NYAB Event - Gail Flanery “Coloratura”

Gail Flanery “Coloratura”

440 Gallery

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Coloratura, literally “coloring” in Italian, is a term that refers to elaborate operatic melody. Gail Flanery’s solo exhibition at 440 Gallery exemplifies both those senses of the word. This new collection of works on paper sings with the exuberance of a virtuoso. Flanery’s forte is color: rich and nuanced, reveling in bold contrasts or subtle juxtapositions. Primarily a printmaker, the artist creates one-of-a-kind monotypes by manipulating the inks and printing plates and later adding pastel or pencil to the print. In her recent work she has also added elements of Chine-collé and collage, usually strips of handmade paper.

Flanery’s work seduces with an initial impression of simplicity and formal purity. Yet it holds our interest with a depth that tugs beneath the surface. The artist has cited her yearly painting and fishing trips to Montana as a source of inspiration and we sense the vast, desolate beauty of western skies in the work. Yet, the tilted horizons and intense colors infuse the landscapes with an energy that is rooted in an urban sensibility. Flanery has stated “I believe all art forms are found in nature. My artwork is inherently suggestive of landscape, although the geography is not specific.” The work is not a literal rendering but is instead the emotional impression of earth and sky, a sensory memory of a landscape.

An artist with a consistent practice and exhibition history over several decades, Flanery was a denizen of the 1970’s downtown art scene when Soho was the rough and tumble Bushwick of its day. The then low rent district was rife with struggling artists, and Flanery gained an invaluable education in the intrigues of the art world. Her agent suggested she try printmaking in order to meet the demands of a booming ‘80s art market. Hooked on the medium, she eventually became entranced with the process of creating unique monotypes as opposed to the creation of many reproductions of a single image.

Flanery is a graduate of Cooper Union where she was influenced by the painter and colorist Wolf Kahn. She has worked with a number of master printers and presently works at the shop of Master Printer Kathy Caraccio. Flanery’s work is in dozens of private and corporate collections and in the permanent collection of the Jane Vorhees Zimmerli Art Museum. Flanery has exhibited extensively with several published reviews to her credit, including in The New York Times. Click here for more information about the artist.