Solo exhibition of Elgin's work to open at Schick Art Gallery

The Schick Art Gallery at Skidmore will present a solo exhibition of paintings and drawings by Jeffrey Elgin, professor emeritus of studio art at the college. Titled “Jeffrey Elgin:  Thus Passed Some Days—20 Years upon an Overgrown Path,” the exhibition is scheduled from March 26 to April 26. An opening reception is scheduled from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. March 26 in the gallery, and an artist’s talk is planned at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 9, also in the gallery. Admission is free and open to the public.

An accomplished artist who has exhibited his work extensively and maintains a 50-year practice of daily drawing, Elgin taught at Skidmore College from 1968 to 1998. He was a beloved professor known for his combination of rigorous work ethic with a calm and supportive manner, and for fostering a passion for drawing among his students. Elgin continues to subject himself to the same high standards as his students, writing, “I am a student of painting and drawing. To be a student is a privilege. To be a student means remaining open, continually seeking, always questioning, embracing risk, and forever entering the unknown….In other words, your reach should exceed your grasp.”

Elgin’s abstract paintings and drawings involve a deep and sustained engagement with the working process itself, and are informed by a range of issues and experiences. One frequent source of inspiration is nature. “Nature is the touchstone for my imagination. …My studio is filled with small natural objects; these often serve as instigators for my work. It is not the things themselves that interest me, but the sensations and transformations they excite,” the artist notes. Elgin has devoted his full energy to drawing and painting since his retirement. Many works in the exhibition are current, and all were completed within the past 20 years.

Schick Gallery Director Paul Sattler will join the conversation with Elgin at 4 p.m. April 9 in the gallery.

Elgin received B.S. and M.F.A. degrees from the University of Cincinnati in Ohio.  His works are held in numerous public collections, including the Dayton Museum of Art and the Albany Institute of History and Art. He has participated in 29 one-person exhibitions and more than 100 group exhibitions, including The Abstract Tradition, an invitational exhibit of eight painters at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute; and American Drawings II, a Smithsonian Museum traveling exhibition. Over the years he has been awarded two New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowships and 25 awards in various juried exhibitions.

All Schick Gallery events are free and open to the public. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays, and from noon to 4 p.m. weekends.  For more information, please visit the gallery website at www.skidmore.edu/schick.