Insight Sunday With Peter Solow

The Church will host its final Insight Sunday of the year with artist and educator Peter Solow on Sunday, December 14 at noon.

Solow, an acclaimed visual artist known for his work in oil painting and drawing, will lead an in-depth discussion of his piece “Piazza Signoria,” which is included in “Here & There: The First Churchennial.” “Piazza Signoria,” part of Solow’s larger series “A Field Guide to Florence,” is among the largest works in the exhibition. The program will explore Solow’s belief that “the act and process of drawing [is] a creative, transformative experience,” an idea central to his artistic practice. The conversation will conclude with an audience Q&A.

Born in 1952 in New York City and raised in Manlius, New York, Solow earned a BFA from Cooper Union and a master’s degree in art education from Goddard College. His formative studies with noted artists and scholars — including Dore Ashton, Nick Marsicano, Stephen Posen, Wolf Kahn, Paul Resika, Jack Whitten and others — introduced him to a broad world of artistic ideas that continue to inform his practice.

Following his studies, Solow spent several years in New York City making art, working odd jobs and exhibiting his work nationally. A pivotal trip to Italy in 1984 — especially his first experience of Florence and its Renaissance art — proved transformative. He has returned many times, including an extended stay with his family in 1992.

Solow moved to Sag Harbor in 1990, where he continues to live and work. He is known primarily for his paintings and drawings but has recently expanded into mixed-media composites that integrate painting, drawing, photography and digital technology. His subjects range from New York City streets to the landscapes of central New York and the East End, as well as the piazzas of Italy. His work reflects influences as varied as Giacometti, Manet, Rembrandt, Hopper, Stieglitz and the poetry of Walt Whitman.

In addition to his artistic career, Solow has taught extensively in both the visual arts and academic subjects — including in the International Baccalaureate program — and is the former coordinator of the Donald Reutershan Education Trust supporting visual arts and architecture education.

“Here & There: The First Churchennial” is on view Thursday through Monday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Church is at 48 Madison Street in Sag Harbor.