New Milford, CT. Darting, dashing, racing, flying… horses, cars, and crows are all captured in the vibrant watercolors of CT artist Sandra Cointreau and on exhibit at The Silo Art Gallery at Hunt Farm on weekends from April 1st to May 1st. The new exhibit of watercolors at the Gallery focuses on movement by bull riders, rodeo cowboys and barrel racers, race cars, dancing Native Americans, and even flying crows.
Portraying action and motion in painting has been a quest of artist Cointreau for the past two decades. After years of painting still life scenes, portraits, and landscapes, she began painting horses as they became a major part of her daily life at home and away. While overseas on engineering assignments for international development agencies, she saddled up in far off places like Pakistan, the Philippines, Gambia, Morocco, Hungary, and Turkey. After capturing horses grazing and standing still in her art, she wanted to show them in motion.
As a first step in this process, Cointreau studied the work of artists who focused on race cars. Her work led her to Lime Rock RaceTrack, and for one year she became their Resident Artist.
“Since cars have no musculature, expressions, or the ability to bend their body, other techniques are needed to show action," says Cointreau discussing her methods. “Techniques of blurring edges, tilting the car on a curve in a way that wouldn’t be possible unless it were moving, creating dust clouds, combined with the expressions of the drivers, were some of the ways the cars could be made to look like they are moving.”
Adds Alessandro Piovezahn, President of the Silo at Hunt Farm,“She is an inspiration whose work emanates good vibrations always. The positive qualities of her art align with the mantra of The Silo and we are moved to have her.”
The Silo Gallery, which has long been considered to be among the most prestigious art galleries in America, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The gallery is part of Hunt Hill Farm, a national historic landmark that was once home to Tonight Show’s Music Director and Founder of the New York Pops Orchestra, Skitch Henderson and his wife Ruth. Its barns and silos are set within the 180 acre preservation of beautiful rolling hills of northern New Milford, and include The Silo Cooking School and the Skitch Henderson Museum.
The gallery will be open and hosted by the artist Sandra Cointreau, during weekend open hours of 1-5 PM Saturdays and Sundays for a month from April 1st to May 1st.
Reception and show open to the public on weekends from April 1st to May 1st at The Silo Gallery, at Hunt Hill Farm, 44 Upland Road, off 202, New Milford, CT 06776