Dan's Papers - August 1, 2008 - Collective Unconscious

Glassy eyes gazed upon blurs of color as guests of the Third Annual Outsider Art in the Hamptons exhibit in Westhampton steadily slipped into the subconscious. Art collectors, creators and appreciators recently gathered in the intimate Galerie BelAge to take in the emotionally driven creations that compose outsider art.

Outsider artists are self-taught creators who practice stream-of-consciousness painting, drawing and construction. The two-pronged exhibit tied in a variety of media, all falling under the same creative umbrella. From cardboard-constructed dogs to gold-leaf goddesses, the collection is an eclectic pastiche of unedited creations.

Candyce Brokaw, a Quogue resident who curated the collection with Robert Deets, Anne Grgrich and Colin Rhodes, displayed her art along the gallery walls. In the art that she calls a "spontaneous stream of consciousness from my core," Brokaw takes difficult life experiences and forces them onto her canvas, sealing them beneath layers of gold paint and tissue paper. In 1997, Brokaw founded the Survivors Art Foundation, a non-profit organization that assists disabled artists. More than an aesthetic desire, Brokaw's art is a beautiful purgation. "Art became my compulsion," Brokaw said. "I used to only paint lying on my stomach on my bed. I felt grounded there. But now I've moved from lying on the bed to sitting on the floor." Marking this progression as an evolution in her comfort with the art medium, Brokaw's artistic process has developed along with the art itself. Now focused on gold-leaf figures, Brokaw has experimented with pen-and-paper creatures, and spent a long time with her dot collection. "I'm having dot withdrawal," Brokaw stated, referring to past work that involved intricate images composed of small dots.

Also on display is the work of Anne Grgich, a fellow curator and artist, who employs wood, jewelry and paint in her works. From paintings to pocketbooks made of tape, Grgich plays with texture and vibrant color. Her book, a collection of thick pages displaying elegant women surrounded by hand-pressed beads and tokens, is a love letter to those who pick it up. With pearl jewelry pressed into the pages and deep hues within the images, the book is more than a painting that can be looked upon and studied - it is something you can hold, touch and experience. With the turn of every page, the viewer engages in an entirely new romance. Grgich, who worked on the book for three years, focuses on what she calls "opulent goddesses" in the book. "I've always painted faces," said Grgich, "and I use layers to create mystery in my art. I just do what I feel."

As a local artist, Brokaw has inspired fellow Long Island creators to come out of the woodwork and share their expression with art lovers. Syma Joffe Gerard, a Remsenberg native for 20 years, is displaying her work for the first time publicly at the gallery. Gerard's creations utilize the line to create intricate animal and nature-inspired forms.

Bella Christ, from Mattituck, is also showing her work for the first time at the outsider exhibit. Christ depicts simple, yet sensual female forms embracing one another. The clean silhouettes of the women captures their connection while the minimalist form does not hide the white paper beneath. "I use line drawing to express the eroticism and sensuality of a woman's body," Christ said. "I draw for other women because each woman will make her own connection with the figures."

In addition to presenting paintings and sculpture, the Outsider Art exhibit will feature The North Sea Poetry Scene. A small room in the gallery is dedicated to local poets and their own expressive media. Tammy Nuzzo-Morgan, the executive director and a poet of the North Sea Poetry Scene, introduced her poets to specific pieces that she felt would inspire them. "I know my poets," Nuzzo-Morgan said. "I married my poets with certain pieces, or told them to write on the freedom of being a poet." This instruction yielded a varied collection of poems that add a literary component to the visual artwork in the gallery. Victoria Cooper, an Amagansett native and local poet, will be reading at the gallery with the North Sea Poetry Scene on August 9. "Painting and writing are both such fluid forms of artistic expression," said Cooper. "We all view the world in drastically different ways, but we can relate to each other through art."

That is the point of outsider art - a point that is clearly made in Galerie BelAge. "There is such a great vibe," Christ said, "Everyone is just happy to be here."

Local art lovers have certainly noticed the amazing things happening within this small gallery. "Half of the pieces on display are already sold," Brokaw stated. "There has never been anything like this in all of Long Island."