The Louisa Gould Gallery in Vineyard Haven celebrates the vibrant energy of summer with “Light & Form,” a new dual exhibition featuring timeless pieces by internationally acclaimed bronze sculptor Gwen Marcus and luminous seascapes done by local realist painter Sean Roach. Together, their works offer a striking dialogue between the elegance of the human form and the expressive power of the sea.
On Saturday, July 12, an artist reception was held, drawing art lovers from around the Island and beyond. “This is beyond a huge deal,” says Gallery owner Louisa Gould who is thrilled to host the artists. “They’re so different; we have beautiful, realistic waves and amazing, very figurative bronze sculptures.
“I walk Lucy Vincent just about every morning, and I’m always studying the waves, and he [Roach] gets it, you can almost feel the mist coming off some of these waves. You can feel when the ocean thuds,” Gould continues. “He’s taking one thing, a wave, and it’s completely different. Gwen’s taking the human figure and it’s completely different. It’s an appreciation of our ocean and the human form.”
Gwen Marcus is regarded as one of the foremost figurative sculptors working today, and has exhibited extensively across the U.S. and Europe. Her work is housed in prestigious collections including at Brookgreen Gardens (S.C.), Cape Cod Museum of Art, Champs Hill (U.K.), and the Chimei Museum (Taiwan). This is her third summer show at the Louisa Gould Gallery.
Sean Roach’s powerful new series of realist seascapes and crashing waves captures the light and rolling energy of Martha’s Vineyard’s shoreline. Working in a meticulous, layered oil technique, Roach builds each painting from days of research and photography. Throughout the process, he is constantly moving closer and further away from his painting, adding to the texture and overall feel of his piece. He treats each wave as a portrait, full of personality and movement.
Marcus has a studio on the Cape in Orleans, overlooking the ocean. She tells The Times that a number of her works that are featured in the gallery are inspired by scenes and people she has seen while walking on the beach. “Beach Comber” was inspired by people collecting rocks, and “Beach Wrap” by a mother wrapping up her shivering child after they left the water.
“A lot of my works have strong narratives; they’re all unique in their own way that takes the viewer into their own world,” says Marcus. “I think that’s one of the strong aspects of my work.”
Marcus creates her work exclusively with live models, and she has studied human anatomy in depth to inform her practice. “A lot of the energy and the lifeforce is coming from the live model,” she continues. Her commitment to inclusivity and representation is evident in the range of her subjects.
“All my work is almost like a piece of music; your eyes should never be stagnant on a sculpture — sometimes your eye slows down or moves faster through the composition, but it never stops,” says Marcus.
Marcus completes every stage of the process herself: Sculpting in clay, molding, casting in wax,
refining the bronze, and applying custom patinas. Each piece is the result of months, sometimes
years, of hands-on dedication.
“The Bather,” a piece prominently featured in this exhibition, is a lifesize sculpture of a woman sitting on a rock, touching her toe into the water. The piece itself took two years to create. “There is no aspect of that sculpture that is forgotten. The gentleness and softness of her flesh and the twist of her composition. You feel like you’re brought into her thoughts and her world –– there’s something serene about it,” Marcus says.
Sean Roach approaches capturing lifeforce in a different way; however similar to Marcus’, Roach’s work is focused around capturing energy, with his muse being waves. He takes dozens of photos of the waves crashing at the beach and then references them all to create not just a snapshot but rather a moment in time.
In his piece “Midori,” he captures the reflective glass-like nature of a wave with light shining through it. In his piece “Salt Water Taffy,” he features the taffy-like texture created by two waves pulling apart.
“When you watch the waves, there are a lot of similarities, but ultimately they are so different from each other,” says Roach. “Waves are the perfect subject for me, because so much is happening with light and color for me to unpack. They are these huge objects that have all this weight and power, but at the same time they’re transparent, and the light is moving through them.”
Roach used to paint people and social commentary work; however, recently he has switched gears. “A few years ago, I started to be so disappointed in humanity. I just was like, ‘F*** this, I’m just gonna start painting waves where I don’t have to think about people but I can really just celebrate the beauty of the universe,’” he shares.
Roach notes that he doesn’t often get to meet the people who buy his paintings; however, on Saturday he met Eileen, along with her husband Jim, who have Roach’s painting “Whisper” hanging at their house in Katama. “We spent our summer days watching those waves crash,” says Buckham. “His paintings capture the moment that I was always trying to capture in my photos. It brings us back to our happy place.”
Longtime collector of Marcus’ work Joe was also present at the reception on Saturday; he had recently purchased one of Roach’s pieces as well. “I never thought I’d get into sculpture, but I bought one and now I’m hooked,” says Gannon, referring to Marcus’ work.
Joe had a photo of Roach’s piece “Secret Path,” which is hanging at his home in Connecticut. “When I look at them, it’s really kind of serene,” Joe continues, looking at Roach’s work hanging in the gallery. “It captures a time of day.”
At the reception on Saturday, another art enthusiast, Karen, purchased Marcus’ piece “Hatti,” a statue about 20 inches high capturing a woman walking with a basket. “I’ve been thinking about her for the past couple of weeks now,” says Karen. “I love the straightness of her back and the sense of pride she has; whatever task she’s about to do, she will do with confidence.”
“We live on an island, and both artists are capturing something essential about this place and how we experience it,” concluded Gould.
Visit the artwork on display at the Louisa Gould Gallery, 54 Main St. in Vineyard Haven, open daily from 11 am to 5 pm, through August 6.
