​Cecily Barth Firestein
"Birds of a Feather"

The Phoenix Gallery is honored to present Cecily Barth Firestein’s 50th one-person exhibition “Birds of a Feather.”   An artist member of the Phoenix Gallery since 1959, Cecily is an octogenarian painter, printmaker, collagist and art teacher.   Her work has been shown in the United States and abroad in galleries, museums and embassies since the 1950’s.
 
Firestein initiates each work as a monotype with oil-based printing inks.  When dry, she imposes a wash of tempera paint or colored chalk pastels over that picture.  Vigorous work with brushes, rags and sponges disperses this layer of material onto the paper.  Surprising juxtapositions are generated by this process, particularly when collage elements are introduced.  The latter are drawn from personal ephemera Firestein has collected over the years.   Bird illustrations from her picture collection were inspirations for this exhibition.   The artist, as usual, expresses her personal statements with humor in these monotype/collage compositions on paper. ​

"One Flew East, One Flew West, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"
Combined Media on Paper,   30 x 22.5 inches