Nautical Wheeler: New Works by Monica Church at Gallery40

Nautical Wheeler opens on Saturday, December 6, from 5-7 PM at Gallery 40 in the city of Poughkeepsie, New York. This seven work exhibition by Monica Church will be on view through January 4, 2026. Gallery40 is located at 40 Canon Street, Poughkeepsie NY.

Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9AM—4PM & Saturday-Sunday 9AM—7PM or by appointment.

In her artist statement, Church says,

I began to work with sea worn sails because they come to the studio with an imbibed history and presence. They do not disappear into a painting’s illusionism, but create a surface that is present. I like seeing though the sail surface and covering other areas with paint. I respond to their inner architecture made of imbedded Kevlar, polyester, graphite and carbon fiber lines which provide a built in system that incorporates transparency. I add color and shape allowing a dimensional painted space to unfurl.

I am thinking about how we move through space, both in our cars and on boats and planes. How does one’s perception change driving across the country vs flying over the ocean verses sailing on the ocean? Sails are designed to catch the wind and their primary purpose is to move a boat from one place to another. I have sailed on the Hudson River, the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Oceans.  I consider how the original purpose and structure of a sail affects and contributes to the final painted image and how it sometimes is merely a departure point.