At the Edge
Amy Van Winkle and Stephen Pentak
SANTA FE, NM. Owen Contemporary is featuring a 2 person exhibition by Stephen Pentak and Amy Van Winkle. Each artist utilizes a linear aspect within their paintings to signify the separation of color and elements. At the edge of representation and abstraction, the methodical repetition of these ideas recall a sense of place and harmony.
Stephen Pentak’s paintings are based on drawings inspired by nature but drafted with a conscious mind to the abstract. He is informed by his surroundings but holds fast to his freedom to create and invent space. Each of his paintings emphasizes a downward view at the edge of water...and a strong edge between the reflected landscape and sky. This persistent image is a means to discovery, to exploring light and mastering the balance between representation and invention.
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Pentak builds densely forested landscapes by dragging palette knives and large brushes across a wood panel surface. Surfaces are built up of many thin layers of oil paint, pulled and crosshatched, one over another. Brighter under-layers gleam through shadowy upper layers, acting as the sun on the horizon, gliding over the edges of trees, lakes and mountains. The backgrounds are panoramic, while the foregrounds are dotted by sparse collections of trees.
Stephen received a BA from Union College in Schenectady, NY, and a MFA from the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, PA. He is Professor Emeritus at Ohio State University and resides in upstate New York.
For Amy Van Winkle, her paintings are an intuitive and spontaneous journey. With an underlying discipline, Amy creates color fields that take the viewer into a specific mood and atmosphere.
Amy was born in Norwood, MA. After living in Chicago, IL and traveling through Southeast Asia, she now resides in Santa Fe, NM.
Who: Stephen Pentak and Amy Van Winkle
What: Oil & Encaustic paintings
When: Oct. 11, 2019 – Oct. 25, 2019.
Artist’s Reception: Friday, October 11, 5-7 pm.
Where: Owen Contemporary, 225 Canyon Road