Alison's Art Reviews

The Bowery Gallery in Chelsea is currently presenting a collection of paintings and a couple of etchings by Rachel Siporin for the show Bathers . About her latest body of work, Siporin says "Initially, I have no relationship to the people portrayed, but as I draw, paint, and build the intaglio prints, a deep connection develops as they become characters in the play." The paintings are inspired by the many visitors who navigate the waters of the Roaring Brook at the Cotton Hollow Nature Preserve in Glastonbury, Connecticut. Siporin beautifully illustrates the landscape of the visitor attraction with its large rocks, tree branches, and dark-colored water. The ripples in the water are depicted by brushstrokes varying in length and width in different shades of blue, green, and some orange to depict the light reflecting off the water. Several uses of red, orange, and yellow in works such as Blue Leash , Mother and Daughter , and Between Trees which also portray individua...

Multidisciplinary artist Jennifer Elster fills the entirety of her gallery space with paintings, photographs, pieces of clothing, and a variety of items from Elster's professional and personal life over the past three decades that are meaningful to her latest exhibition, The Classics . There are several different sections of the show that focus on specific periods of her life. For instance, "The Garden of Artifacts" features mementos to her father include a photograph of him catching a fish and a cassette of Bob Dylan's album Blood on the Tracks that was his last gift to her. Also featured in the Garden of Artifacts are items from her time working as a stylist for musicians including David Bowie and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. These include outfits worn by Bowie designed by Elster for his 1995 album 1. Outside that features him dressed as a detective and wearing a dress. In another section is a blue jumpsuit worn by Trent Reznor for a magazine pho...