Susan Eley Fine Art is pleased to present an exhibition of paintings and works on paper by Ted Dixon and paintings and sculptural ceramics by Susan Lisbin. Both artists are local to the Hudson Valley area, and this exhibition is their debut with SEFA. Diametric Abstraction is on view at the Hudson Gallery from June 1st through July 16th. There will be an opening reception with both artists present on Saturday, June 3rd from 5 to 7PM. SEFA is proud to exhibit two mid-career artists from the surrounding area in its effort to support the creative culture in the region.

In Diametric Abstraction, SEFA seeks to unite two artists whose practices have been influenced by the tradition of Abstract Expressionism—yet push further to create their own compositions that reflect their personal aesthetics. In their colors and forms we see layers, reworking, removing, repainting—the true process of how an abstract artist translates their vision. Thus, their compositions are based on navigating both previous art historical influences and the intuitive inspiration of the moment Diametric Abstraction connects their works, loosely grouped by hue, within SEFA Hudson.

They present dreamy blues, warm reds and earthy greens. Their lines are strong; yet the textures and pigments are the reigning elements. Both Dixon and Lisbin spend time bonding with shape and color to create new worlds into which viewers can enter. Opposition is apparent within the world, yet elements succeed in relating together.

In Diametric Abstraction, we see both artists pushing, pulling, playing and manipulating form and line to find where the two fuse—the makings of an abstract painting. Dixon’s linear structures are overlaid with circles, ovals and conical sketches. Lisbin’s paintings feature amorphous, organic, even primal forms meandering across fields of color. Dots, stripes and other decorative patterning enliven her anthropological ceramic forms.

Both artists are consistently combining the elements that we would assume to be separate or to be contrary—as the definition of diametric indicates. Here, the connotations of the word (as something opposed) are overruled in the works of Dixon and Lisbin. Instead, their practices present how two seemingly challenging images or approaches can work in harmony together.

Currently living in Rosendale, NY, Ted Dixon’s paintings aim to connect place and time filtering both through moods and feelings that result in canvases with energetic shapes and striking colors. In this way, he explores the encounter between physical and meditative experiences. Dixon especially enjoys combining both line and circle within the same painting, such as in the “Love Talking” series. In understanding the tensions and harmonies between these works, the artist states that “the most pleasing and challenging are the best parts of a painting.” In this way, Dixon is able to craft multilayered compositions that delight the eye and fulfill the viewers yearning for complexity and intrigue Susan Lisbin is a Hudson Valley local with a home studio and a studio at the notable artspace Foreland located in Catskill. For her debut exhibition with SEFA, Lisbin presents multiple mediums including paintings on gessoboard and on canvas, as well as glazed ceramics. In Diametric Abstraction, her ceramics are incorporated into the flow of her paintings—based on shape and color. Many have dots or even legs, such as in Quirk. They become reminiscent of bodily or rhizomatic forms. At SEFA, her ceramics sit in the center of the room on pedestals. Posed on differently sized supports, they become compliments to the surrounding abstract paintings.

(Press release text by Liz Lorenz, Assistant Director)

Ted Dixon, born in New York City in 1953, has lived in the Hudson Valley since 1992 and since 2009 has lived in Rosendale, near Kingston. The artist attended Fordham University, the Fashion Institute of Technology and School of Visual Arts. He worked for over 25 years as a web designer, and in 2009 began devoting himself full time to his artistic practice. Dixon’s previous exhibitions have included Montgomery Row Art Space, Rhinebeck NY; Woodstock Artists Association & Museum, Woodstock NY; ADS Gallery, Newburgh NY; Arts Society of Kingston, Kingston NY; Gallery at the Rosendale Theatre, Rosendale NY and Albany Center Gallery, Albany NY. Diametric Abstraction is Dixon’s first exhibition at SEFA.

When working in the studio, I am trying to capture a moment in time that has a certain feeling and meaning. I have a particular interest in what enables and stimulates artistic expression. How do we learn to see what we cannot yet see? What are the things that influence our ability to perceive? My paintings can be described as abstract compositions influenced by personal experiences and efforts to capture moments in time.

As the second child of seven, my idea of less being less and more being more has always been relative. My work reflects the investment in the belief that less is more. And in today’s world of visual and verbal overload, I attempt to send the viewer on a journey of discovery and clarity across the painted surface. I hope the viewer experiences “abstract” sensations–finding quiet, serenity, restlessness or tension. My goal is to create images that speak to a point in time that someone will embrace, be moved by and cannot live without.

(Ted Dixon)

Susan Lisbin was born in 1948 in the Bronx and raised in New Jersey. She currently lives in Catskill, NY. She studied at the School of Fine and Applied Art at Boston University, at Ramapo College in New Jersey where she received a BA in painting and at Montclair State University where she received an MA in painting. Lisbin is a long-time local painter who started working in ceramics in 1981. She maintains studios in her home and in Foreland—a newly opened artist sanctuary in Catskill, where she can work with her kiln to create ceramics. Lisbin has previously shown at Carter Burden Gallery, New York, NY; Garrison Art Center, Garrison, NY; the Catherine Fosnot Gallery and Art Center, New London, CT; Gallery Paquette, Boonton, NJ; M13 Howard Scott Gallery, New York, NY; and others. She has been awarded residencies at the Horned Dorset Art Colony, Leonardsville, NY and the Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT. This is Lisbin’s first exhibition with SEFA.

Profoundly hard of hearing since age two, I have spent a lot of time silently observing others and my relationships to them. Discovering abstract expressionism freed me as a young adult and artist. My intuitive process helped develop my own artistic vocabulary. By exploring tension, sexuality, and humor in my art, I illustrate how people interact, flee from confinement, or stand their own ground. Each piece is a unique platform from which juxtapositions and identities can be discovered.

(Susan Lisbin)