The Summer of ’24 - Figures and Places
by Neil Korpinen
Opening Reception: Friday, June 27 from 5 - 7 PM
On Exhibit through July 7
The Commons
46 Bradford Street, Provincetown
At the end of last summer I began a group of paintings that seemed tinged with nostalgia. In this current era of chaos and disbelief the theme has taken on an additional meaning. Though the setting is at the beach the subdued palette lends a tonal, atmospheric quality to the landscape. Lone figures are mostly looking away, remembering the good carefree times of the past summer and perhaps years gone by. The Summer of ’42 movie is a good coming of age story but The Summer of ’24 is about looking back.
End of Season, o/c, 40” x 30”
A second group of paintings includes portraits of friends in a studio setting, each done over the course of several sittings. The models, though sometimes nude, are not objects of fantasy or desire, just real people posing in a real studio, projecting friendship even while enduring the boredom that often comes with modeling. Thank you my friends!
BFF, o/c, 36” x 36”
The third group of paintings continues the theme of Figure in Place, though now the setting is a swimming pool. Whenever a picture shows a pool with swimmer the mind naturally goes right to a certain celebrated artist so these paintings can be considered an homage to David Hockney. When my friend Michael Childers, who is in turn friends with Hockney, saw my paintings he insisted on taking my portrait for this show, recreating the poolside scene with the models. Thank you Michael for the fabulous photograph!
Michael Childers photograph
Neil Korpinen has enjoyed a long career as an artist and interior designer. A RISD grad, he hails from nearby South Carver where his family has grown cranberries for 100 years (and he claims to have been coming to Provincetown for about that long). Neil has studied painting and drawing locally at FAWC, PAAM, The Hawthorne Barn and Castle Hill.
Eight years ago Neil and husband Rick Erickson restored an antique home in Provincetown. They split their time between here and Palm Springs.