Sikkema Jenkins & Co. in Chelsea is currently presenting a collection of work by British artist Merlin James for the exhibition Paintings for Persons. For this show, James presents paintings of people and places James has come across over the years and will dedicate his work to those people or places. He’ll often dedicate his works to other artists, or to his friends and family members capturing the essence of their spirit and in their natural habitat.
For instance, one painting known as Lesson (Mother) depicts a woman with one leg crossed over the other wearing a short skirt and a tube top with her arms stretched out to the side as a trio of blue and yellow birds fly above her. Another intriguing work known as Prodigal Son (for Mark Glazebrook) depicts a young man standing outside an open door about to enter his home as he carries what appears to be a tree branch into the home.
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| Lesson (Mother) by Merlin James |
Other alluring pieces in the show include an acrylic on fabric painting titled An Old Tree set against a sky blue backdrop depicting a small tree standing alone at the edge of a cliff with clouds and painted hues of purple, turquoise, and orange highlighting the sky with a pair of seagulls in the air.
Similarly, Camping by a Lake (for L.M. Eilshemius) features a smooth blend of pastel colors depicting a scene on the beach. The sky is light purple with streaks of mauve and dark blue and the sun can be seen in the upper right-hand corner of the piece emitting its far-reaching bright light reflecting in the sea green colored water.
On the left side of the image, the light blue rooftop of a house can be seen, and behind it are two people spreading out a picnic blanket on the sand, with light green streaks of paint, perhaps representing bushes hanging above. It’s quite evident that scenes set on the beach or countryside have special meaning to James as is illustrated with works such as Beach Huts depicting several colorful beach houses lined up together along the sand as the sun gets ready to set.
Similar works include A Small Factory which is displayed underneath glass and covered by a wooden frame, features a small, painted image on the left side of a tall, yellow building resembling a lighthouse with four other houses next to it along a strip of sand, and The Red House depicting an isolated house with a red roof along a strip of sand with smoke coming from the chimney.
One work with a very cosmic and supernatural quality titled The Shape of Things (for Sidney Nolan) depicts a crimson-colored spaceship with many UFO’s and other objects flying around and emitting light. And one work that evokes the illusion of emptiness known as A Cabin For Someone consists of glass with a wooden frame underneath that’s simply blank except for three small dots of paint to suggest an empty home waiting for an occupant.
At Sikkema & Jenkins Co., 530 W. 22nd St., through Nov. 12. The gallery is open Tues.-Sat. from 10 a.m.—6 p.m.
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