Brian Rutenberg Exhibition at The Peter Marcelle Project

[caption id="attachment_53026" align="alignright" width="344"] “Spell” by Brian Gutenberg.[/caption]

The Peter Marcelle Project located at 4 North Main Street in Southampton host an exhibit of Brian Rutenberg’s work, “Scallop Pond, New Paintings.” The opening reception for the exhibit will be on Saturday, July 9 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Mr. Rutenberg is a South Carolina native who specializes in nature-based abstract painting. He gathered his inspiration from the landscapes of Pawley’s Island and Charleston, a unique locale where a river and lake merge with the ocean. More recently, he has found inspiration on the East End, and kayaking and exploring the Peconic coastline motivated this new collection.

“Long before I knew what an artist was, I’d scoop up fistfuls of marsh mud, splat them on the dock under the savage Carolina sun, and carefully arrange torn bits of colored paper across the muck, followed by another handful of mud… Everything I needed was under my feet. It took decades to recognize how much the directness and simplicity of those experiences taught me about the way a painting comes into being. Paintings aren’t created; they’re made. Oil paint is crushed rock mixed with liquefied fat and smeared on cloth. All of the content sits on the tip of the brush because there isn’t room there for anything else. Painting enacts place,” Mr. Rutenberg said.

Rutenberg’s exhibit will remain open from July 9 to July 17, and the gallery is open Thursday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Monday to Wednesday by appointment.