Tracy Helgeson, Richard Britell, Paul Abrams & Carrie Waldman
Reception: Saturday May 31 from 6 to 8pm
May 29, 2008 through June 29, 2008

Carrie Haddad Gallery is pleased to announce a summer exhibition featuring the work of four representational paintings; Paul Abrams, Richard Britell, Tracy Helgeson and Carrie Waldman.
Paul Abrams of Kingston, NY, paints dark and dreamy landscapes with predominantly turbulent skies. His subject is the Hudson River, but his inspiration seems to come from Constable and Turner. Abrams states, “I am dedicated to creating works of an intriguing and compelling nature, striving for images of beauty and mystery. My paintings seek to invoke an appreciation of life's splendor and enigmatic quality."
Richard Britell, a career painter, studied at Pratt Institute with Philip Pearlstein, and Walter Erlebacher. His first show in NYC at Staempfli Gallery, was sold out, and reviewed in the New York Times. Britell’s new works revolve around large, dreamy cityscapes tending toward abstraction. The artist currently lives in Pittsfield, MA.
Tracy Helgeson was born in Minnesota, in 1964. She attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 1983, majoring in Graphic Design. She also attended the Philadelphia College of Art (now the University of the Arts) where she studied illustration. Philadelphia was a great influence on Helgeson and it was there that her work began to develop a style that combined dark and colorful under painting along with surface glazing techniques that distinguish her work today.
In 1988, she worked as graphic designer and also as a freelance illustrator. After living in Connecticut for two years, Helgeson and her husband moved to Utah and there she decided to be a stay at home mom to their family which would soon include four children. In 1998, Helgeson became involved in art again by serving as the Visual Arts Director and then as President of the Board of Directors at the Alliance for the Varied Arts in Logan, UT. She began painting and drawing again and was soon participating in several local art shows. In 2003, Helgeson and her family moved to upstate New York. With the children in school, she has finally been able to devote more time and energy to her personal work. Tracy Helgeson began painting landscapes, greatly inspired by the natural beauty surrounding the farmhouse she lives and works in.
Carrie Waldman who divides her time between New York City and Hudson, New York, is known for her intense floral and foliage paintings in which flowers are at once ultra-realistic and fantastical. Working in egg tempera, Waldman places her audience in the dirt with an insect’s view of nature’s wonder towering above. In this exhibit, Waldman will create an installation in the gallery’s back room that will highlight the juxtaposition between the different worlds her paintings inhabit.
A reception for the artists will take place on Saturday, May 31st from 6pm - 8pm. All are welcome to attend. Carrie Haddad Gallery is located at 622 Warren Street in Hudson, NY. Hours are 11-5 daily, closed Wednesdays.