Andrea Hersh untitled oils on canvas

The Artists

The show is comprised of 43 works in painting, sculpture, photography that show an array of styles connected through a high-level use of color, line, and conceptualization. Nearly a dozen of the works have never been previously displayed in public at all, with others having been included in shows outside of the region, but have not been viewed here.

Some of the artists have been included in other exhibits in the region, but the pieces shown in Take Notice! represent a departure from older works as the artist moves into a different phase.

Andrea Hersh. With the most works in the exhibit, the Albany resident for the first time in the region is showing a series of paintings, which at first glance, defy logic with their intense constructions of multifaceted shapes that merges the Renaissance era with surrealism of the 20th century along with hints of cubism.

Tomas Malave. This Albany native has five works rooted in Baroque and Classical portraiture, but which are thoroughly modern in their content and execution. A master draftsman with a keen eye towards detail brought out by the uncanny use of light and texture, Malave’s 6- by 4-foot portraits of Shane and Leuticha explode with anger, hope, despair and innocence. Shane won an Art in America magazine distinguished young artists award.

Robilee McIntyre. A resident of Troy years ago, McIntyre recently moved back to the Collar City from Asheville, NC, to open Art on Second Street in Troy. While she sells her unique found object sculptures in New York regularly, she constructed three works especially for her regional debut as a part of Take Notice! Her inspiration came from a book she recently read about politics in the context of good and evil. The works are fantastical angels and devils that spring across the floor propelled by fury and spirituality conveyed by intense hues and grotesque and beautiful angular bodies made of scrap metal, fabric and other found objects.

Steven Rolf Kroeger. A Midwestern native, Kroeger is finishing his MFA at SUNY’s University at Albany this spring. His sculptures have been displayed at some regional shows, but for Take Notice! he made two onsite installations that are classic examples of the use of everybody objects that function as art. In Neapolitan City, he constructed a miniature cityscape out of cookies using the elongations and contours of mass-produced food to mimic commonplace architectural styles in a thoroughly witty way. His Chictocopters turns the shape of fried chicken into helicopters cruising through the air as they head toward his edible city. Suspended from the ceiling by delicately placed strings and wire, the copters use pieces of stirring straw as rotoblades to complete the transition from dinner to art.

Colleen Quinn. Berkshire County Massachusetts resident Quinn unveils a series of colorful abstractions on paper using acrylics that trigger one’s imagination with their frenetic energy. Swirling use of line that verges on the chaotic, but remains steadfastly anchored with her clear-cut vision.

Ray Felix. Troy resident Felix’s photographs effortlessly transform reflections from buildings, people, and things into montages and collages that provide strong narratives with a sense of alienation. Although Felix isn’t breaking new ground with the technique and concept, his execution is flawless, and his vision pushes his work to the highest levels of the genre.