There is no doubt that artist Gretchen Feldman (1934–2008) fearlessly embraced color. Hues of all kinds fill “Light & Bright: Sam’s Favorites.” The exhibition runs through August 10 at the Feldman Family Artspace, under the auspices of Featherstone Center for the Arts, at the Martha’s Vineyard Film Center.
Louisa Gould, a Vineyard gallery owner and curator of the Gretchen Feldman collection, selected works that were favorites of Gretchen’s husband, Sam, who passed away in January. It’s easy to see why anyone would want to be surrounded by these pieces. They are full of vitality. We can feel the artist at work through her brushstrokes and layers of materials — watercolor, acrylic, pastels, and often metallic paint.
Each mixed-media piece sings. Two abstract landscapes frame the rest of the art on display. Gretchen simplifies the view that the couple would have seen from their home overlooking Chilmark Pond, behind Lucy Vincent Beach, into powerful fields of color. “The Vineyard was an inspiration; I had to paint it,” Gretchen said in a 1993 interview. Sam tells us in the retrospective catalog, “Gretchen Feldman: A Joyful Journey,” “Gretchen painted scenes from memory, filtered through her very active and artistic brain.”
The landscapes recall those by American modern artist Milton Avery (1885–1965), renowned for his distinctive blend of abstracted natural shapes and lyrical color harmonies. Even though Gretchen’s scenes are abstract, they create an illusion of depth as the ground seems to recede toward the stunning blue skies, one streaked slightly with wisps of white.
Gould says about selecting the art, “I was trying to find ones that would together give the viewer a taste of the range of Gretchen’s work.” We see this in the rest of the show, which features two types of pure abstractions. First, there are those with central “blocks” — hard-edged, rectangular shapes clustered closely together that sit on a single-hued background. The enormous amount of space surrounding the central images would normally “lock” them in place. But Gretchen’s use of iridescent pigments adds both real depth and the illusion of it, as the colors shimmer off the surface of the paper. The layering of her various media in a single piece creates a push and pull that encourages us to come in for a closer look and see the artist at work. Gretchen said, “My interest was always trying to achieve a goal of balance of shape, form, and powerful painting.”
Gretchen’s vigorous strokes of color in her looser abstractions animate the compositions, which dance on the bright white background, helping to illuminate the colors, and imbuing many with an internal glow. There is an energetic, playful quality to each piece, creating a sense of buoyant joy in her exploration of all that color and form can do.
Gould has curated annual exhibitions of Gretchen’s work at the Feldman Family Artspace since 2015. Each year brings us new treasures, which is a testament to Gretchen’s extensive talent. Before pursuing fine art full-time, Gretchen worked as a textile conservator, and the rich textures and colors of the fabrics she encountered inspired her creativity. The works on view, which Gretchen created toward the end of her life, showcase her fearless experimentation with different media and styles.
Gould says about this year’s exhibition, “I want people to feel light and bright — to have a moment of joy and to know peace. Light and bright reflect who Gretchen was, and she and Sam as a couple.”
“Light & Bright: Sam’s Favorites, Celebrating the Art of Gretchen Feldman” runs through August 10 at the Martha’s Vineyard Film Center.