Spooky Action: Liz Nielson
I have been told by local Newburgh, NY friends that Liz Nielson and her wife, Lina, run the best gallery in the city. Elijah Wheat Showroom is a gem, tucked down the lush, and now quiet — save for the passing of intermittent freight trains — Newburgh waterfront. The old industrial complex the showroom calls home is just a stone’s throw from the majestic bridge that connects the historic city to Beacon, and the greater NYC Metro-North-riding-crowd. While I had the honor of visiting the two artists at their gallery for coffee, whitefish, and spicy hummus, I also got to sneak a peek at Liz’s work in the back studio workspace, and to hear about her newest exhibition unfolding between the pews of a wood-framed church circa 1853 (very spooky).
Nielson is a photographer, but in a non-traditional sense. She creates vivid, large-scale photograms: direct exposures made through the simplest form of photographic creation, exposing light directly onto photographic paper. (sans negative)
A collection of her work, including a monumental triptych displayed on the church’s altar, is titled “Spooky Action” and will be on display for this special group show from June 5-27.
Nielson’s triptych, featuring photograms titled, “Sky Lake” (2019); “Sky River” (2021); and “Sky Village” (2021) 
View of the “art church” venue, Art Austerlitz, and selections of “Spooky Action.” 
Alternate view: the triptych