Into the Night at Hawk and Hive

By Christein Aromando

ANDES — A new exhibition opened Saturday at Hawk and Hive Gallery in Andes featuring two artists and one rich nocturnal theme.

In his new series titled There’s a Light Somewhere, Christopher Burk takes a departure from his skillfully composed photorealistic paintings depicting urban landscapes in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio, and guides the viewer into what feels like a quiet secret nighttime retreat. Illuminated bark, shooting stars and the many phases of the moon are present in Burk’s nocturnal nature paintings which comprise one aspect of his show. A second component are paintings of houses, almost graphic in representation, lit from within, with only minimal natural light outside from orbiting celestial bodies.

Burk’s trees are lit with beautiful shades of blue, teal and gold implying season and temperature. You can almost feel the chill in the air in his Snow Covered Grove paintings, and some of his Stone Pine paintings create the sense of a balmy night with the sound of cicadas in the distance. The light coming from within the houses conjures a curiosity for what might be going on inside, while radiating a calm and serene energy.

In her new series titled Acquainted with the Night, New York and Catskills based artist Melissa Murray shows us that the vibrancy of flowers and foliage not only exists in sunlight, but in darkness as well. Murray creates intimate moments in her paintings, putting the viewer sometimes within inches of her subjects. You can perceive nature coming to life at night through the movement in Murray’s dense strokes in the flowers flanking an adjacent path, a flowing stream, and with her dancing fireflies in the painting You and Me that glow like Christmas lights. Murray makes you want to observe, but not disturb, this mysterious natural existence.

Both of these stunning shows invite you into a peaceful nocturnal world to reflect on your surroundings and disappear into them at the same time. Curator Jayne Parker has assembled yet another inspired exhibition not to be missed.

Christopher Burk’s There’s a Light Somewhere and Melissa Murray’s Acquainted with the Night will be on view at Hawk + Hive Gallery at 61 Main Street in Andes through October 6th. For more info go to hawkandhive.com and follow @hawkandhive on Instagram.