The lovely little Nikki Sedacca Gallery in Nevin Square is arguably one of the most inviting spaces in Edgartown. The light-filled gallery with fresh white walls, blond wood floors, and picture windows on both the street-front and courtyard-facing walls has the perfect relaxed feel, especially when there’s a gentle cross breeze wafting through the open doors. Appropriately, then, the gallery’s current show, “Earthly Light,” features a variety of paintings that all have a soothing and meditative quality.
“When you take the time to look at the show as a whole, it captures a feeling of light and calming,” says gallery director Molly Lindberg. “This show has to do with color. It really balances the room, with the colors working off each other.”
Each of the eight artists featured certainly relies on color for atmospheric impact. The most prominent piece in the gallery is a large diptych called “Higher Perspective I & II” by Linda Richichi. The companion paintings were inspired by an aerial view of a Vineyard marsh heading out toward the ocean. Done in part with a palette knife, the paintings show a lot of texture and motion, and a single white brushstroke perfectly imparts some gentle light to the scene.
Ms. Richichi is the artist in residence at Nikki Sedacca’s other gallery, 530 Burns Gallery in Sarasota, Fla. In 2012 she was named the “best intuitive artist” by the New York Times’ about.com.
A number of Ms. Richichi’s smaller, more figurative works in oil are also part of the show. She generally chooses boats and beachgoers as her subject for these little freestanding or hanging pieces that are set off nicely by a floating-frame style of mounting.
Abstract landscape artist Arleen Joseph brings some lively bursts of color — yellows, blues, and greens, and even a few spots of vibrant red — to the exhibit. A former successful fashion designer, Ms. Joseph has clearly applied her eye for color, proportion, and texture to her oil painting.
There’s something very romantic about the native New Yorker’s work. The paintings have a Monet quality, though the images are pared down even further to their essential colors and rudimentary form. One piece is clearly a seascape, but the scene is pictured as if from a dream or a cherished memory. Another small painting puts one in mind of a serene pond, with some bright leaves or flowers reflected in the water. According to her artist statement, “Mood and feeling are more important than literal reference to natural landscapes.”
Mixed-media artist Joan Kunkel’s figurative work “Break Dance” juxtaposes an image of a dancer painted on mesh with a panel of aluminum — giving a somewhat urban feel to the work. The piece is bright, fresh, and innovative, and her use of various textural media works well with the gallery’s other offerings, like Tim Miller’s brightly colored handblown glass “Wall Blossom” sculptures. The blues and yellows of these three-dimensional pieces — and their resemblance to flowers or other natural forms — make them blend perfectly with the other work on the walls.
The mesh theme of Ms. Kunkel’s mixed-media piece is reflected in the work of jeweler Alice Butunoi and her crocheted fine wire jewelry. Her crocheted fine wire necklaces and earrings from the collection La Vie Boheme display the perfect sort of yin-yang, delicate yet edgy combination.
The Nikki Sedacca Gallery is known equally for fine art and artisan-created jewelry. Ms. Sedacca herself is a jeweler who has shown her work on the Vineyard for more than 30 years — the past four at her own gallery, which was established in 2014. For her latest collection, the gallerist and artist has created a series featuring a single silver or gold thick wire twisted into a sculptural design. With their gentle curves and almost organic feel, Ms. Sedacca’s latest series of bracelets and rings are another example — like the paintings on exhibit — of the beauty of simplicity.
Whether you’re looking for original art, one-of-a-kind jewelry, or just a little break from the hustle and bustle of downtown Edgartown, stop by the Nikki Sedacca Gallery and enjoy a literal and figurative breath of fresh air. “I like to think of the gallery as a pearl,” says Ms. Lindberg. “Both in that we’re a hidden gem and also — like our collection — every pearl is unique.”
This article originally appeared at mvtimes.com.
