July 15th Photographer Jim Marshall and Island Painter Max Decker

July 15th
Photographer Jim Marshall and Island Painter Max Decker

July 14, 2023 - July 27, 2023

Art Premiere will be held on Saturday, July 15th from 4-6 pm at the Field Gallery in West Tisbury, next to the West Tisbury Free Public Library. It is free and open to the public.

Island painter Max Decker says: I've always been drawn to loose brushwork and large patches of abstract paint and the freshness and movement that they can convey. So naturally, in the past, I tried to emulate those qualities in my own work. As artists we can get lofty about the inception and execution of our various works but sometimes the greatest discoveries can come to us by simply switching materials, or trying it a slightly different way. Materials really matter.

So this year I tried an experiment. I bought a smaller brush and added more detail. The trick is to maintain a balance, letting paint just be paint in some areas, while emphasizing little details here and there that help direct the eye and create pockets of interest. It's a delicate balance, but I'm quite pleased with the results.

Rarely do I stray more than 500 hundred feet from our kitchen table to find my subject matter. Quite often, the kitchen table is the subject matter, or the way the light hits the bedroom wall, or the house and surrounding gardens. There is plenty to occupy me here, on our little acre, in Aquinnah.

Jim Marshall has been called the most celebrated and prolific photographer of the 20th century and is widely known for his iconic music photography. In death, Jim holds the distinction of being the first and only photographer to be presented with the Recording Academy's TRUSTEE AWARD, an honorary GRAMMY presented to individuals for nonperformance contributions to the music industry.