Featured Art Audio Descriptions

Fuji Apples by Carol Retsch-Bogart

AUDIO TRANSCRIPT

The following is an audio description of Fuji Apples, a mixed media collage by Carol Retsch-Bogart. The square composition measures 13 ½ inches tall by 13 ½ inches wide, encased in a floating black frame. 

Dominating the foreground are six, plump red apples, which are cut from fabric. Some apples appear to be hanging from a limb with three dark green-brown branches. The limb suspends downwards from the top right corner of the composition. Jade green leaves attach to the stems of the apples and tips of the branches. While three apples attach to the branches, three apples descend downwards in a horizontal line just to the right of the central axis, perhaps alluding to falling apples. An apple with a singular leaf on its stem sits to the left of the other apples. Isolated against the abstract background elements, it sits in a void between the natural elements in the foreground and the abstract background. 

The background resembles a faded fresco or mural painting of abstract textures and colors. The predominant colors are yellow, orange and brown, which blend with one another, adding a foggy or bokeh effect that emphasizes the piquant freshness of the apples. Lines of green and splotches of red, perhaps resembling additional branches peek through the layers of yellow, orange and brown. 

The Dolomites, Belluno, Italy by Nerys Levy

AUDIO TRANSCRIPT

The following is an audio description of Nerys Levy’s The Dolomites, Belluno, Italy, an artwork on Japanese paper rendered in Japanese and acrylic ink and acrylic paint. Framed in a silver, metallic frame with a white mat, it measures over two feet tall by four feet wide. Levy captures the mountainous Northern Italian landscape using energetic, black bold lines, abstract shapes and strong colors.

Bright blue brushstrokes evoking a daytime sky dominate the upper half of the painting. Patches of white paper peek through the unblended brushstrokes, resembling wispy, moving clouds. Lower puffy clouds outline some peaks of the mountains below.

A variety of organic shapes in green, gray, brown, and white converge to create a rolling landscape. Rising on the left of the composition, is a jagged, large gray and white form outlined in black emulating a distant mountain. To the right is a curvilinear shape with three dominating lobes of the same coloring outlined in black with smaller forms bookmarking either end–one colored gray and white and the other brown-green and white. Each has with black parallel lines, perhaps representing rocky peaks. Continuing to the right is another jagged gray and white mountain shape outlined in black. Positioned in front is a triangular form with a curved point at the top colored brown, segmented with black lines.

Medium Size Dish by Linda Prager

AUDIO TRANSCRIPT

The following is an audio description of Linda Prager’s Medium Size Dish made of white stoneware and painted with food-safe/dishwasher-safe colors. Square with rounded edges curved upwards, the dish measures eighth inches tall by eight inches wide. It is displayed on a clear plate stand atop a white pedestal with two addition pieces of stoneware. The pedestal is positioned between two others.

The front face of the dish features an abstract design with dynamic brushstrokes of dark blue, teal and golden-yellow against a cream-colored background. Sweeping dark blue strokes of paint and lines create the primary design that crisscrosses and spirals across the surface. A spiral-like design draws attention inwards, creating a focal point. Near the outer margins of the spiraling motion is discernible, but disperses to more loose and wild strokes towards the center. Interspersed against the dark blue designs are brushstrokes of light blue and golden yellow. The light blue brushstrokes overlay the darker spiral outline, while the golden-yellow lines intersect and are more erratic. The inclusion of light blue and golden-yellow create bursts of light against an otherwise stark composition. The weight of the brushstrokes ranges from thick slashes to delicate wispy lines, creating the appearance of texture. The dish’s curved form and unglazed finish enhance the depth and colors and vibration of the lines and colors. 

Metamorphosis I by Pete Sack

AUDIO TRANSCRIPT

The following is an audio description of Pete Sack’s Metamorphosis I, a square acrylic painting on canvas measuring three feet tall by three feet wide. It is unframed. 

The abstract composition features a series of overlapping geometric shapes, including ovals, rectangles, and curvilinear forms painted in a palette of gray tones with patches of burnt orange, gauzy white, solid black, and light blue. These colors are in some areas applied in layers, creating overlapping shapes that give a sense of depth, texture, and movement. 

Large irregular jumbled shapes dominate the center of the painting. The gray shapes overlap and interact with patches of burnt orange that introduce warmth and contrast. Light blue elements appear sporadically, their cooler tones adding a refreshing feeling from the otherwise warm and muted palette. Black and white shapes, dispersed throughout, form the lightest and darkest areas, framing and enhancing the other shapes.

While some shapes have sharp, defined edges, others blend seamlessly creating a tapestry of color and form. The painting’s texture is varied, with some areas appearing smooth and blended and others raw.

Untitled Emanation by Leif Gann-Matzen

AUDIO TRANSCRIPT

The following is an audio description of Untitled Emanation by Leif Gann-Matzen, a sculpture composed of carved wood and stone. It measures approximately 21 inches tall by 5 inches wide by 7 inches in depth. The slender wooden sculpture mounted on a rough stone base rests atop a white pedestal that flanks a column.

Two apostrophe-shaped rocks form an uppercase “h” and serve as the base to the sculpture. The base is the widest element.

The upper part of the sculpture, consisting of two slender wooden limbs, intertwines and flows upwards in a graceful, flowing manner similar to flowing water. While the limbs’ outer edges are similar to imperfectly drawn vertical lines, the inner edges resemble three rolling waves. These waves merge in the center to create two voids or empty spaces, one stacked atop the other. The shapes and sizes of the limbs and voids are similar, although opposite in orientation. The natural grain of the tan wood compliments the form and adds movement.

The ruggedness of the base not only contrasts the smooth, flowing limbs of the wooden sculpture, but enhances the overall sense of balance and groundedness.