EUGENE HEALY: UP SHE RISES

Madelyn Jordon Fine Art is delighted to present UP SHE RISES, a solo exhibition of recent paintings on panel and canvas by EUGENE HEALY. The exhibition will run from July 10 - August 24, 2024, with an opening reception on Friday, July 12, 2024, from 5:00 - 8:00 pm. This is Healy’s second solo exhibition with the gallery and the public is welcome to attend.

UP SHE RISES will feature 13 recent works by Eugene Healy, created on both panel and canvas. Drawing inspiration from master painters such as Matisse, Vermeer, Richard Diebenkorn, Robert Rauschenberg, Hans Hofmann, and the Fauves, Healy is renowned for his vibrant collage-paintings that capture the coastal scenes of the Eastern United States, particularly the beach towns of Connecticut and Rhode Island, where he has resided for over 25 years. His art reflects a profound exploration of the interplay between light and color in these locales, brought to life through a variety of mediums, including oil, watercolor, encaustic, oil crayon, lacquers, and colored pencil.

Healy's memories of growing up on Long Island and his childhood love of sailing, with its ever-changing weather patterns and seafaring experiences, profoundly influence his work. His minimalist seascapes evoke a strong sense of place, drawing inspiration from the diverse hues of blues, yellows, and greens found in his coastal surroundings. Employing collage techniques, Healy layers scraps of painted mesh, canvas, and other fabrics to craft abstract compositions. These pieces are meticulously balanced, with flat shapes and sophisticated layers of color. Overlapping and cut seams introduce texture and depth, disrupting the flat surface and adding a dynamic quality. 

With a keen sense of composition, Healy's work is defined by seductive colors, harmonious surfaces, and exquisite symmetry. Each piece evolves through a rigorous process of revisiting and refining, culminating in a uniquely balanced composition. His reductivist paintings explore the interaction of color, form, and texture, aiming for pictorial equilibrium and revealing abstract relationships. He orchestrates lines and shapes to create arrangements that evoke a rhythmic sense of calm and serenity.

The titles of Healy's paintings reference specific beaches and towns, each with distinct topography and shapes that he translates into his work. His collage paintings often convey an airy sensibility, whether depicting a broad seascape or a detailed scene. This approach merges his perception of the natural environment with his artistic vision, reflecting the structure and order inherent in both nature and art.

Born in 1948 in Brooklyn, New York, Eugene Healy studied painting at the New York Institute of Technology, earning his B.F.A. in 1972. He has served as Curator and Director of the National Artists' Alliance and as Exhibition Designer for the Yale Center for British Art. Over the past 25 years, Healy's work has been exhibited extensively throughout New England including Madelyn Jordon Fine Art (White Plains, NY), Quogue Gallery (Quogue, NY), Summer House Gallery (Madison, CT), Huxter (Watch Hill, RI), Trade Winds Gallery (Mystic, CT), The Cooley Gallery (Old Lyme, CT), Mason Fine Arts (New Haven, CT), Noted Gallery (Southampton, NY), CCNS (Rowayton, CT), Art Cabinet (Nantucket, MA), Falk Fine Art (Madison, CT), River Gallery (Damariscotta, ME), Orleans Historical Society (Orleans, MA), among others. His collectors include notable figures such as Jack Welch, the legendary former CEO of General Electric.

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