Artist in Residence Alex Girshin

By Peter Jovanovich

As some members of the Rye community have already discovered, there is a talented artist living and painting right next to Blind Brook in downtown Rye. You may remember the painting of a woman in blue that was briefly propped up against the red barn on Elm Place. For a few weeks, the painting delighted passersby, and then it disappeared. Who was the artist and who was the woman in blue?

Rye sculptor Bob Clyatt solved the mystery for us. The artist is Alexander Girshin, who lives with his wife and baby daughter at 30 Locust Ave. Born in Odessa in 1974, he and his parents emigrated from the Soviet Union to the US in 1976. Girshin lived in Brooklyn, until age 12, and then in Ridgefield Springs, N. Y., which is near Cooperstown. He studied fine art at SUNY Oneonta and Purchase and teaches a course in painting at Art Life Studios in Port Chester. His wife, Christine, is currently a student at SUNY Purchase studying English literature.

The studio where Girshin works is the little white house with the multi-colored tiled roof on Locust, which sits right next to the bridge and the brook. As you can imagine, much of it was underwater during the flood; but he was able to move most of his paintings to the second floor. He and his little girl were evacuated by front loader from their house next door.

What's it like to be a young artist in Rye? “Dif-ficult,” says Girshin. “The setting, landscapes of Rye are beautiful, but living expenses are high.” Nevertheless, he is taking advantage of the surroundings in his art. “Currently, I'm working on a triptych which draws on scenes from Rye Playland.” The first two panels are almost finished; they are unexpectedly vivid and striking to the viewer.

And what about the disappearing “lady in blue?” Says Girshin, “I needed to photograph the painting to make a slide, so I tacked it to the side of the barn. Then, I had to hurry to go somewhere and forgot it was there. I didn't remember until a photograph of it appeared in The Rye Record.”

Will the “lady” return? Girshin hasn't planned on displaying another work outdoors. So, to see and perhaps buy some very good art, stop by his studio at 22 Locust Avenue. He's usually there — painting. If not, visit his Web site, www.girshinart.com.