MICHAEL SAMPSON Contin u ed From Page 15
Working from — or indeed, with — dancers and other performers as well as traditional nude models, Sampson creates quick drawings meant to capture something of a direct presence. From these he edits and selects carefully, resulting in paintings that are clearly abstract but tied to their origins. Sampson is also in charge at The Gallery at South Hill, located in Artist Alley in the South Hill Business Campus. Their early summer exhibition features a selection of his oils on paper and canvas. Up through July 31, this is their second since resuming new shows this spring. His style is consistent, perhaps to a fault. Recalling stained glass, mosaics, or jigsaw puzzles, the “skeleton” of his paintings is an irregular net of thick black lines that divides his surfaces. Carefully shaped — almost sculpted — these borders have a stiffened, deliberate quality that appears at a remove from their origins in “gesture” drawing. In-between, he fills in areas of painterly but solidified, flattened color: Mondrian-esque primaries plus white; saturated greens, purples, pinks, and oranges; subdued evocations of flesh. It’s a lot to handle and one senses a struggle in even the best of these pieces. Lines in drawing and painting — particularly of a generally expressionistic or “painterly” sort — can have a double purpose. On one hand, lines can serve as contours, individuating separate forms— whether familiar objects and figures or, as prominently in Sampson’s work, abstract shapes. On the other hand, lines can take on a life of their own, pulling the gaze in knots and capturing movement and dynamism. Sampson’s black lines here have a static, contour quality. In an apparent effort to introduce — or reintroduce — a greater sense of fluidity, he goes over some of them in white or pale colored oil stick,
lending his borders a chalky, drawn over quality. As the artist writes in his statement, “I want the viewer to engage in the search for the figure.” In many pieces here, the figure is easy to spot — or at least it seems so. “Jana, Everson March, Seated,” an upright oil on paper piece mounted to hardboard, is typical of these less apparently abstract works. Limned in steady black lines — sometimes snaking, sometimes more angular — a distinctly feminine, perhaps maternal figure occupies what reads clearly as a background space. She leans down, leftward, embracing what one imagines to be an infant. Like Picasso or the more abstract works of Matisse (though distinct in style), Sampson teases a familiar iconography while engaging in a freeplay of lines and colors. “Gretchen,” a squarish canvas from Sampson’s “Handbalancer” series, pushes the overdrawing to an extreme. It’s a particularly vibrant piece. The black bones become conduits, rivers of oil stick white and intense, brushy saturated red. The whole thing has a scumbled, worked-over quality: writhing leaf-like facets of deep blue, chalky white, beige, cyan, pale pink, and yellow. I was hard pressed to find the intended figurative reference. But the whole piece twists and shouts. Regardless of the difficulties here, this is ambitious painting. It is good to see a local gallery with a strong commitment to exhibiting what serious local artists can do with the medium. Sampson’s show comes on the heels of an even more striking exhibition by Andrew Paine, a textural, visceral abstractionist. Upcoming features later this year include Sidney Piburn, rooted in mid-century formalism, and Jessica Warner, who has been performing a daring re-invention of still life.
The Gallery at South Hill Located in Artist’s Alley at 950 Danby Rd. in the South Hill Business Center. Gallery hours are Friday, 5-8 p.m. and Saturday, 3-7 p.m.
FESTIVALS Contin u ed From Page 14
who’s trained in crowd control of traffic management,” she said. Alderperson Donna Fleming said the costs of set-up and security should not be the burden of the city, but of the organizers. “We need to tell event organizers that they must be scaled back or not at all,” she said. “I’m not in favor of the city subsidizing these events by hiring security or the Department of Public Works to clean up. Event organizers have to build the expense into their plan.” Holcomb said event organizers often justify the cost to the city by the amount of money brought in by the festivals. “And I don’t want to ignore that,” she said. “They do stay in our hotels and frequent our restaurants and shop in our stores. In the long run the city sees that,
in the short-term the individual departmental budgets don’t benefit. So there’s a difficult disconnect.” Alderperson Rob Gearhart said he believes it hasn’t always been clear about what it takes to put on an event. “We could have common ground that just needs fixed costs,” he said. “Security is probably one of those things.” Holcomb said she needed to get this off her chest, and wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page. “It’s hard for staff when we’re trying to hold the line and others aren’t,” she said. “I’m happy to stand arm-in-arm with you and agree these are the rules and we’ll all abide by them, so when the difficult decisions need to be made we’re all on the same side.” -Ta n n e r H a r d i n g
OUTDOORS!
JULY 1-17 BUY TICKETS NOW!
Premier Performance Sponsor
Premier Sponsor
HangarTheatre.org • 607.273.ARTS 801 Taughannock Blvd in Cass Park
LOOKING FOR WORK?
WE ARE HIRING! WANT TO MAKEAAFull-Time DIFFERENCE? YOUTH CARE SPECIALIST position, working with adolescents in a residentialMEDICAID treatment 3 ½ days ½ Agency MANAGEDcenter. CARE LIAISON SUPERVISOR: The on, William3 George is a residential treatment center licensed by OCFS which has a 29I medical clinic on our campus. We are looking for a Medicaid Managed Care Supervisor to days off. This position focuses on relationshipoversee our contracts as well as the billing process with managed care organizations. Candidates should have proficiency in medical billing experience building, mentoring, and helping youth develop in a medical setting, with exceptional customer service skills. Prior supervisory experience is preferred. coping skills and build self-reliance. YOUTH CARE SPECIALIST: A Full-Time position, working with adolescents in a residential treatment center. 3 ½ days on, 3 ½ days off. This position focuses on relationship-building, mentoring, and helping youth build self-reliance and independence.
AWAKE OVERNIGHT COUNSELOR A Full-Time position, working with adolescents in a residential AWAKE OVERNIGHT COUNSELOR: A Full-Time position, working with adolescents in a residential treatment center. 5-day work week. This position treatment provides center. 5-day work week. This position overnight supervision of residents and general recordkeeping and reporting. provides overnight supervision of residents, CONNECTIONS COORDINATOR: The William George Agency is a residential relationship-building, mentoring, andandhelping youth treatment center, licensed by the Office of Children Family Services. We are looking for a CONNECTIONS Coordinator who has a dual role of performing a quality assurance function, as well as a training function for system users. develop coping skills and build self-reliance. CONNECTIONS is a web-based system which houses child welfare case information. We are looking for a candidate with a Human Services undergraduate degree and both child welfare and computer software skills.
$1500 BONUS AFTER 6 MONTHS OF EMPLOYMENT!
MEDICAL OFFICE ASSISTANT: A Part-Time position, working with adolescents in a residential treatment facility. Evening (4pm-12:30am) and overnight (12:30am9:00am) weekend shifts. Supports the daily operations of the medical clinic by assisting residents, documenting and filing pertinent medical information, documenting medical information in the CONNECTIONS medical tab, and assisting the Office Manager in general administrative duties.
Salary $33,280 F/T Minimum Overtime available Full time/Part time Flexible Hours
Benefits
SALARY Health/Dental/Vision $31,200.00 F/T Minimum Life Overtime available 401k Full time/Part time Personal/Sick Flexible Hours time Meals provided on duty BENEFITS
Health/Dental/Vision Vacation Life
401k Generous vacation Personal/Sick time package
Meals provided on duty
Requirements Valid NYS Driver’s VACATION Generous vacation License package Diploma/GED
REQUIREMENTS Valid NYS Driver’s License Diploma/GED
For complete job descriptions, or to fill out an online application, TO LEARN ABOUT THE AGENCY AND OUR OPEN POSITIONS, VISIT US Visit us online at: www.wgaforchildren.org/careerONLINE AT: opportunities or call 607-844-6460 WWW.WGAFORCHILDREN.ORG
The William George Agency OR CALL 607-844-6460
The William George Agency J u ne
3 0 –Ju ly
6 ,
20 2 1
/ Th e
I t h a c a T i m e s 17
