Tag: spencer finch

Spencer Finch at the Hill Art Foundation

It’s impossible not to gaze out over 10th Ave or the greenspace of the High Line Park through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Hill Art Foundation’s gorgeous two-story Chelsea gallery space.  Spencer Finch – an artist who has made a career of simulating natural phenomena in gallery settings using a diverse range of media from photography to installation – reverses the outward look, inviting nature into the space. Inspired by Claude Monet’s desire to “paint air,” Finch has created an installation that recreates his direct observation of the light and color of the famous Impressionist’s garden in Giverny.  (On view through March 4th).

Spencer Finch, Painting Air, glass, hardware, wall painting, dimensions variable, 2012.

Spencer Finch at James Cohan Gallery

This summer, Spencer Finch reread Emily Dickinson’s nearly 1,800 poems, inspiring new work that continues his fascination with the way that the poet deftly put into words her keen observations of the world around her.  Amid photos of Dickinson’s view from her desk and a collage of 19th century wallpaper patterns (including the one on her walls), Finch painted a leaf from life and repeated the rendering, folding his paper to replicate its trajectory as if falling to the ground. (On view at James Cohan Gallery on the Lower East Side through Dec 21st).

Spencer Finch, Falling Leaf (hickory), watercolor on paper, 32 x 16 inches, 2018.

Spencer Finch at James Cohan Gallery

Spencer Finch literally changes the atmosphere inside James Cohan Gallery by creating an installation of hanging glass panels that create fog-like conditions inside the space. The shifting panels obscure the view across the gallery only from certain spots, meaning that visitors have to keep peering intently ahead to make out what’s there – an experience akin to moving through fog. (At Chelsea’s James Cohan Gallery through Nov 26th).

Spencer Finch, Thank You, Fog, 85 glass panels, aircraft cable, muted grey walls, dimensions variable, 2016.
Spencer Finch, Thank You, Fog, 85 glass panels, aircraft cable, muted grey walls, dimensions variable, 2016.

Spencer Finch at James Cohan Gallery

In 1846, Henry David Thoreau took soundings to measure the depth of Walden Pond, disproving local legends that claimed it was bottomless.  A century and a half later, Spencer Finch’s soundings recorded location, depth and surface color at hundreds of different points on Walden Pond, creating a visual record of both surface and depths.   (At Chelsea’s James Cohan Gallery through June 15th)

Spencer Finch, Walden Pond (surface/depth), rope, cloth, twine, 298 watercolors on watercolor paper, 120 feet long, 2013.