An online exhibit of Stephen Hall’s recent work presented in Stride Arts’ virtual gallery.

EARTH MATTERS deals with the the irreparable damage we are inflicting on our world.

Stephen Hall, born in Scotland, is an artist who takes a traditional approach to a modern subject. Now living in New York, his work is indicative of a surging talent which has been refined over many years. Each of his paintings is a composition of numerous layers, executed without any modern trickery such as digital assistance or an airbrush and the resulting lush density of color and variation of light owns the viewer’s attention.

Through his work, Stephen explores the relationships we have with not just each other, but times, places and surroundings – couple this with a desire to portray the underlying order in our in-creasingly chaotic lives and you end up with vivid, yet somewhat intoxicating imagery, finished with a slick style and intense precision. Over the past several years has become more interested in the threat posed by man on our environment and the wildlife living in it.

Stephen has not only been exhibiting worldwide since the early 80’s, but his work also resides in corporate and private collections and has been featured in movies, music videos and magazines. On top of this he has also illustrated book covers for A.A. Milne, J.G. Ballard and Russell Greenan amongst others.

More information about Stephen Hall and Stride Arts HERE

Stephen Hall ‘s FAT FREE OCEAN featured in the EARTH MATTERS exhibit has been sold – July 2020.

Each year, Village Preservation honors the invaluable people, businesses, and organizations that make a special contribution to our neighborhoods at our Annual Meeting and Village Awards. On June 17th, 2020 we will be celebrating nine outstanding awardees.

George Cominskie is a beloved longtime West Village and Westbeth community activist, having lived in the latter since 1983. George was President of the Westbeth Artist Residents Council (WARC) from 1989 to 1992, from 2002 to 2010, and again from 2012 to 2018. Working with WARC and Village Preservation, George helped lead the charge for expanded landmark protections in the Far West Village, including of Westbeth, and to stop inappropriate development in the surrounding neighborhood. George has been a tireless advocate for the residents and artists of Westbeth, and for keeping Westbeth a an affordable and well-functioning community. Especially as Westbeth, which opened on May 19, 1970, celebrates its 50th anniversary, we are proud to honor George as a Village Awardee this year.

During the COVID-19 crisis, George is running the Emergency Response Committee at Westbeth. They have organized floor captains and food and pharmacy runs for residents who can’t get out themselves. This isn’t George’s first crisis, as he also helped lead Westbeth and its residents through the incredibly difficult recovery from Sandy, when the lower floors of the complex where residents’ artworks were stored were flooded and many apartments had to be evacuated for long periods of time.

– Sam Moskowitz
Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation
Off the Grid Blog
May 19, 2020

Read the full article HERE

Olive Ayhens “Comelid in the City” oil on canvas

“Ancient Critters was originally curated as a small exhibit at Russell Janis together with some of Olive’s drawings and paintings from Ur-Beasts. It had been scheduled for April 2020 but due to COVID-19, we moved the exhibit online, including audio of Olive speaking about how the series came to be.”

-Russell Janis Project Space

“Olive Ayhens virtuoso paintings in watercolor and oil could not be more embedded in our present moment of climate crisis. Yet, the theme of the collision of nature and humans, of the beauty of nature and our power to extinguish it, has been the main focus of Ayhens’ work for many decades.”

-Susan Platt (excerpt from Olive Ayhens 2019 catalog published by Brookstein Projects, New York)

To see the work and more information, click HERE

Olive Ayhens “Ancient Critters” Linocut print

In 2019, painter Olive Ayhens began conversations with printmaker Janis Stemmermann to make a print. This resulted in a single color linoleum block print, printed in March 2020 in an edition of twelve. Olive had been working on a group of drawings and paintings called Ur-Beasts, and this print, entitled Ancient Critters came from that series of works. Feeling extremely fed up with humans and their seemingly constant violent actions, Olive went deep into time to investigate the mammals that came before us, and no longer exist. We feel the immense weight of this project today.

We are excited to announce that 20% of the proceeds of each numbered print will be given to Project EATS, a Brooklyn based non-profit program founded by artist and activist Linda Goode Bryant. Using art, urban agriculture, partnerships and social enterprise, Project EATS works with Black and Brown communities to sustainably produce and equitably distribute fresh food and produce. It is time we usher in fundamental changes.

For more info on buying the print, click HERE