Ever wonder how the life of a plein air painter differs when working in urban areas versus the open air vistas of bucolic natural scenes? On Saturday, Valeri Larko will relay some of her experiences while painting on location in spots in the Bronx (and maybe Brooklyn) as part of an Artist Talk as part of her solo show "On Site: The Bronx" presented at WALLWORKS NEW YORK in the South Bronx. The exhibition is on view from October 22 to November 23, 2016.
Valeri Larko's talk will take place on Saturday, November 19, 2016 at 4 p.m. on the final weekend of her solo show. The artist will be at the gallery from 3 to 5 p.m. to discuss her art.
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A painting in process by Valeri Larko while on site at the abandoned Bronx Golf Center. Courtesy of the artist.
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Valeri Larko has been painting on location in urban settings since the late 1980s, starting with industrial locations in New Jersey. Since 2005, her attention has been drawn to industrial or urban vistas that is in transition or is about to be located in Queens, Brooklyn and especially the Bronx. Many locations may appear to be abandoned, but instead, hosts life that is mostly not witnessed that is discovered in the process of making her paintings. These stories, while not evident in her art, inform her plein air paintings in subtle and conceptual ways.
A solo of her work, "Bronx Focus: Paintings by Valeri Larko" was recently exhibited at the Bronx Museum of The Arts from April 6 to June 26, 2016. The exhibition was curated to reveal the industrial hubs and landscapes of the Bronx, according to the museum. Solo shows of her paintings have also been presented at numerous galleries and museums in the Tri-State area and M.A. including the Morris Museum, Hunterdon Art Museum and the New Jersey State Museum in New Jersey, the College of New Rochelle in Westchester, N.Y. and Lyons Wier Gallery in Chelsea, who represents Valeri Larko's art.
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"Railroad Trestle, Bronx" by Valerie Larko, 2016. Gouache and watercolor, 9 x 12 inches. Courtesy of the artist.
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"Acer Warehouse" by Valerie Larko, 2014. Oil on linen, 20 x 64 inches. Courtesy Lyons Wier Gallery.
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At the Artist Talk on Saturday, Valeri Larko is bound to discuss her process of painting. She might also reveal any number of stories of painting on location in New York City in often deserted locations. Crawling through fences to discover vistas that inspire her is typical for the painter whose working studio is in her car. While Larko has a beautiful brick-and-mortar artist studio in New Rochelle in Westchester, N.Y., her paintings are made nearly entirely on site.
When paintings-in-process make their way onto her indoor easel, the works may be adjusted for atmospheric light (transitioning the work from bright natural outdoor lighting to a light value that's suited for paintings viewed indoors), color tones and compositional changes to make her art, said Larko during a recent visit to her studio.
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"Top Dollar" by Valeri Larko, 2015. Oil on linen, 28 x 72 inches. Courtesy Lyons Wier Gallery.
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Other tales Larko might be likely to tell might reveal stories of people encountered that aren't visible in her paintings. Her art in nearly always bereft of people but their lives help inform the paintings through stories shared of the views she's painting. The graffiti featured prominently (and accurately) in many of her paintings are one visible reminder of lives that intersection with locations, buildings and infrastructure preserved in Valeri Larko's paintings of urban locations in transition.
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Valeri Larko painting in process, corner of Boone Ave & 173rd St in the Bronx, N.Y. Courtesy Lyons Wier Gallery.
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WALLWORKS NEW YORK is a contemporary art gallery in the South Bronx, dedicated to bringing art back uptown, mixing a "downtown" sensibility with "uptown" style by presenting emerging and established artists. The gallery is a passion project of Graffiti pioneer CRASH and entrepreneur Robert Kantor. Click here for gallery information.
Valeri Larko is based in New Rochelle, N.Y. in Westchester. An artist profile will publish next week at Hamptons Art Hub. To see more of her art, visit www.valerilarko.com.
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Valeri Larko in front of one of her paintings. Courtesy Lyons Wier Gallery.
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BASIC FACTS: Urban plein air painter Valeri Larko will present an Artist Talk on Saturday, November 19, 2016 at 4 p.m. at WALLWORKS NEW YORK, 39 Bruckner Blvd., Bronx, N.Y. 10454. The artist will be at the gallery from 3 to 5 p.m. On view is ""On Site: The Bronx" is on view from October 22 to November 23, 2016. Click here for details on the exhibition.
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