We are two artists who have lived in New York for the last 11 years and recently moved to continue our studio practices in Kingston. Both graduates of Minneapolis College of Art and Design each actively exhibits their own paintings and are included in many private and public collections throughout the country.

Aaron Hauck:
My most recent work is a direct reflection of my surroundings. I work and walk around New York City on a daily basis. I would like to convey the enormity and solemnity of the buildings and the city as a whole. I have always drawn and painted cathedral and church interiors and the experience of walking around NYC has a similar effect. It gives one the feeling of insignificance. It is also a dirty, filthy, beautiful place. The city works as a giant sundial. The morning and evening sunlight is directed by the architecture. These light and dark areas and quiet moments in a massively populated city hopefully are conveyed to the viewer.

Samantha French:
My current body of work is focused on swimmers underwater and above. Using vague yet consuming memories from my childhood summers spent immersed in the tepid lakes of northern Minnesota, I attempt to recreate the quiet tranquility of water and nature; of days spent sinking and floating, still and peaceful. These paintings are a link to my home and continual search for the feeling of the sun on my face and warm summer days at the lake. They are an escape, a subtle reprieve from the day-to-day. Using this combination of memory, observation and my own underwater photography has allowed me to preserve the transitory qualities of water and remembrance.

www.samanthafrench.com

www.instagram.com/aj_hauck

www.ahauck.com