Chalk it up to one of those lazy Saturday’s when most of the galleries in Chelsea had shut down for the summer. Not much was open. And what was, for the most part wasn’t worth seeing. Opting to give it one more try, we walked down 26th Street. Again, not much open. Heading east, the Claire Oliver Gallery seemed our only option. We were drawn in by Gosha Ostretsov’s homage to John Romita, spun on its head as a political statement in “Action Packed Super Heroes II.” Seeing steps that led downstairs, we wandered, and then stopped abruptly. Sitting on the floor, not hung, but leaning against the wall, were a series of what at first appeared to be collages. All of the pieces featured strange, absurd characters, some beautiful, some grotesque that made up an unknown mythology. The colors were almost alien, faded in a strange technique. It was only by crouching down, peering closer, that we realized the pieces had layers – drawings, bits of loose debris — separated by what we would soon learn was encaustic. Then someone behind us said, “Aren’t they great?” We agreed. We asked who the artist was. The owner of the gallery said, “Oh, that’s Lori Field, do you know her work?” We didn’t. She then said, “These are for her new show that opens in September; she just dropped them off and I haven’t done anything with them yet.” Thus, we were lucky enough to get a private sneak peek at Lori Field’s work.

The artist has an interesting technique. She starts with colored pencil drawings on rice paper, creating characters and creatures. She then starts layering them, using encaustic and other materials — lace, bees wax, whatever suits her fancy. The end result are pieces that have depth that you normally don’t find in paintings. Things can be out of focus, or objects can drift over the characters, as if floating by. Each time your eye returned to a certain spot you saw things a little different — a figure that at first seemed beautiful was now grotesque (and vice versa).

Having been hooked, I dug a little and found the author’s Flickr profile, which features photos of some of the pieces we saw that day. You can view a slideshow below. But digital images don’t match the effect of seeing the pieces in person. If you’re a New Yorker, here are the details on her upcoming exhibition.

‘The Sky is Falling’
September 9 – October 7, 2010
opening reception September 9th, 6-8pm
Claire Oliver Gallery
513 W. 26th St.
NYC, NY