WRITTEN BY LIZ LORENZ

Jim Denney, Frozen Falls (2020), Oil and charcoal on canvas, 48 x 36 inches, Photographer Peter Mauney

Jim Denney, Sisters (2021), Oil on wood panel, 24 x 34 inches, Photographer Peter Mauney

Written by Liz Lorenz

All images Courtesy of the Artist and Susan Eley Fine Art, Hudson

Jim Denney’s sunlit studio overlooks the technicolor leaves on the autumn trees that encircle the Court Square park in downtown Hudson, New York. Here, the artist and I delve into many topics: his technique of rubbing charcoal atop handmade paper stencils in order to transfer images of horseshoe crabs onto a raw canvas; the effects of human’s daily habits on our surrounding environment, and the even more potent political and economic forces that impact our treatment of the planet. In his “cabinet of curiosities,” Denney collects significant objects—from a charred, taxidermied cougar to a vintage Russian military cap, from trilobite fossils to an Oregon license plate. Next, we move to discussing the fragmented nature of contemporary life (abetted by the immediacy of technology and the uncertainty of the future) that shapes our fundamental methods of perception and interaction. Then, as his impossibly beautiful, long-maned cat plays with shreds of copper leaf that have fallen to the floor beneath his current works-in-progress, we contemplate possibilities for humanity’s continued existence in a world that we have irreparably damaged—and what such new realities could even begin to resemble.

These talks were prompted by my preparations for Denney’s solo exhibition, Bearing Witness, at Susan Eley Fine Art, Hudson in Fall 2021. The manifold conversations that we shared echo the rhizomatic nature of the artist’s paintings, in content and intention. In their essence, his vast, wild landscapes and detailed arboreal studies are infused with poetic dualities and multifaceted truths and tensions. A fire burns; a fire births. Indeed, Denney activates such energy throughout his practice—simultaneously a deep understanding and a passionate searching. Embracing this bold and honest approach, the artist confronts complex cycles of destruction, survival, and renewal—in both human and planetary realms. Thus, like his paintings, this interview/analysis adopts Denney’s impulse toward multiplicity and ecological thinking—ideally also an inspired building, breaking, and rebuilding that reflects the nuances within his oeuvre.

Born in Oregon, Denney is currently a resident of downtown Hudson, NY and a fixture in the local creative community. While he has resided in Upstate New York since 2017, the subjects of his works continue to draw heavily from his experiences on the West Coast, where he spent his formative years in his native Oregon. The artist’s primary source of inspiration is the natural landscape of the American Northwest—the lush foliage that dominates its sprawling forests, tempered by the wildfires that annually engulf these vast acreages. Primarily rendered in oil on canvas or panel, his paintings range in scale: from regal, imposing portraits of Bristlecone Pine and Douglas Fir trees, to intimate roundels adorned with golden flora and fluorescent flames. The imagery evokes both the sublime and the grotesque in the natural world— as well as the harsh, destructive forces that ultimately produce new life. In Denney’s bold compositions, red and purple skies loom above ashy, hazen atmospheres. Barren trees stand definitely against the stark, hued backgrounds. Continued on next page...

Installation View of Bearing Witness, Susan Eley Fine Art, Hudson, 2021: Life Goes On (Yggdrasil) (2021); Ridgeline (Raincatcher Revisited) (2021); The Oldest Things (2021)

Although burnt and stripped of what one traditionally considers the charms of bucolic visions, the paintings exude a palpable allure: existing between chaos and harmony, between loss and rebirth.

During our most recent chat, Denney begins by prompting me to read an excerpt from Quichotte, a 2019 novel by Salman Rushdie—a book that I had not previously read. Yet, even from these brief lines, I could sense the connections to Denney’s creative thought process. He tried to explain the picaresque tradition, its episodic nature, and how the episodes of such a work could encompass many manners, high and low, fabulist and commonplace, how it could be at once parodic and original, and so through its metamorphic roguery it could demonstrate and seek to encompass the multiplicity of human life. ... “I think it’s legitimate for a work of art made in the present time to say, we are being crippled by the culture we have made, by its most popular elements above all,” he replied. “So what have you done about it?” Son demanded. “What’s your contribution? What sort of mark do you think you’re leaving on the world?” “I did my work, and then there’s you.”

Next, Denney says: My paintings are picaresque, not picturesque. I divulge: “That’s why your work is so powerful to me. It’s visually stunning, as a start, but moreover meaningful. It’s politically engaged and socially engaged, and emotionally poignant, yet still so pleasurable to look at, even with the dark undertones brought to the forefront. That's what hits this sweet spot—for me at least. Denney replies: Well, it's the best way to digest the junk that is the reality of life, the confusion and absurdity of existence, the fear of a bleak unknown future—through beautiful art. Though there are difficult elements (as there always are in real life), the beauty still remains—as a way to help us cope, and even to surprise us.

I concur: “Yes, whatever hits you in the heart, that's what matters.”

Turning again to Denney’s biography for an initial context in which to interpret his rich imagery—the artist served as a wildland firefighter in the Pacific Northwest for many years. Denney returns to his home in Oregon each summer to continue this work, specifically on the restoration of an important forest services historic site at Fish Lake. For the artist, wildfires represent the necessary and productive natural cycles of destruction that generate new life. In fact, the artist notes, certain species of trees can only produce new cones when they are exposed to this extreme heat. Thus, these infernos transform with their sheer power, nuancing their seeming devastation with the promise of meaningful growth: the Phoenix that rises from

Installation View of Bearing Witness, Susan Eley Fine Art, Hudson, 2021: “Untitled Fire Tree” Series

the ashes, the immortal bird that represents cyclical regeneration. Alternative to these symbiotic natural occurrences—the recent influx of dangerous immolations, witnessed globally, reveals the negative effects of humanity on the planet. Climate change and its serious repercussions are responsible for the unmerited demise of the planet, symbolized by these recent, deadly conflagrations. Denney’s paintings fearlessly acknowledge both forces—the destruction and the rebirth—within the flames.

The artist marvels at scientific workings of the natural world, and he always provides fascinating new facts when we speak: The biggest trees in the Northwest...the Cedars and Douglas firs and Hemlocks...they couldn't possibly exist without the mycorrhizal associations of the mushrooms, which convey nutrients into the tips of the tree’s roots. So you have this relationship with one of the very smallest things in the forest—fungus with its fruiting bodies—which allows the biggest things in the forest to live and thrive. They're all woven together. It even becomes more spectacularly complex. For example, when you throw salmon into the equation, they actually bring a specific nitrogen to the land that can only be found in the ocean, transported via their bodies to enrich the poor mountain soils. After spawning, the fish die, and flies eat their bodies, which are then eaten by birds— each a critical participant in this web of life; it's all tied up together. So Liz, to your point of a fractured contemporary existence—you're simply acknowledging how incredibly wonderful this place is. Yet unfortunately, we are coming to understand and appreciate it as we are ruining it. Honestly, we can't completely correct it now, but the main idea is: What do you do with your time? How much do you do? What kind of work do you do in response to all of these realities, and how much does this work still ‘work’?

Denney’s canvases are hyperrealistic in style, yet feel surrealistic in content—approaching tones found in the literary genre of Magical Realism. They could capture the present or an unknown time in the future, alluding to the potentials of a new world order. Within Denney’s tableaux, the hand of humanity is ever-present in the dramatic landscapes. However, actual human figures remain conspicuously absent from his forlorn vistas— whether a lone, wild tree or a constructed man-made memorial, such as a graveyard. In Rapture, a tree’s starkly naked boughs pierce a vibrant scarlet sky, punctuated by the occasional glowing star; a mere hint of a gravestone lingers in the background—a subtle yet persistent memento mori. Through his precise formal and compositional strategies, Denney depicts the longstanding dichotomies of grotesque and beautiful, of fear and pleasure, of death and rebirth. As such, his paintings live within these liminal spaces— rooted in the humble soil, yet manifesting glimpses of the sublime.

The artist maintains an acute aesthetic control in terms of style and touch, rendering branches and blazes in crisp lines and saturated colors. His forms are well-delineated and precisely studied. Yet, Denney also succeeds in transcending our surrounding physical conditions. Straddling the natural and the ethereal, he presents realities—and imagined realities—that exist in the “beyond,” pushing further than the tangible world currently apparent before us. Denney embraces profound dualities—those seemingly opposing poles and perspectives—that abound within his subject matter and its broader consequences. The artist addresses the photorealistic tendencies in his paintings as follows:

Jim Denney, Rapture (2020), Oil on canvas, 30 x 22 inches, Photographer Peter Mauney

The hyper-realism, or however you choose to categorize it, is really good when it doesn't work out right...the moments when you are surprised when something better happens. So that's why I like the interpretive aspects of painting better than the reproductive efficiency. Sometimes I wonder, why did I rely on that so much in the beginning of my career? Ultimately, I think that if it's good, if it works—then usually the piece has to go on a little journey; maybe it's giving up a certain amount of control and allowing for the unintentional results and readings. I think that’s more exciting—seeing something that was not originally intended to happen—the surprise element, for both me as the artist and for my viewers. In a way, that is my process, as you can see in works like ‘Frozen Falls,’ where the elements combine and recombine: obsession and loss and replacement with a dream, a vision.

Over the past few months, I have had the pleasure of getting to know Denney—his approach to paintings, politics, and philosophies. We worked together on his solo exhibition at Susan Eley Fine Art, Hudson entitled Bearing Witness. The show was on view at the Gallery in October and November of 2021, and marks his first time showing with SEFA. From the climate science texts he recommended as a precursor, to our enthusiastic and intuitive exhibition design plans in the physical Gallery space—the experience of working with Denney has broadened my perception and sensitivity, as both a curator and a conscientious earth-dweller, a temporary guests in this extraordinary place.

Indeed, Denney also uses his paintings to find the truth within the world around him. He hints at what we as humans once were, and what we will become again with the passing of time and the natural cycles of existence; he records our effects on the surrounding world, while affirming that this Continued on next page...

Jim Denney, Tree With Mutation (2021), Oil on canvas, 20 x 20 inches

world will one day overtake us and reign supreme; he highlights the significance of our daily actions on the landscape, while revealing the far greater significance of an abstracted cosmic realm: humans are a mere terrestrial, corporeal instance within multifaceted scientific and spiritual systems that have existed long before and will flourish long after what we even begin to know and understand. In his creative practice, Denney searches for a sense of purpose within the world that we are constantly altering—recognizing the constant forces of creation and destruction to which we subject the planet. To the artist, his paintings allow him to “bear witness” and they enable his audiences to be witnesses to the meanings that he distills.

The title of his 2021 solo exhibition at SEFA Hudson, Bearing Witness encompasses these drives. Regarding this word choice, Denney recognizes: It could be a biblical reference of telling the truth, or a legal reference of testifying your experiences in front of a higher power, or simply watching an event and recording it. In all instances, just “bearing witness” has repercussions and responsibilities, if we are brave enough to accept them. For me, that is what my paintings do. They are content-laden; they have ideas and implications; they are trying to act in the world. I contrast their potentiality with the businessperson who comes home to relax in front of their painting above their couch: Do we need to be more agitated? Do we need to be more stirred up? I guess I think so.

Abounding with simultaneously haunting and idyllic natural imagery, Denney’s works contemplate both terrestrial demise and subsequent sublime transfigurations. We see this in his series of “Fire Trees,” still standing as stately natural beings, even while flames dance atop the timber. Flush with poetic dualities, their musings pose fundamental, existential questions about the future of the earth and our place within it: What is the difference between “that which remains” and “that which is to come”? What do we humans do—individually and collectively—when we “can’t go on, but must go on”? How can a single image depict a seemingly post-apocalyptic realm while also holding hopeful promises of regeneration—perhaps through the truths of an adept and passionate witness of our world.

INFO

Jim Denney was born in Oregon and currently lives and works in Hudson, NY. Primarily a painter with precise hyperrealistic abilities, Denney has created potent environmental scenes since the mid-1980s. He studied studio art at the University of Oregon and received his MFA from the University of Kansas. Denney’s artwork has been exhibited nationally and internationally at venues including Smithsonian Institute, Washington DC; The Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC; The Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA; The Alternative Museum, New York, NY; Portland Center for the Visual Arts, Portland, OR; Center for Western Studies, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO; Mokotoff Gallery, New York, NY; and Pamela Salisbury Gallery, Hudson, NY. jimdenney.net

Liz Lorenz is a curator and writer based in Upstate New York. She received an MA from the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College in 2020. Currently, Lorenz is the Assistant Director of Susan Eley Fine Art, Hudson and has worked at the Gallery since its establishment in June 2020. susaneleyfineart.com

All images Courtesy of the Artist and Susan Eley Fine Art, Hudson H

The holiday season ahead reminded me of a recent festive and luminous painting - Long Pond #7. The rich red painting is layered with cerulean blue, alizarin crimson, quinacridone coral, vermillion, scarlet and cadmium paint. The after months of work, the surface was sealed with a layer of resin creating luminosity and depth. The finished painting appears to be a deep ocean of red beneath a layer of ice, an alchemical world for the viewer to explore. The Long Pond Series was created during 2017-2019. The Series carried on my interest in alchemy and abstraction – with the added influence of the natural surroundings. In 2017, I moved from Philadelphia to the Berkshires. Being immersed in this stunning environment taught me t o breathe and see again. As I relaxed and become part of this lush landscape, my paintings are also shifted. The light, air and color are slowly seeped into the work. The morning dew woke me with phthalo blue and sap green, and the fall brought glorious hues of red and gold. The surfaces of the paintings changed as the light unfolded from dawn to dusk. In person and virtual studio visits are welcomed by appointment. Virginia Bradley - www.virginiabradley.com; studio at 234 Long Pond Rd, Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

See your art in the artfulmind@yahoo.com next issue! 413. 645. 4114 for info.

KATHY OSBORN, DESERT, 2021, OIL ON PAPER ON BOARD, 16 X 20 INCHES

RUTH SHIVELY, LADIES LUNCHEON, 2021, MIXED MEDIA ON PAPER, 28 X 30 INCHES

BRADLEY WOOD, COASTAL LOAFING, 2016, OIL ON CANVAS, 46 X 44 INCHES

GATHERING On view from December 2, 2021, to January 16, 2022 at SEFA Hudson, Gathering is a group exhibition of figurative paintings by Kathy Osborn, Ruth Shively and Bradley Wood. Composed of recent and new works, the exhibition highlights atmospheric domestic landscapes and moody interior scenes—their tone colored by the figures that inhabit and shape them. Each artist crafts their vignettes through a distinctive touch and approach: Osborn’s highly-staged vintage characters; Shively’s impressionistic, intimate portraits; Wood’s fantastical, cinematic architectures. Like the artists themselves—viewers become voyeurs into the social interactions and interior lives of anonymous figures.

Susan Eley Fine Art - 433 Warren Street, Hudson, New York; Thursday-Monday, 11AM5PM; susaneleyfineart.com; 917-952-7641.

STAMPED ABSTRACT SERIES # 23 MARY DAVIDSON

Mary Davidson has been painting on a regular basis for the last 16 years. Davidson’s paintings are a two-dimensional decorative visualization of line, color, design, shape, patterns, and stamping. As you begin to study the paintings, you will find the foreground and background tend to merge, with overlaid patterns. “I love the intense complexity and ambiguity of space and dimension.”. The effect can be startling: the longer you look at the piece, the more you see. With style more design than literal, she hopes to convey lightheartedness, playfulness and whimsey. “One of my favorite art teachers along the way used to say, ‘It is only a piece of paper and/or canvas. NO RULES’. Painting is a way to express my creativity. I always work in a series, which keeps me focused. I work with acrylic paint because it is so forgiving.” Davidson’s New Hat series consist of 70 paintings. “I start with a basic drawing, building with color and shape, coming to life with gesture and flow. As the title suggests, the hats are important, and the millinery designs emerge. There is much joy in their creation and my passion for playful designs is reinforced by their bright colors, linear rhythms and patterns leading our eyes around and through the painting. My newest series is even more abstract, with an even stronger emphasis on design. I do like to use stamping, along with painting, because I love the result. When I finish with a painting, I adhere the canvas with mat gel to gator board, creating a nice tight surface. My paintings are always framed.” In addition to an Associate Degree in Fashion Design from Newbury College in Boston, Davidson has taken many classes in drawing and painting, and participated in many art workshops. “I feel as though I have developed my own unique style at this point. I am a member of three local art clubs, along with two other clubs not so close to home.” Davidson’s biggest accomplishment was to become a juried member of the National Association of Women Artists, NAWA, New York, NY. She has also been juried into many art shows in New England, since 2007 and in some of the shows has won awards. Mary Davidson - PO Box 697, South Egremont, Massachusetts; 413-528-6945, Cell 1-413717-2332; mdavidsongio@aol.com, marydavidson83155@gmail.com, www.davidsondesigncompany.net.

LEAVING THE DRIFT —

ENTERING A FRAGMENTED REALITY Those were long months of a limited showing art in public. Enjoying, sharing, debating art had to follow paths of caution. The eye of the artist was directed into the inner world as never before. Yet, every artist senses the immense transformations the world is undergoing now. Our communication is changing, our hungry senses look for every inspirational source. We do know that our common experience will show long term results in a time still distant from us. Many of us got used to this new reality. We must. Losing control – I learned to turn it into a storage for new art approaches. My artistic process had enough food for a while. Then it slowed down. But I learned to create at a much slower pace. I started to enjoy the more intense dialogue with the artworks evolving under my hands. I took more time to “discuss” the artwork’s inner structure and language. I listened to its voice. What a rewarding process! The world had come to a near standstill for a moment. The painting became a mirror of my own state of being. Floating became the dominant motif. And what an unexpected surprise: feeling adrift lost its frightening moments – I started to trust the direction and to let go. It allowed me to find new paths of visualization. No. They found me. This process allowed me to invent a personal new love story between the past, present, and possible future(s?). Now, finding my way back to the louder sounds and the art in public, the art brings me to an altered reality. New patterns, color fields evolve. The process of uncertainty continues. I have directed my eyes to the colors, to listen to their sounds. They talk the loudest. It seems they take the lead now in the new concert. Waltzing with the shapes. Rough textures are banned to the audience for now. Transparency and fine lines took their place in the orchestra. Let the performance enlighten a long winter! Colors reflect life! Dancing moves shape a colorful process! Get ready for a new world. The light is still there as it was, nature never stops to surprise us with organic colors and patterns. We realize how fragile our position is. It is our perspective that is in transformation. There is no alternative. katrinwaite.com @katrinwaite artkatrinwaite@gmail.com

Tel: 518-854 3727 or 518-223 3069

INSPIRATION FOR WRITERS Art you ready to write? If so, check out Jennifer Browdy’s monthly online writing workshops: • the new intensive Birth Your Truest Story series, co-led with Audrey Kalman, for novelists or memoirists; • Jennifer’s popular drop-in 90-minute purposeful memoir workshops in the Purposeful Memoir as a Quest for a Thriving Future series. A longtime professor at Bard College/Simon’s Rock and the founding director of the Berkshire Festival of Women Writers, which ran for seven years between 2010 and 2016, Jennifer is an experienced facilitator of lively online workshops that appeal to both established writers and novices alike. “You have created magic here,” said one delighted participant. “You created an extraordinary experience of self-reflection, self-acceptance, and encouragement,” said another. Jennifer also offers author coaching, manuscript review, and the publishing services of Green Fire Press. Visit JenniferBrowdy.com for a wealth of free writing prompts and essays on the craft of writing, as well as information on upcoming workshops, books and products to stimulate your creativity.

#1439 WAITE RD. EASTON, NY 5-26-19 13 X 14 OIL MATT CHINIAN

PROSAIC REALISM I am a realist. I paint what I see and depict places and objects with a simple understanding of light and shadow. My subjects are taken from daily life, things I see in passing, things I’m drawn to; they are commonly overlooked. I try to unlock patterns and relationships that depict their beauty and uniqueness. I do not seek to judge but offer up these images for your consideration. mattchinian.com

Let the artists know you have read about them in ARTFULMIND@YAHOO.COM

It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see. —Henry David Thoreau