Entering the center gallery, the terrace door frames one of the oldest trees on Wave Hill’s grounds, Quercus rubra or red oak. It is one of nine different oak species that inspired Ilene Sunshine’s wall drawing. In the fall, she collected leaves from the many oaks found at Wave Hill: Quercus rubra (red oak), Q. alba (white oak), Q. falcata var. pagodifolia (cherrybark red oak), Q. coccinea (scarlet oak), Q. robur (English oak), Q. lyrata (overcup oak), Q. macrocarpa (mossy-cup oak), Q. cerris (Turkey oak), and Q. muhlenbergii (chinquapin oak). Using the leaves as stencils, she began with several studies in her studio then worked on site in January and February. Viewing the red oak daily, observing the changing light, as well as the snow and ice floating on the river, all deeply influenced the outcome of her work. She used the time to experiment with color, form, and pattern, and to explore the tension between the view from the window and the gallery wall. The reductive concept of the final wall drawing underscores the range of leaf shapes found in the prolific oak family as their unique white contours penetrate rows of dark horizontal lines. The leaf edges almost become calligraphy, suggesting a penmanship primer. The work echoes the movement of the Hudson River and the experience of it will change greatly as the leaves appear on the trees in late April and early May.

The interface between nature and culture is a recurring theme in Ilene Sunshine’s work, and actual leaves or branches are often used as primary materials. This fall she created two new installations for the New York Public Library’s mid-Manhattan branch, and she has an upcoming solo exhibition at Kentler International Drawing Space, Brooklyn, NY. Her work has been featured in solo shows at the Hunterdon Museum of Art, Clinton, NJ, and Metaphor Contemporary Art’s project room, Brooklyn, NY. Recent group exhibitions include Art on Paper 2008, the Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC; Projects ’07, the Carriage House, Islip Art Museum, East Islip, NY; and La Biennale de Betcave-Aguin, Gers, France. She earned her BFA from Boston University.

More information is available at: http://www.ilenesunshine.com/