Southampton - The Southampton Cultural Center's Spring Exhibit "Expression: Four Painters - Shari Abramson, Roy Nicholson, Danny Simmons, Julie Small-Gamby, curated by Arlene Bujese opens April 2 and runs through May 23, 2011.

These are the most subtle works in terms of color and form. Within a large, vertical picture plane, soft edge color shapes float on a color field of grey, blue, and white, resulting in a contemplative dynamic with sparks of light coming through the various hues. In smaller paintings, larger forms seem to refer to monolithic structures emerging from a mist. Recent exhibitions include the Spanierman Gallery, East Hampton, The Springs Invitational, East Hampton, Silas Marder Gallery, Bridgehampton and the Omni Gallery, New York.

Roy Nicholson
Nicholson's inspiration is the garden with its reference to the passage of time, of life and death. In the series represented in this show, titled "Gloamings," gestural abstract forms in dense color: deep blues, vivid reds, yellow, and orange are layered over one another as one might find in a garden setting, with light emerging in strategic areas. The artist was born in Cambridge, England and has had numerous exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad, including the Long Island Museum of American Art, New York, Abbot Hall Art Gallery and museum, Kendal, England, and the Heckscher Museum, New York. In 2002 he completed two 7 x 33 foot glass mosaics in the Long Island Rail Road's Hicksville station for the MTA Arts for Transit Program.

Artwork by Julie Small-Gamby. (Courtesy Photo: SHCC)

Danny Simmons
A self-taught artist, Simmons is drawn to Surrealism, specifically with reference to African contemporary and indigenous art. He has developed a strong personal idiom wherein he employs oil, pastel, and charcoal on canvas and paper to create abstractions with strong use of line and color. Simple shapes are used to form complex imagery which often seems to fly over the surface. An author and a poet, he is co-founder of the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, which provides disadvantaged youth with access to the arts and education and promotes a diverse group of emerging artists, and serves as chairman of the New York State Council on the Arts.

Julie Small-Gamby
Small-Gamby is showing a new series of paintings in acrylic on large canvas squares in monochromatic and analogous color. Built up textural surfaces lend a tactile quality to overall subtle patterns, with suggestions of organic material and life forms. Smaller works employ paint, wax, oil, and other materials, giving the appearance of "found tablets." Past exhibitions include Guild Museum, East Hampton, Islip Art Museum, Allan Stone Gallery, New York City, and the Staller Center, SUNY.