The Grenning Gallery is pleased to showcase the work of Adam Straus in the exhibition ONCOMING from March 17th through April 15, 2018. Straus is known for his majestic and luminous depictions of the landscape, which are often punctuated with the artist’s deep concern about social and environmental issues. He occasionally transports the viewer to post-apocalyptic worlds and often offers a sad observation on how humans are altering the environment. Straus has been represented by Nohra Haime Gallery in New York City, since 1990.
True to Grenning Gallery aesthetics, Straus is dedicated to a highly refined craft in his contemporary realist paintings, yet he overlays a deeply personal social commentary. Straus merges this with a modern experimentation inspiring a dialogue on political, environmental, and sociological issues. His recent “Old News” series is painted with skilled dexterity and mounted on newspapers, which is then archival-affixed onto canvas. This series was inspired by the 2016 presidential election.
In “Old News; Oncoming Storm, 2017,” Straus paints an arresting, realistic seascape upon an array of recent newspapers. Situated within oceanic open waters, a strong current of dark waves reflect the cheerless sky above. The image of the stormy sea becomes a metaphor for a feeling of impending tragedy.
“How we deal with our place in nature and our effect on the environment is the most important issue of our time,” Straus insists. By overlaying a colorful, wild garden onto the troubling headlines, Straus creates a sense of hope. In the darkest of days, his work tells us, the natural world will maintain its lively light.
Straus lives on the East End of Long Island. His work is in many private, public and corporate collections throughout the country.
(The Grenning Gallery is at 17 Washington Street in Sag Harbor, New York. For further information, check out: info@grenninggallery .com