Maplebrook School’s art gallery once again hosting artwork

AMENIA — Maplebrook School marked the reopening of its art gallery with an exhibition of work from Florida-based painter Kristy Gammill and students she led in a two-day painting workshop.

Formerly the sight of Maplebrook’s original pool, the gallery has been largely defunct for many years, Maplebrook’s Head of School Daryl Hayes said at the opening of the exhibition on Sunday, Oct. 19. He invited Gammill to show a collection of abstract paintings in the school's gallery and work with students to create their own paintings on handmade paper and canvas.

Gammill reflected warmly on the time she spent with the students. “It was really sweet,” she said. “They all were super responsive, super excited about what they were doing.”

The workshop took students through Gammill’s “soak-stain” painting practice, where she uses dilute paints — and sometimes pastels — to create abstract paintings. She focuses on a muted, earthy color palette to evoke scenes of nature.

On the first day, Gammill introduced the students to the soak-stain technique on handmade paper. The students took to the practice eagerly — splattering, dabbing, rubbing, mixing and drawing with Gammill’s color palette or even adding in pastels to juxtapose the abstract fields of color with definite forms.

Photo by Nathan MillerKristy Gammill, right, discusses her artwork with Katya Kazakina, center, and Ruby Goldberg during the opening reception of “Fugue State,” a show of Gammill’s work alongside paintings Maplebrook students produced, on Sunday, Oct. 19.Photo by Nathan Miller

The second day saw the students painting on pieces of canvas, largely continuing and elaborating on the same concepts that were introduced the day before.

One student took a Rothko-esque approach, coating and working the surface of the paper until little flecks came up and mixed with the paint. The finished product was a solid block of oppressive gray-green with pieces of paint-soaked paper dried to it. Others produced work more reminiscent of Pollock, with energetic splatters of paint dotting the page. Others still took a very orderly and geometric approach, utilizing broad brushes to make bold strokes to create symmetrical and striking designs.

Maplebrook student Yefferson first set out to paint a face. He started by blocking out the edges and leaving the center blank, he said, but then he thought the empty space needed something, so he started making dots.

“I started putting little dots around it, like a headache,” Jefferson said. “Then I connected every point — every little drop of paint.”

Gammill’s work at the gallery — a collection called “Fugue State” — features a series of large, unstretched canvases hanging from pieces of wood that dangle just off the walls of the gallery. The wood is attached to a piece of brass thread with a couple of hooks from the hardware store, giving each work a rough-hewn, unfinished quality that Gammill said is intentional and practical.

The art — both Gammill’s and the students’ — will be on display at the gallery on Maplebrook’s campus on Route 22/44 in Amenia. Head of School Daryl Hayes said anyone interested in viewing the work should reach out to him over the phone with the number 845-373-9511.