As a fitting tribute to the end of summer, 440 Gallery hosts Paesaggio, a series of lush landscape paintings by two artists. In this show, her second at 440 Gallery, Susan Greenstein teams up with her husband Phil DeSantis to highlight the relationship between each others works. Greenstein and DeSantis have been painting side by side for over 25 years. Most recently, they clambered out onto the roof of a 15th century building in Siena, Italy; captured the Dutch-style architecture in gritty Red Hook, Brooklyn; and painted en plein-air at a pastoral New Hampshire dairy farm. Their styles are similar in spirit, but distinctly different in application and palette. Paesaggio celebrates their journey together as landscape painters.

Each artist draws their inspiration from a moment in time at a certain place. Greenstein finds intriguing subjects in her local community gardens and neighborhoods, as well as at destinations shared with DeSantis. She explores the landscape using a rich tapestry of color and texture created with oil pastels on a dark ground. At other times, she uses mark-making with watercolor to capture the essence of a scene. Greenstein's sketchbooks of painted studies and line drawings, which are also on view, provide a window into her process. She frequently uses these sketches to develop larger works.

DeSantis works predominately in strong layers of jewel-like watercolor washes with an emphasis on describing landscape and architecture through light and shadow. These paintings reveal his deep fascination with industrial structures, and he attempts to preserve them through his paintings as they continue to disappear from our landscape. DeSantis also finds much of his inspiration locally, from the wide open spaces of Brighton Beach to the brownstone-lined streets of Park Slope.

Susan Greenstein grew up in Astoria, Queens, and has lived and worked in Brooklyn since she was a college student at Pratt Institute, where she received her BFA in Fine Arts in Drawing and Painting. She went on to receive her MSE from Queens College in 1983. Greenstein has exhibited her works regularly in New York City. Early in her career, Greenstein illustrated children's books and editorials for newspapers and magazine articles. Since 1994, she has taught art to children in elementary & high schools, and has found that teaching keeps her excitement and wonder of art fresh.

Phil DeSantis grew up near Coney Island. DeSantis holds a BFA in Painting as well a Masters in Art Education from Brooklyn College. His works have been exhibited in Brooklyn, NY, and New Hampshire. DeSantis has always been interested in the sights and sounds that are particular to Brooklyn. While he primarily works in watercolor, but DeSantis also has a passion for photography and film. Currently, DeSantis teaches high school art.