Art Blooms in the Hudson Valley
The forsythias are in full bloom and now most mornings when I wake there is an audible chirping. When the sun comes out, my hands start to itch. They need something creative to do. One could get lost in inspiration by simply living in the Hudson Valley. Surrounded by mountains and bubbling waterfalls, nature will call your name and beg for creation.
Create what? Art, the expression of human creative skill and imagination, usually in some kind of visual form such as painting or sculpture. Art can be appreciated for its beauty and emotional power but there’s so much more. It can capture a singular moment in time or create a call for action.
We are in an incredible time where women are making serious strides in the art industry. Yet it is still not a completely equal playing field. Despite making up for 45% of artists, not only are female artists largely underrepresented, but the pay gap is undeniably appalling. Now, is the time to do something. Despite encouraging signs of women’s improved status and visibility in the art world, there are still major systemic problems. The common refrain that “women are treated equally in the art world now” needs to be challenged. I spoke with three extraordinary women who deserve continued and enhanced recognition.
One woman who is making a true statement with her artwork is Mary Jane Nusbaum. She has her Master’s degree in Printmaking which is an artistic process based on the principle of transferring images from a matrix onto another surface. But she uses all kinds of mediums to create her work and incorporates a lot of natural materials as well. Mary Jane is also an art teacher at New Paltz Middle School where she teaches kids about the power that art can hold.
When Mary Jane is not teaching, she’s creating. Her favorite thing about being an artist is the awareness it gives her of the world. “Noticing the tiny things, like the irredesidant reflection on a puddle blown by the wind, it’s doing this amazing thing at this moment and it won’t be there the next time I come.” She has an artist's eye.
Her work is incredible and multidimensional. In this particular series Mary Jane used vintage photos paired with painting, collage and printmaking. The original images are women in her family and have the conceptual theme of water. This full series of images was featured in the Worldwide Photography Gala Awards in 2020.
One of Mary Jane's biggest influences in the art world is Jean Dubuffet, a 20th-century French painter. His idealistic approach to aesthetics with eschewed traditional standards of beauty in favor of what he believed to be a more authentic and humanistic approach to image-making. Mary Jane said that his approach, process and artwork, especially his earlier works, really inspired her.
She is also inspired by nature and the beauty that comes with living in the Hudson Valley. A series of her sculptural works called “Domusiles” is inspired by many things but the actual shape is influenced by traditional yurts. I had never heard of a yurt before and we had an insightful discussion about its architecture and meaning. While working on this project she said, “I learned that addictive behaviors are a reflection, a symptom of imbalances in our culture, part of which is the undervaluing of the feminine, and over-valuing of the masculine and the Hero's Journey.” She continued, “I’m so happy to be living in a time when the feminine is rising up and becoming more conscious.”
Another local female artist from the Hudson Valley who will blow you away is Lynn McCarty. Her medium of art is painting. Upon hearing this our minds immediately go to a paintbrush. But Lynn uses a completely different technique. She builds a skin of paint on an aluminum surface using anything but brushes. She pours the paint and uses tools like eye droppers, basters, towels, squeegees, and even her hand. She is not a fan of brushstrokes. Instead, she is interested in liquidity, in building elusive, sensual surfaces varying in nature. Developing this process, which is truly her own, has provided Lynn with a repertoire of technical options and creative techniques.
Her work is fascinating. The abstract nature of it enables one to get lost in her artwork for hours. Something I’ve always been curious about is how artists price their work. Lynn gave me an answer I wasn’t expecting. The price of a painting all depends on its size. Of course, if you are a well-known artist there is some notoriety involved but size is the biggest factor of price.
Lynn has been represented by the Nancy Hoffman Gallery for the past 35 years. She explained how they help her price the work. One of Lynn’s biggest influences is her husband David Nyzio whom she met in 1983 at Pratt Graduate school'; he happens to be an artist as well. They have been inspiring each other ever since.
“It’s a very nice back and forth that we have,” Lynn states. “It’s not always easy being two artists who live together and have a family. But he’s my best critic, if Dave likes it, I think it’s fabulous!”
For Lynn, color is the primary subject of her paintings. They are filled with her personality, her moods, her ups and downs. Lynns palette is broad and individualistic ranging from colors connected to the earth evoking sensations of shifts in weather over the mountains to ethereal color juxtapositions of pure light. When it comes to titling her artwork Lynn says, “it can be a true challenge.” Yet when you look at her titles they are the perfect description of what she has created. Lynn’s titles give you a peek or quick glance at what she sees in her own paintings.
When I asked Lynn where her inspiration comes from she gave me an interesting answer. She stated, “Inspiration can come from anywhere but you can’t rely on inspiration for when you decide to paint. You have to practice studio discipline.” I believe this is true with many things. If all you do is sit around and wait for inspiration to strike, you’ll never get anything done.
The Hudson Valley is a magical place because it doesn’t take much to be inspired. Walk out into the backyard and there’s a willow tree blowing in the wind. Drive across the reservoir and suddenly you’re surrounded by towering blue and purple mountains. I wish that I could tear this image out of the lining of the universe and keep it in my pocket, pulling it out every so often to experience the stillness once more. That is why art is amazing because it is able to replicate that feeling and show you things that you may have missed.
Ruth Wetzle is a painter turned visionary fine art photographer. She has an incredible talent, Ruth is able to perfectly capture reflections. She says “I have always been an artist...painting, drawing, and printmaking. Now I focus on bringing people beautiful photographs of nature. I often work with water, as I love playing with patterns, reflections, and transparency.” She has exhibited in many galleries and public institutions, most recently at Cross Contemporary Gallery, Saugerties, NY. There are a multitude of lovely galleries in the Hudson Valley. Ruth’s reach has extended beyond the Hudson Valley with her Arsenal exhibition that was reviewed in The Wall Street Journal.
What role does the artist have in society? A heavy question. Our society has changed dramatically over the past 20 years with the introduction of technology. So what does the artist have to do with it? Here’s “The artist has the role of mirroring what is happening in the world back to people. We have the ability to magnify something important so that people will pay attention,” Ruth responds.
Ruth works with water in many of her photos. I was recently assigned to do an ephemeral photoshoot for my creative photography class. I choose to photograph water slipping through someone's hands. We had a great discussion about the post production involved when shooting with a moving liquid. You could go back and forth between two pictures for hours and the only difference between the two is a minuscule water droplet.
Ruth started with painting and even went to school for it, but ultimately, found her true passion in photography. She said that the number one way for you to develop your career is by developing your work first. It’s a linear relationship, as your work gets better and you try new techniques, your career will follow the upward slope.
Ruth is inspired by lighting, the time of year, and the weather. She finds herself photographing more in the warmer parts of the year. And this past winter she experimented with snow-covered pools but found that her photos weren’t coming out as lively as her water photography. Her main source of inspiration and the subject of all her photos is nature in its raw beauty.
Ruth states, “I view the process of looking closely at nature as a form of mediation.”
With photography, post-production in photoshop can take hours or only a couple of minutes. I asked her how she knows when a photograph is finished? She replied that, “It can be hard and sometimes I have to leave it and come back the next morning to look at it.” Being able to step away from your work, then coming back to it with fresh eyes can be a challenge but it really does help.
All of the talented women I spoke to were so different in the best way. Their art, techniques and mediums differ greatly and are unique unto themselves. But what I found extremely interesting is that all three of them had the same answer for one particular question. When I asked them what their favorite part about being an artist is, they had roughly the same answer. It was said in different ways but, the way I understood it, all agreed their favorite thing about being an artist is the sight that it gives. One sees the world differently as an artist. They notice the small details that are often overlooked and are then capable of magnifying those details to bring them to our attention.
Even if you are not an artist, try looking at the world like one. Who knows, you might just notice something you didn’t see before.