The Unveiling

August 11th marks the premier showing of the newest in Gabrielle Senza’s "Promise of Light" series of paintings at the Kasten Fine Art Gallery in Great Barrington, MA. On view for two days only, "The Promise of Light, X" will be featured August 11th and 12th, with a public reception on Saturday from 4 – 6pm.

The 6 x 10 foot oil painting was recently completed by the Berkshire based artist in her Great Barrington, Massachusetts studio. "Young trees reflecting in a crisp, calm pond are surrounded by a brilliant golden glow. The morning grove sits quietly just in front of a receding horizon of trees, behind which, the sun promises to warm its way through to a dazzling new day," writes Senza of the tenth painting in the series of landscapes.

The Promise of Light series was started in 2006, when Senza was commissioned to create a 4 x 12 foot painting of the Catskill Mountains for the Philmont, NY restaurant, Local 111. “The quality of light and its effect on the distant views inspired a whole new realm to explore,” states Senza. "Mountains, rivers and trees all became actors in the play that came to life on the canvas, offering inspiring new compositions."

Viewing hours for the painting are Saturday, August 11th 9am – 6pm and Sunday, August 12th 11am – 4pm. Call 413.528.3300 for more information. To see more work by Gabrielle Senza visit www.kastenfineart.com

Recently touted as "The Best Young Artist in the Berkshires Whose Paintings Are Selling for a Lot of Money" in Alan Chartock's "I Publius" Berkshire Eagle column, Gabrielle Senza, 39 was born in the southwest and raised in New Hampshire in a little town near Dartmouth College. "Although I started drawing when I was really little and was often praised for my ability, I was terrified to actually sign up for any real art classes." Senza continues, "I had a disastrous experience when I first decided to try painting. I only had watercolors at the time, and when I attempted to do what I'd just watched an oil painter do, I completely failed. It was about the most excruciating experience I ever had. I swore I'd never touch paint again! It's pretty ironic, isn't it?"

Senza spent her senior year of high school as an exchange student in Denmark. After graduation, she decided to travel through Europe and "jump into life" instead of going to college. She landed in the Berkshires in 1985 and rented her first studio at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts in Pittsfield. Within a couple of years, Senza had learned how to manipulate paint for decorative and trompe l'oeil purposes. It wasn't long before she ventured to find her own creative voice through paint. In 1991, at the age of 24 she had her first solo show in New York City at the OK Harris Gallery in SoHo and her professional career was launched.

Today, Gabrielle Senza is internationally recognized as an artist, educator, curator, and writer. She exhibits widely and has artwork in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum, Fidelity Investments, JP Morgan Chase, Paine Webber, Lifetime Entertainment, and in private collections around the world. Known as one of the country's preeminent environmental artists, Senza's work has toured cities in the notable "Toxic Landscapes" exhibition organized in 2001 by the Puffin Foundation. She has designed and taught art courses at Mass MoCA, Cooper Union and Simon's Rock College of Bard. She has been very active in community service and a pivotal figure in the artistic community, opening the first alternative contemporary art venue known as SPAZI Contemporary Art in 1989. In 1997 Senza took a year off to live in Rome Italy where she enjoyed a hiatus from her life and responsibilities in the Berkshires, and happened to meet Guido Baratta, the father of her eight year old son, Matteo Baratta-Senza. Gabrielle Senza is the founder and Executive Director of Red Collaborative, the creative public arts initiative that takes on important and often overlooked political and social issues both locally and nationally.

Limited Edition Print Release. Senza has plans to release a limited edition giclée print featuring one of the earlier paintings from the series, "The Promise of Light II". The prints will be available this month at Kasten Fine Art and online at www.gabriellesenza.blogspot.com. The artist is releasing the print in two sizes. A large print featuring a 20 x 40 inch image of the second painting in the series, in an edition of 20 prints, retailing for $2,500 each; and a smaller print, measuring 11 x 22 inches in an edition of 50, available for $1,000 each. Each print will be hand signed and numbered by the artist. Gabrielle Senza's collaborators on the project are photographer Gregory Cherin and master printer Fred Collins of Berkshire Digital. For more information, call 413.717.0031; email gsenza@mac.com; visit www.gabriellesenza.blogspot.com.