Elizabeth O’Reilly & Karen Woods

October 1 - 29

George Billis Gallery presents the work of Elizabeth O’Reilly & Karen Woods.

Having worked from a studio in the Gowanus area of Brooklyn for two decades, Elizabeth O'Reilly is at home in the abandoned precincts of the canal with its solidly geometric shapes. The artist alternates between the flexibility of oils and the inherent limitations of collage, with its clearly defined edges. These works provide an intimate view of Brooklyn, combining the dominance of the industrial with the energy of the natural world. The solidly geometric shapes of man-made objects turn loosely broken and beautiful in the mirror of the canal water.

Industrial depictions of the Gowanus Canal are complemented by scenes of Marion Lake on the North Fork of Long Island, where the artist spends weekends. In these paintings, she is similarly interested in the depiction of architecture as reflected in water. A spit of land separates Marion Lake from Gardiner’s Bay, and provides an alternating rhythm of land to water; the partially frozen lake echoes the canal with the geometry of the houses reflected in the water. Both bodies of work exhibit lively brushwork, thick atmosphere and a preoccupation with geometry, combining formal issues with a sense of place.

Karen Woods: For some time now I have chronicled my journey by painting what I experience while driving around the city. I paint—in the realist tradition—from photographs taken at intersections and on the road, when I’ve been struck by the beauty in the ordinariness of my commute. These images are the “lyrical suggestions” that compel me to paint, to communicate these transcendent experiences so clearly that others might in turn recognize this beauty in the course of their day.

For myself, the reward lies in capturing and expanding the space, time, and movement of a moment in everyday life, and to reveal its accompanying emotional weight: its anticipation, reflection, isolation, longing, and transcendence.