Philipson and Stevens-Gupta: HORIZONS and ABSTRACT REALITIES

Philipson and Stevens-Gupta: HORIZONS and ABSTRACT REALITIES Ithaca, NY USA: Photographer Rachel Philipson and painter Ivy Stevens-Gupta explore land, water and sky in their exhibition of photographs and paintings with a strong abstract quality. Both award-winning artists, display their landscape artwork beginning January 3rd, 2020. Philipson is a documentary and lifestyle photographer & photojournalist. Her large, monochromatic landscapes recall her travels to Puerto Rico, Mexico, California and Massachusetts. Her colorful photographs blur the lines between sky and sea to create a sense of calm. Philipson’s minimalist “La Jolla Blur” captures the serene beauty of a California sunset over the ocean. Devoid of human presence, Philipson’s horizons offer rest to weary eyes. She focuses her photography on color, shape and light by creating landscape photographs that are simultaneously timeless and transient. Visit Rachelphilipson.com or follow her on Instagram @rachelphilipson to view more of her work. Climate change enthusiast and color therapist, Stevens-Gupta channels her creative energies to focus on paintings that illustrate effects of global warming. Her creative process includes many layers of acrylic, oil and resin on canvas or birch board to create abstract-realistic paintings of near and far landscapes, both real and imagined. In “Summer at Cayuga Lake” fluffy white clouds are reflected in pristine, calm water. The painting reflects life in the finger lakes before increasing heat waves and heavy downpours due to human-caused global warming pose a risk to agriculture and ecosystems. “Cayuga Twilight” which measures 48” x 48” x 1.7” and has a 3D effect, illustrates the transitional period between day and night. Luminous shades of pink and orange collide under a clear, midnight-blue sky that is reminiscent of sunsets on the west side of Cayuga Lake. Stevens-Gupta goal is to inspire viewers to help protect and preserve our local resources. In another painting “Iceland” the artist uses iridescent stained glass and gold beads to depict an abstract aerial view of the island. The painting brings attention to the recent loss of a glacier and the possibility of many more melting on the subarctic island. To see more of Steven-Gupta’s work online go to Ivycreativedesigns.com or follow her on Instagram @ivystevensgupta.art. On view from January 3rd to January 31, 2020, at Collegetown Bagels, East Hill Plaza, 329 Pine Tree Road, Ithaca, NY USA.