Buffalo Art: Painter brings the world back to WNY

By Landon Lyons
(Image above: Alberto Rey’s candelabra cactus,Chico Volcano, Isabela Island, Galapagos)

Painter Alberto Rey draws from thoughts, feelings, memories and experiences of his surroundings and the natural world in his work, and that’s particularly true with his exhibition ATLAS: Historical Work & Recent Journeys of Alberto Rey.

The exhibition opened earlier this month at the Marion Art Gallery at SUNY Fredonia. The exhibit from Rey, a professor emeritus of drawing and painting at Fredonia, features mainly works created on a six-month trip around the world. Paintings are grouped by location, marked on didactics with a bright red pin.

Often, subjects are relevant to each location – for example, illustrative Godzilla portraits can be found beneath realistic paintings of the Japanese Iwana char and Yamame trout. Each grouping of paintings has its own consideration for subject matter, scale and harmony that flows through the gallery.

The abstract works of ATLAS explore the less tangible aspects of travel – thoughts, emotions, colors and action. They are not merely supplementary to the subject matter of the portraits and landscapes; they guide the emotional experience of the show.

There are other types of objects on the gallery floor that reflect the artist’s multi-faceted interests: sketchbooks, palettes, maps and ceramics. Matchbooks designed by Fredonia professor Margaret Urban draw a visual comparison between Rey’s Extinct Birds Project and an extinguished match. (If you like mementos, they’re free to take.)

Like the artist’s journey around the world, the viewer’s experience around the gallery space is marked by elements of the unexpected that amplify the feelings of curiosity and joy sparked by travel. At the same time, there is an undercurrent of an artistic tradition that is local and specific to Fredonia. With ATLAS comes a rare and unique ability to see something unfamiliar through the lens of someone who lives near you.

ATLAS is a show for would-be travelers, documentarians and art enthusiasts of all kinds. It is on view until Nov. 21, giving ample time to those who missed the gallery opening.

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The following comes from an interview conducted at the artist’s studio, prior to the gallery opening.

Alberto Rey’s studio is a repurposed barn that sits on a precipice overlooking Canadaway Creek in Fredonia. It is three floors and chock full of art. Much of the rusticity of the c. 1863 building remains and ceramics decorate every surface in sight on the main floor. I leaned in close to a few abstract paintings on the wall and noticed they were still drying.

We descended the stairs to a basement with abundant natural light brought in by floor-to-ceiling windows. Trees and greenery frame the view of the creek. It’s impossible to look anywhere else.

Q: So you were born in Cuba and immigrated to the U.S. What compels you to stay in Fredonia?

“I’m a fly fishing guide, so it’s nice having a river right here in the backyard. I’d say some of the best fishing in the world is in this area,” Rey said. “It’s kind of like a little secret.”

He also cited affordability, access to cities like Cleveland and Buffalo, and the university as reasons to stay.

“SUNY Fredonia has been very good to me and my family,” he said.

Q: Where did the idea for ATLAS come from?

“When it became apparent that my wife and I were going to retire, we thought that it was would be an opportunity to do something we’ve never been able to do our lives,” Rey said. “Because we both have worked since we were teenagers, and we never stopped working.”

“My intention was to not do any work,” Rey continued, “As the dates became closer, I realized I couldn’t stay away.”

In fact, ATLAS features over 150 works.

The six-month trip was financed in part through Rey’s connection to and love for fly fishing. Orvis, a fly fishing supply company, sponsored Rey to visit and review fly fishing lodges that it endorses. That, he says, was half of the trip.

The other half was planned by his wife, Janeil Rey, who is dean of the College of Education, Health Sciences and Human Services at SUNY Fredonia. The experience of moving through the world as a unit for months on end brought the couple even closer after thirty-plus years of marriage, according to the artist.

Q: What do you think of a Drawing & Painting program without a tenured professor at the helm? (The SUNY Fredonia art programs have seen some major cuts in recent years)

“It’s unfortunate,” Rey said. “I think it’s needed. You can’t have a program that will continue to grow, and you can’t have a sense of identity or the opportunity to recruit students or to nurture a program without at least one tenured person at the helm.”

As a tenured Drawing & Painting professor, he managed the curriculum, chose adjuncts and was overall committed to making the best program possible. There has been no one to replace him.

Q: What is painting to you?

“I’m a firm believer that everyone should follow what it is that they need intellectually and aesthetically,” Rey responded. “I spend a lot of time fly fishing, and fly fishing connects me to nature, which feeds my artwork.

“Painting is something I’ve been doing for over 40, nearly 50 years. So it’s becoming an opportunity for me to use as a way to reflect my intellectual explorations. So I’m fortunate that after 50 years, I’ve developed some skills just out of sheer repetition. You just do it, and then I’ve been able to use whatever stylistic approach I need to get the message.”

Because it’s not always realism, is it?

“You’ll see over half the work in the book and the exhibition is abstract, and the abstract work is more about memories and feelings at certain locations that can’t be captured with realism. So that’s why I feel fortunate that I can go back and forth between the two.

“This exhibition has been very liberating because I’ve been able to do both.”

Q: Is ATLAS going to travel? If so, where?

“There are no plans for it at this point. I’ve sent the publication to different curators, but I haven’t thought about having it travel.”

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Landon Lyons is an art history major and senior at SUNY Fredonia. This story was originally published in The Leader, the Fredonia student newspaper, in shortened form. It is a product of the Arts Journalism class at SUNY Fredonia.