Tweet

Running an independent gallery in a rural town with a population of less than a 1,000 people is hard.

The founder and my husband Theo Coulombe and I have a beautiful space for curating exhibitions with artists that frankly speak to both of us. There is no agenda, no five-year plan, just moments of reflection and agreement on who we should show next.

Each exhibition is a gamble: time and money are invested to promote each show but there is no guarantee that a single piece will even sell. And I don’t want to even go into the current art market and today’s politics….

Saying all that, the opening for artist Polly Shindler reminded me of why we do it. Communities from Sharon to the Wassaic Project, and to neighboring towns and counties came out in full force.

Our little corner of Main Street was filled with life and support for Polly, her work, and for art. And Polly’s paintings could not be more perfect for welcoming Spring. Both light and dark, colorful and moody, her works remind us all that even in our quietest moments of day-to-day life we can find courage and hope to keep trying.

Where are you from and what is your first memory of art?

I grew up in Hamden, CT just north of New Haven. My dad is a painter and he would paint little landscapes for my friends and me to color in. He would also bring us to museums to expand our experience of art. He introduced us to modern art and sat us in front of iconic works, like Jackson Pollock’s Autumn Rhythm #30, and made us talk about what we saw and felt.

How did you pursue your studies and career to be an artist?

I was pretty lost in what I wanted my career to look like. The only steady thread in my life was art. I studied so many things in school and majored in History, but everything eventually fell away and my concentration became making art in whatever way I could. I ultimately dedicated myself to painting in 2009 when I decided to get my MFA. I decided to throw everything I had at the one constant in my life.

What is the inspiration behind the new works?

Nature in many ways: our outdoor surroundings as well as our personal natures. I was drawn to the concept of the places in which we choose to rest and how we fill the spaces in our lives. This ended up looking like snapshots of a quiet life, the moments when the little things become big things. The chances we get in the day to hear ourselves think.

Could you tell us more about your use of color and technique?

My pendulum swings wildly from piece to piece. I’m so attracted to maximalism and often employ an explosion of color in my paintings. But then I scale way back into monochrome compositions as seen in my night tree paintings. I have a lot of areas I want to explore in my work.

Trying to maintain consistency throughout my practice seems to have fallen by the wayside. So many of my paintings seem disconnected to each other but I try not to let that stifle me. I instead focus on what is interesting to me in the moment.

Which piece is your favorite and why?

I think I’d have to choose two due to the balance: Folding Laundry and Trees Wrapped in Lights. I like the activity, chaos and color in the first and the starkness and still in the second.

Looking to the future, what do you have next on the horizon?

I have a Talk with fellow artist and Wassaic Project’s Director of Artistic Programming Will Hutnick. It will be on Saturday, May 3rd from 3:30-5:30pm at Standard Space.

There are a few new shows lined up this year including Halsey McKay in Easthampton, NY (curated by my gallery, Deanna Evans Projects) and Ochi Gallery in Ketchum, ID.

I also co-run Cottage Courses with fellow artist Natalie Baxter. We run workshops that celebrate craft and community in and around the Hudson Valley. Our next event is on Saturday, April 19 (Fabric Easter Eggs) at Vitsky Bakery in Wassaic, NY.

Otherwise, keeping busy in my home studio in Millerton, NY.

Any last words of advice to aspiring artists?

It took me a little while to realize I am not interested in what I thought I was. It helped me to figure out that there’s no one way to have a career. By all means, keep up with what your contemporaries are doing, but when it comes to your own success keep your own measurements. And be ok with the low times, when the work isn’t coming easily or at all.

Or you’re not getting the love you want. I try to lean into the work itself and not stress about where it’s going to end up or how it fits into the bigger picture. The goal is to develop and move forward at my own rate. I write this not so much as advice to others as reminders to myself.