© Julie Blackmon, courtesy Robert Mann Gallery

Day Tripping, an exhibition of new work by Julie Blackmon, opens today at the Robert Mann Gallery in Manhattan after a five-day delay caused by flooding from Hurricane Sandy. Using models, staged sets and carefully composed tableaux, Blackmon weaves stories of the complexities of everyday life in large and busy households. She draws inspiration from her own extended family–Blackmon was the oldest of nine children–as well as the paintings of Dutch Renaissance master Jan Steen, who is known for his scenes of domestic chaos. Blackmon’s new work also reflects the influence of Balthus, the French painter whose street scenes depict people who seem to exist in their own individual worlds, indifferent to the activity around them. The work can be viewed online, as well as at the gallery (525 W 26th St.) through January 12. An artist’s reception scheduled for November 1 has been re-scheduled for November 29.

© Julie Blackmon.

The Dutch proverb “a Jan Steen household” originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous family gatherings. The paintings of Steen, along with those of other Dutch and Flemish genre painters, continue to inspire Julie Blackmon’s fictional narratives about the chaos of family life. Blackmon’s work will be on display with the Catherine Edelman Gallery at the AIPAD Photography Show New York, March 17-20, 2011, at the Park Avenue Armory.- AIPAD.