Hayden's Ferry Review

off season: a summer art issue

off season

Off Season is a collection of visual art inspired by summer—not by the usual tropes of sun and sand, or of a favorite vacation destination, but by the idea of summer, a place our minds like to visit. Durga Chew-Bose writes: “Imagine if our foreheads had porches jutting out of them? Maybe our brains would experience some reprieve.” Amidst the ongoingness, summer can be just that, a porch for our tired minds. These paintings, photographs, and collages evoke this for us: a luxurious place for possibility—a raw chicken glistens, a bird dials a friend, plums stand in for friendly faces. Teeth mimic the ocean floor. There’s a sense of both newness and nostalgia here, pops of color and black and white, because what is this summer without the summers before? Sylvia Plath refers to late summer in her journals as “the odd uneven time.” We’re here to embrace it.

Select the image to view the work in more detail, including the artist’s statement and bio.

"Two Poussins" by Maureen O'Leary. Painting of two raw chickens sitting on a tray on a stove.

"Two Poussins" by Maureen O'Leary

From "Future Ancestors” by Anne McGrath.Collage. Black and white image of men in suits and hats waiting in a line. Two women dressed in painted and colorful dresses walk by them, against the flow of the line.

From "Future Ancestors” by Anne McGrath

Collage. Black and white photo of middle-aged couple against trees in the background. Collage elements of columns and ruins framing the couple.

From "Fragments of Diaspora" by Anthoula Lelekidis

“Spoon” by Brooke Schifano. Black and white hand holding a tablespoon of orange and pink roses.

“Spoon” by Brooke Schifano

“Bird Calls” by Karen Boissonneault-Gauthier. Image of a bird with wavy feathers placing a phone call.

“Bird Calls” by Karen Boissonneault-Gauthier

“Armful” by Brook Schifano. Collage of an arm holding pieces of hands and a pea pod.

“Armful” by Brook Schifano

“Plum Scouts” by Despi Boutris. Collage. Black and white photograph of three Girl Scouts holding hands and walking. Colorful plums covering their faces.

“Plum Scouts” by Despy Boutris

“Tamale” by Brooke Schifano. Collage of a vintage photograph of a woman wrapped inside a tamale by a single hand.

“Tamale” by Brooke Schifano

Collage. Black and white photos with added painted elements. Woman in hat standing by boat near water.

From “Future Ancestors” by Anne McGrath

From “Future Ancestors” by Anne McGrath. Collage of a small white house against a large landscape and grey sky.

From “Future Ancestors” by Anne McGrath

“Tooth Ache” by Karen Boissonneault-Gauthier. Photograph of teeth in a dream-like setting.

“Tooth Ache” by Karen Boissonneault-Gauthier

“Golden Hour” by Despi Boutris. Collage. Drawings of two nude figures in repose in the foreground. Colorful flowers and ancient columns in the background.

“Golden Hour” by Despy Boutris

From "Fragments of Diaspora" by Anthoula Lelekidis. Collage. Shreds of a vintage black and white family photo contrasted by colorful strips of a photo of the ocean.

From "Fragments of Diaspora" by Anthoula Lelekidis