Stephen L. Crohn Gallery Exhibit

Artist: Natalie Boburka

November - December 2022

Natalie Boburka has been a lifelong resident of New York State and currently lives in Greenville, NY at the foot of the Catskill Mountains, restoring an 1820’s brick farmhouse and large studio complex. Since retiring from a thirty-year career teaching visual art she has focused on continuing her art practice, showing work in a variety of galleries and organizations throughout the Hudson Valley and beyond, as well as continuing to teach art at differing locations.  She is a conceptual artist working in a variety of media expressing reactions to social, environmental, feminist, and political topics.  She has had solo shows at the  Guggenheim Pavilion in Rensselaerville, VARGA Gallery in Woodstock, the Butzel Gallery in Schenectady, and the Athens Cultural Center. Her work has been shown from Florida to NYC, and throughout NY State.

Creating artwork during the pandemic and political  landscape of the past few years has been crucial in maintaining sanity and balance. I have produced work that focuses on the expression of my deepest fears and anxiety as well as the joy and relief of experiencing and meditating on the natural world. The works shown here focus on the latter. Working with different media and series I explored the layers of natural bodies of water, gardens, skies and movement, migration of clouds, and the shifting of land masses. This work celebrates,sensuality, gratitude, peacefulness, and wonder.

The Silver Lining Series is a celebration of natural beauty above and below, created with layered metallic inks, paints, variegated leaf, and natural pigments. These are applied with found objects and household refuse paying homage to the underlying theme of environmental distress which drives much of my work. The result is the creation of a myriad of precious textured layers, some lacelike and delicate while others push into the negative space boldly, lit like thunderclouds reflecting the sunset. Due to the nature of the pigments, these pieces dramatically change with lighting and the viewer's angle which mirrors the fluctuations in nature.

Other work focuses on ocean, lakes, and gardens recalling and relating the experience of losing oneself by entering a state of sensual meditation. While I use all my senses to absorb my environment, I also gather mementos to use in the process when I return to my studio. I create physical impressions from natural objects pushed or drawn through plaster as a base. Objects are sometimes embedded directly in the plaster. Colors are multi-layered and intense, added without brushes to replicate the natural appearance and texture of the environment. This creates an archeological process with alternately removing and preserving layers as the piece progresses.

Upcoming
Exhibits

November - December: Natalie Boburka

January - February: Jackie Oster