially see as irrelevant, but have a profound impact on us when our memories take us back to them.”
About the Artist // Born in August, 1986, from childhood to adulthood, Atlanta-based artist Amy Katherine Minchew was rarely ever spotted without a sketchbook in hand. Her early homeschool experience with its flexibility and versatility allowed her the freedom to explore her creativity under no confines or limitations. She has been diligently working on creating her own brand of beautifully painted images. Using all different types of media, she adds in elements and influential symbols of her past and present to each piece. Beyond the aesthetics of her artwork, Amy brings an overwhelming sense of passion to her paintings. Touching on themes of love, death, conflict and duality, Amy’s art tells stories of strength and hope through emotion and sentiment with her sensual beauties and signature doe-eyed women. Her work is often recognized by her signature, abstract mandala designs, variations of Heterochromia, the melancholic expressions of her characters, and her distinctive curvaceous, soft women.
Larysa Bernhardt, “Wanderlust of the Mind”
Haven Gallery is pleased to present Larysa Bernhardt for her mini solo show, “Wanderlust of the Mind”. “Wanderlust of the Mind” is Bernhardt’s first solo show at the gallery and will consist of twelve hand sewn moth sculptures. Larysa states that this collection is about mind traveling. This body of work reflects on current events, while everyone is practicing social distancing and self-quarantine. “Wanderlust of the Mind” represents traveling, not only geographically but also in time. The sculptures are hand sewn and the fabric for each moth has been sourced from around the world, including Pakistan, Belgium and England. The velvet fabric that forms the body of the moth is hand dyed using flower’s from the artist’s garden. Larysa’s creations serve as a metaphorical invitation for our minds to wander and travel as well as a reminder of our connectivity and unique qualities as humans to each other and our natural world.
Calvin Laituri, “August Rust”
Haven Gallery is pleased to present “August Rust”, a collection of new ink drawings from New England artist Calvin Laituri. Laituri’s work is made up of highly skilled line work, built from a push and pull approach where ink is laid down on his clayboard medium, and carved out with sharpened tools, resulting in highly defined and meticulous strokes reminiscent of a cross hatching technique. Each drawing cultivates its monochromatic palette to emphasize the artists control of values, contrast, mood and narrative, as inspired by printmakers and artists of the past. This dichotomy of technique serves as an accentuation of the artists play on dualities throughout his work. A commingling of the ease of small town America juxtaposed with the grandiose architecture of decadent periods of the past, such as antiquity and medieval art, are further contrasted by Laituri’s combination of the organic, natural world, with that of which is man made.
Laituri’s work evokes the imagination as time becomes uncertain. His surreal use of scale creates imaginative scenes that suggest alternate realities or not so distant futures. His imagination blossoms in more ways than one as he redesigns architectural styling of the past with that of his own imagination, offering us something both familiar and new. A focus on the extraordinary details and great sense of movement take center stage. An interesting continuation of the artists exploration as each stroke, simple and small in its form, gives birth to a grand and complex subject. A reminder perhaps, of the beauty found in both that is simple, and that is which complex.
