FEATURED ARTISTS

The Grenning Gallery is pleased to announce our Summer Group Show, showcasing the varied talents of Anthony Mastromatteo, Doug Reina, Steven Levin, and introducing Gene Johnson.  Please join us and meet the artist at the Opening Reception, Friday, August 8th from 6:00 to 7:30 pm at 26 Main Street, Sag Harbor, NY, 11963. The exhibition hangs through Sunday, August 24th, 2025.

While these artists have diverse interests and ways of expressing themselves, we find similarities in their use of color, form, and content. The Grenning Gallery’s Summer Group Show this year has a retro, mid century aesthetic that calls our attention to angularity, symmetry, balance, while also highlighting the subtle impact of color in paintings. These painters remind us that painting, while technique is interesting to behold… it is also a form of media that can be utilized by the artist to communicate sophisticated and abstract ideas. To put it simply; a picture is worth a thousand words. 

Anthony Mastromatteo’s (b. 1970, OH) thoughtful and hilarious trompe l’oiel paintings deliver dramatic pop art laced with political messages and philosophical questions. These paintings not only mesmerize us with his precise detail, but captivate our intellectual attention. Mastromatteo, cleverly, uses humor to disarm the viewer, making gentle suggestions that invite the viewer to investigate their own interpretation of the media he uses. Mastromatteo is a master of light, shadow, and realistic texture. Upon viewing these paintings, we see how they are truly a “trick of the eye”.  Viewers are often deceived, and look at these paintings from the side, hoping to find the paper’s edge coming off the surface, only to discover it is, in true trompe l'oeil fashion, completely 2-dimensional. 

In many paintings, Mastromatteo uses the iconic 1950’s DC comic cartoons as a vessel for his witty communication. The accessibility of the content Mastromatteo uses serves to draw in the unsuspecting viewer, and his unbelievable skill of representation holds their fascination long enough to stimulate questions: What does this mean?  What is he trying to say? The subtlety of this messaging is what keeps Mastromatteo’s work engaging and interesting. Many “pop” artists choose to put it all out of the table, relying on shock, provocation, or boldness to grab the viewer. Mastromatteo is more subtle than this… He leads with a playfulness; the element of fun and humor in his work makes these paintings attractive and stimulating. How deeply the viewer chooses to engage with the ideas he communicates is up to them; the longer one stands in front of one of these paintings, the more there is to see.

Steven Levin’s  (b. 1964, MN) paintings combine his impressive skill for realism with a flare for the surreal. Levin is part of a group of contemporary painters who choose to practice classical realist painting techniques, and as such, his grasp of realism informs his artistic choices. In other words, Levin knows the rules, and when he breaks them, we understand this is intentional. His unique compositions remind us of Rene Magritte in their whimsy, yet Edward Hopper in his ability to capture perfectly “American” moments. Levin also has the rare skill of recreating realistic and unique human dynamics through body language in his figurative works.  In “Balcony” he is capturing the nuances of what, on the surface, appears to be a snapshot of a mundane social interaction. With a keen eye, we observe the two figures, she, looking off towards the horizon, lost in thought, he, looking directly at her from above. Her arms are crossed to him, turned away, while he braces the railing behind him, hand in pocket, open to her. The subtle indicators of emotion and attitude in his paintings is not only the hand of a skilled painter, but the eye of an anthropologist. 

In this show, he reveals the newest of his ever popular Books and Butterflies series, the content itself a metaphor for the transformative influence of language and literature, a message in favor of education and refinement. Levin exhibits his talent and his well trained hand with these complex still lifes, and the scene is elevated by the strange liminal background, often a sunset and/or a water horizon.  We find several artists in this show rely on the horizon line to stabilize a more unconventional composition, especially in the work of new artist, Gene Johnson.

While the paintings are literally representational, often depicting exteriors of buildings, corners, or unique architecture, Doug Reina’s (b. 1959, NY) strategic flattening of shapes and emphasis of lines and angles guide these paintings into the realm of delightful abstraction. If the viewer steps back and unfocuses their eyes, ignoring Reina’s skillful details, what one will find is a sophisticated composition of shapes, light, and shadow, not unlike Richard Diebenkorn’s earlier work. Reina chooses subjects and scenes that display sharp, dramatic lighting, which cast dark shadows, creating triangles and lines that interact with the rich local color blocking around it. The artist uses our distinct East End architecture and deep rich palette as fodder for his large scale paintings.

Reina’s precision as a painter is what qualifies this work to be included in the Grenning Gallery - but it is Reina’s ability to capture the emotion of our local East End essence, in these large scale canvases, which is something we have rarely seen! Reina’s series hints at the influence of Edward Hopper’s paintings, which captured glimpses into other people's lives he passed by in bustling New York City.

The Grenning Gallery is pleased to introduce Gene Johnson (b. 1945, NJ), who has been painting and showing his work in NYC and Mexico for over 40 years. Johnson’s geometric abstractions investigate shape relationships, balance, and color. Johnson’s surfaces are tactile, uniform, and shift from shape to shape, giving the composition 3-dimensional distinctions that go beyond the lines of separation. Though they appear completely abstract, these compositions are influenced by Johnson’s lifetime of access to the Mexican mountainscape, and we consider them to toe the line between geometric abstraction and a Diebenkorn landscape.

These paintings often, if not always, contain a horizon line to ground the space, poetically referencing realistic shadow and light. Viewing these paintings through this context creates a generous image. They transcend the graphic 2-dimensional composition we initially see, and open into an illusion of a landscape. The tension between subtle representation of real space, and abstract distortion made by liberal color and texture, is what makes these paintings grab one’s attention. When standing in front of  Gene Johnson painting one steps forward, then steps backwards, and then one keeps coming back, reveling in the color and shapes. 

The Grenning Gallery is pleased to announce our 6th Annual Solo Show for Darius Yektai.  Please join us and meet the artist at the Opening Reception, Thursday, July 17th from 6:00 to 7:30 pm at 26 Main Street, Sag Harbor, NY, 11963. The exhibition hangs through Sunday, August 3rd, 2025.

Darius Yektai’s new body of work requires us to take a literal step back; These paintings are large and bold; colors synthesizing an abstract song about nature and emotion. The landscape plays the role of background, rooted in observational elements like branches, willow leaves, mountains, and horizon lines, combined with rich colors and gestural brushwork. Up close, we can investigate his decisions in the artistic process, but from afar, we recognize the prodigious skill of an abstract composer. 

Yektai returns to an iconic subject; He has reignited our passion for the water lily landscape, with these rich, moody, powerful paintings. In Pond, the resin Yektai uses is poured onto the canvas and does not reach the edges; instead, it pools in the center, demonstrating the dramatic effect that the resin has on these paintings. The color appears richer and darker, as if it’s been varnished over. In person, this painting displays the inviting juxtaposition of two surfaces the artist plays in: the wet appearance of reflective resin, and dry, flat linen canvas.

Darius Yektai is delivering unexpected compositions, engaging and sensual surfaces, and creating powerful color pairings. We experience these paintings twice; The first time, as an image, the second, as a tactile surface. Moreover, his paintings often transcend the 2-dimensional plane and lean towards the sculptural. The textures, patterns, and materials in these paintings add so many layers to this work that, even after seeing them a hundred times, we can still notice something new. The generous nature of these paintings is part of what makes collectors of Yektai’s work fall in love with them.

Many of these paintings combine still life and landscape in an exciting and unorthodox style that Yektai has been developing for over 30 years. His thick impasto brushwork facilitates a tension between representation and abstraction. Pink Hydrangeas in a Clay Vase is grounded by the still life in its center; While the table fashioned with canvas strips creates structure and weight, the top half demonstrates Yektai’s affinity for organized chaos, mimicking a shower of leaves, water, and branches, all while withholding the detail we’re looking for. As a result, these paintings captivate our curious gaze as we search for something to hold on to and imagine the movement behind each mark.

In several paintings, Yektai extends the image over the edge and onto the frame; literally coloring outside of the box. This method invites us to reconsider the role of framing; here he demonstrates that even when he’s painting a classical subject - a vase on a table - he won’t be bound by what is traditionally considered the visual container of his image.  This technique extends the image in a daring and physical way. 

Yektai’s unbounded creative process is breathing new life into these textbook subjects. He is prodding the viewer to question their ideas on what a still life is, what a landscape is… that these subjects can instead be tools that plunder your preconceptions instead of reinforcing them. 

In MilkyWay Stargazers, Yektai switches his gaze, from looking down onto bodies of water adorned with waterlilies and willow trees, to looking up at the vast, wide open night sky. Ironically, the artist chose white pebbles to convey the shimmering galactic trail of the Milky Way. Tiny stones that are usually situated on the ground to be stepped upon are instead thrown into the sky. Forms of shooting stars and ambiguous constellations are depicted through cutouts in the base of the “canvas,” which in this case, is cardboard. Two silhouettes stand before the composition, gazing straight ahead at the sky above them. The resin poured atop the cardboard darkens the composition to a rich brown - reflecting the setting of the painting’s environs, including any viewer that comes to greet the painting. 

WhiIe we appreciate Yektai’s naturalist impulse to create landscapes and still life paintings that are inspired by his direct observation, we admire his creative risk-taking even more. Many artists are attracted to finding a lane, where they find their paintings garnering the most success, where the sales are most lucrative, and then stay there.  Darius Yektai, however, finds his path by following his own creative curiosity and dives deeper into that path, regardless of the viewers’ response to the work.  He bravely keeps searching, painting, and collaging with new and found materials as he explores any creative lead. He is game to accept the challenges that come up in his intellectually open and flowing process. As a result, a visit to his studio is always packed with surprises, even for us, who visit every few weeks!

The Grenning Gallery is pleased to announce our Annual Solo Show for Hunt Slonem!  Please join us and meet the artist at the Opening Reception, Thursday, June 19th from 6:00 to 7:30 pm at 26 Main Street, Sag Harbor, NY, 11963. 

The exhibition hangs through Sunday, July 13th, 2025. There will be a Closing Party on July 12, from 5:00 to 7:00pm. The Grenning Gallery will have Slonem works on display and available for viewing all year round.

The Grenning Gallery was founded to represent painters with a naturalist impulse.  Hunt Slonem despite his distinct style with bold colors and thick brushwork, is no exception. Slonem’s work stands out to us for its spiritual inspiration and steadfast aesthetic. His work is not only grounded in a deep respect and awe of nature, but the man himself is a deeply spiritual person; His artwork is an expression of the life he leads. Slonem nurtures a mystical connection with all that he loves, thus his process of art-making is a ritual in and of itself.

In this year’s show, we have selected a series of wide ranging subjects, yet they are linked by their sensitivity to color and light. His paintings, while they appear simple in subject, are charged with the artist’ joy, love, and pure fascination. The result of this artistic process is paintings that infuse a room with vibrant, positive energy.

In Slonem’s larger works, the populated space of his paintings is both maximalist and minimalist. His iconic repetition birds,  bunnies, and butterflies, often transcends ordinary subjects and transforms into a mesmerizing pattern. By filling a canvas with the same subject in this repetitious way, Slonem’s paintings become a mantra – quieting the senses, captivating the viewer with rich flora and fauna. These paintings are puzzles we can’t help but try to figure out. This approach to his subjects, combined with his many processes of handling the paint, results in truly hypnotic compositions, both aesthetically pleasing and critically engaging.

Hunt Slonem remains nature’s devotee when it comes to the subjects of his paintings. His loyalty to his birds, bunnies, and butterflies give us insight into the mind of the artist, his message, and his process. Playful, joyous, even childlike on the surface, these paintings are warm and welcoming. However, when we look closely and consider why he chooses these animals, we find a profound underpinning to his work. 

The rabbit is a timeless symbol of purity, innocence, and vulnerability. The bird represents freedom and hope, and the butterfly, of course, symbolizes transformation and rebirth. These symbols are so pure they need not be tainted nor obscured; His pop-art adjacent style showcases this message with concise clarity. Such simplicity evokes a natural, instinctual skepticism from viewers, effectively grasping our attention with its boldness. A simple realist painting of a rabbit may not hold the contemporary viewer for very long, but Hunt Slonem’s work is challenging the modern instinct to overlook the natural environment. Instead, he invites us to look deeper.

 During his time studying abroad in tropical climates such as Mexico and Nicaragua, he recalls a single moment when he was in a jungle surrounded by butterflies;

“…Each more iridescent and gorgeous than the next. The memory stayed with me for my whole life, and I just painted them over and over again…Hardly a day goes by that I don’t reference this experience.” explained Slonem.

Hunt Slonem’s dedication to recalling and representing the energy of these experiences is what makes his work so enchanting. Laura Grenning, the founder of Grenning Gallery, has always had an animist understanding of all paintings, since the inception of the gallery in 1998. Grenning believes that the viewer’s feelings when looking at a painting are akin to the feelings that the painter had when they were creating it. In the context of Hunt Slonem, we recognize the pure joy and connection that he channels during his creative process, and that by returning to these familiar subjects, he is also returning to those profound memories of his youth. Slonem’s spirituality is imbued into each of his paintings, and in kind, these paintings reward the viewer in unexpected and deeply moving ways.

This explains why many collectors of Slonem’s paintings often come back for more after buying just one small bunny. Demand for his work remains strong after over 40 years of showing. Slonem’s paintings can be found in over 250 museums around the world, and he is represented in over 80 galleries globally. The unapologetic and infectious joy from these paintings is something we just can’t take our eyes off of.