Exhibitions
Starting Square
by SELENE SANTUCCI

JAN 5 - 28, 2017
Opening Reception:
Thursday, Jan. 5th, 6 - 8pm

Even though squares have been a regular feature in my paintings for many years, for this exhibit I consciously started with the square in mind and worked forward. Having many meanings, from the geometric to the common language of describing someone dull or out of touch, to meaning righting oneself or one’s life, to an adjective describing political conservatism, or even a case of beer (Canadian), squares are interesting to organize formally and their manipulation inexhaustible. In some paintings I tried to give them a sense of place, in others I composed them formally and more abstractly to trigger an emotion or to elicit a memory. In others, my objective was to offer a thread of some kind, allowing the viewer to create a story, and in one or two I deliberately tried to hide or destroy them.

I began each piece with the same process I generally use, that of having no idea about what will finally emerge, but the initialization had the thought of using the square to either begin the painting or to develop it.

Painting is gloriously hard work, and sometimes I fear it is a selfish pursuit, but seeking existential beauty is, in my opinion, an essential need in all of us.





Making Music
2016
oil on canvas
36 by 36 inches

Busy Streets
2016
42 by 36 inches
oil on canvas

Feeling the Bay
2016
36 by 36 inches
oil on canvas

Going About Daily Business
2016
48 by 48 inches
oil on canvas

Close Neighbors
2016
36 by 36 inches
oil on canvas

Looking for the Right Way
Oil on Canvas
30 by 30 inches
Sold

Italian Towns
2016
30 by 30 inches
oil on canvas

Dark Secrets
2016
36 by 36 inches
oil on canvas

Big Talker
2016
20 by 20 inches
oil on canvas

Light Noise
2016
36 by 36 inches
oil on canvas

Small Communities
2016
36 by 36 inches
oil on canvas

Queen for a Day
2016
12 by 12 inches
oil on canvas

Musical Effects
2016
36 by 36 inches
oil on canvas