While known for their teaching in the studio as well as their esteemed art backgrounds, Fabian Lopez, Sarah Sweeney, Andrea Peterson, and Doretta Miller, all have interesting styles that bring different aspects and mediums to make the new Schick exhibit as impressive as it is.
As unique as each artist’s style is, all of the pieces seem to have a commonality — the fact that all of the artists are “asking those questions between two dimensions and three dimensions,” as said by Sweeney.
It was also noted by both Sweeney and Miller that each artist encompassed the idea of landscapes to develop their work. Miller noted that her site- specific pieces are “recognizable and relatable to the targeted audiences of students and other faculty members,” while Sweeney’s images also have a “sense of place in the Iceland images, and the loss of memory in the Reimaging Erica series.”
Miller explained how “Lopez foregrounds the landscape from a nuanced perspective based on memories of time spent in Italy and color sensitivity of the locations,” while “Peterson’s metal smithing communicates the sense of place, in this case, a precious container.”
When put together, the pieces create quite a stunning exhibit that showcases some of the amazing work capable of numerous faculty members. The exhibit is now on display at the Schick Gallery until Oct. 14th.
FABIAN LOPEZ
Fabian Lopez, a professor of painting and drawing, has shown his work at many venues, including the Courthouse Gallery in Lake George, Collar Works in Troy, and Temple Gallery in Rome, Italy. He uses memories of places and experiences to craft each of his paintings. He also uses colors from both his Los Angeles and Mexican culture, which adds a lively feature to his work.
Fabian Lopez
Brave New World
(Homage to the Poet)
Oil on Canvas
2016
Left to right
Fabian Lopez
After Harriet Korman
Oil on canvas
2018
Fabian Lopez
Untitled
Acrylic on canvas
2018
Fabian Lopez
Night Paintings
Oil on canvas
2018
SARAH SWEENEY
At a different end of the spectrum, Sarah Sweeney digitally alters photographs to question the commonly held ideas about memory, identity, and photography. Often meditating on how one is rigid, and the other is lively, creating a stimulating contrast in her work. When asked why she chose to digitally alter her stunning photographs, Sweeney replied that “digital intervention reveals something about photography.”
Sweeney’s piece, Twenty down at Skogafoss, depicts beautiful mountains, but also shows twenty people, hence the name, sideways, creating an eerie atmosphere.
“The piece was about the stillness of nature and how strange it is for people in photographs to be still,” and that if the people in the piece were right side up, it would not seem as strange.
Sweeney teaches Digital Media and Animation, and has exhibited some of her work at the Opalka Gallery in Albany, the Courthouse Gallery in Lake George, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois.
Sarah Sweeney
Twenty down at Skogafoss
Digital pigment print. 2017
From the collection of Maude Emerson and Nick Junkerman
Sarah Sweeney
Waiting for
From the series Reimaging Erica (by Michael Bentley/ CC by 2.0)
Digital pigment print
2017/2018
Sarah Sweeney
Nine down at Gulfoss
Digital pigment print
2015
ANDREA PETERSON
Andrea Peterson, professor or Jewelry and Metals, takes her inspiration from nature, where she contemplates how “rocks, trees, eroding coastlines, decaying matter and meandering streams; all have particular qualities that influence my work and serve as catalyst for exploration.”
Peterson has exhibited some of her work at the Schenectady Museum, the Worcester Center for Crafts in Massachusetts, and the Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, MA.
Andrea Peterson
Shifting Planes
Vitreous enamel, copper, sterling silver, brass
2018
Andrea Peterson
9- Fold
Vitreous enamel, copper, mahogany
2018
Left to right
Andrea Peterson
Container 3
Copper, brass
2011
Container 1
Copper, brass, vitreous enamel
2018
Container 2
Copper, brass, vitreous enamel
2017
DORETTA MILLER
Doretta Miller’s work strikes a bit closer to home, seeing as her inspiration is Skidmore. Miller is concluding her 37 year teaching career with four paintings honoring places on campus that hold special memories for her. She explained that the realistic paintings “individually share a visual narrative and collectively tell a story,” which is why she chose the Saisselin Art Building, Burgess Café, Scribner Library, and graduation at the Performing Arts Center.
Miller also noted that the intricate borders around each location “include a variety of objects that add detail and nuance to the narrative of the central scenes.”
Her professional life included being a visiting professor at Oufu University in the People’s Republic of China, and the curation of two exhibitions on contemporary painting in China. She has also shown some of her work at the First Street gallery in Manhattan, NY and the Oakroom Artists Gallery in Schenectady.
Doretta Miller
Graduation- Skidmore Style
Watercolor and gouache on Arches paper
2018
Doretta Miller
Saisellin at Forty
Watercolor and gouache on Arches paper
2018
Doretta Miller
Between Classes at Burgess
Watercolor and gouache on Arches paper
2018