Abstract Painter Seeks to Bring Calm to Art Lovers at Cold Spring Exhibit
By Lindsay Marr
The whole world is busy, always on to the next thing. We are constantly moving, hardly paying attention to the present. But not Eleanor Rahim.
Rahim, an abstract painter, focuses on the simplicities of life through texture and shape. She has found beauty in the most unexpected places.
Starting this Friday, a collection of Rahim’s paintings on wood panel, canvas and aluminum will be part of a two-weekend exhibition called “Fluid State” at 44MAIN, a pop-up space in downtown Cold Spring. The exhibit continues this weekend through Sunday and returns Friday, May 28 through Memorial Day.
Rahim said she wants her paintings to “provoke feelings and memories of the Earth and nature, perhaps they can be a subtle reminder of its fragility and how maybe we can protect it in some small way.”
The London-born artist, who arrived in New York in 2007, has always been inspired by the ocean because of her deep appreciation for the Earth and consequences of climate change, which has helped influence her work and the upcoming exhibit. The planet is about 70 percent water, in a constant fluid state, she said.
Fluidity can have a number of meanings, but Rahim hopes those who view her work find her paintings to be a calming influence in their lives.
It’s the “ability to fluidly change gears – and keep moving forward – exploring different themes and techniques,” said Rahim, a Manhattan resident with a studio in Long Island City, Queens.
Rahim has been drawing or painting since she was a young child. She started drawing on microscope slides as her father worked in a hospital’s Histology Department. Later, Rahim’s drawings were no longer just microscope slides, it was art.
Those images and patterns have stuck with her ever since, and what is now presented in her new exhibit are the colors of the ocean, patterns on rugged rocks, satellite images of the Earth and microscopic anatomy.
Rahim said she has been working alongside Rachel Goldsmith, an artist with a similar vision of fluidity. They met through a multigenerational art group called Spliced Connector. The two instantly became kindred spirits. Goldsmith’s work complements Rahim’s by drawing inspiration from the same places – peeling paint, the ocean, rock strata and other pieces of her environment.
The tension between the elements is what guides Rahim through her art. Our bodies and minds are always changing, flowing through emotions and feelings, constantly adapting, she said. Her goal is to bring a peace of mind through her artwork.
The exhibit at 44MAIN, located at 44 Main St. in Cold Spring, will be open to the public 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both weekends. For more information, visit www.44main.net or www.eleanorrahim.com.
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