The “Late Winter Exhibit” is the PS Gallery’s first exhibition of the year, and showcases the work of four artists whose mediums of choice vary from gouache to needlework, yet share a unified forceful voice, vision and impact. The exhibit debuted Feb. 6 as part of the North Village Arts District’s First Fridays event, which simultaneously hosted the display of the MU Thompson Center’s Art for Autism original artworks by kids in the program.
“The ‘Late Winter Exhibit’ reception was a wonderful event that drew in huge crowds,” says Katie Rapp, the gallery’s marketing director.
The exhibit, which runs until March 28, holds over 40 pieces by artists Ahzad Bogosian, Stephanie Clark, Laura Lloyd and Joel Sager in an assortment of mediums — oil on canvas, ceramic sculpture, needle work and gouache on paper — so there’s sure to be something for everyone.
“(The exhibit is) kind of hard to describe,” gallery designer Jonny Pez says. “Each artist brings something different.”
The exhibit features a diverse mix of pieces, like “Mini Minotaur” by Laura Lloyd, which brings to life a charming half-man, half-bull dressed in what appears to be a bouquet of blue King’s Mantle blooms.
“You have these goofy caricatures that are funny and whimsical and dark,” says Pez, elaborating on Lloyd’s sculptures.
The needlework by Clark might cause patrons to do a double take; a hybrid of sketches and thread give the illusion of paint on canvas. And Bogosian’s oils on canvas range in size as well as the time of day each depicts, all embodying dusky romantic memories. Sager’s watercolors portray moody, almost otherworldly, deconstructions of landscapes with stark white trees encased in stark white frames to match. Yet the pieces aren’t altogether dark; they have sprigs of promise and vitality.
“My new series is simply a change in media to watercolor and gouache from my typical mixed media of collage, wax, and oil paint,” Sager says. Although there is a continuum in the mood, the “hazy and atmospheric landscapes just felt like they should be portrayed with a softer and more organic medium such as watercolor.”
When asked what sets the PS Gallery apart from other galleries in Columbia, Rapp credits the gallery’s welcoming atmosphere.
“We are a fine art gallery that is welcoming to all, something fairly rare in the art industry,” she says.
The gallery, with its rustic wooden floors, exposed structural beams and open space allows visitors to be instantly immersed in all manner of art, from the whimsical and eccentric, to the moody and haunting, as well as the delicately detailed and familiar.
Sager, the gallery’s residing artist, owner and director, reveals the origin story of the PS Gallery, one of Columbia’s gems. Named after the original creators of the space, Perlow and Stevens, Sager opted to keep the name.
“I decided to keep that as both an homage to the founders, but (I) also liked the idea of p.s., as in ‘post script,’” he says via email. “Art is something beyond words.”
The gallery, located in the heart of Columbia’s North Village Arts District on Walnut Street, displays six exhibits yearly, each titled by the season. The gallery’s philosophy is “art should be inclusive, not exclusive,” and this ideology is evident as patrons walk in the front door. A warm atmosphere and inspiring, unintimidating art greets all guests.
“My hope is to break down the barriers between gallery snobbery and the visitor,” Sager says.
If you happen to visit the PS Gallery during the daytime, you’ll find serenity to accompany your browsing. But if you attend during the evening at the exhibit receptions or First Fridays, you’ll have quite the opposite experience.
The gallery undergoes a transformation “not unlike a speakeasy from the ’20s with drinks flowing and consequently spilling, eccentric visitors and upbeat music keeping everyone in rhythm,” Sager says. “The gallery is an enigma.”
In summer 2014, PS Gallery featured Lindsay Bottos and her viral “Anonymous” series. The gallery’s inclusive mantra allows them to serve as a safe haven for artists of all stripes from all over.
“I am constantly exposed to incredible art in a myriad of mediums,” Rapp says. “No two people experience a piece in the same way.”
As for what the future holds for PS Gallery, Pez teases, “a lot of change lies ahead. Our shows are almost fully booked for the year.”
The gallery’s staff all share an undeniable passion and love for what they do and as a result the community of Columbia benefits from for the exposure to unique fine art.
