September Gallery Exhibits
MONUMENTALROBOTPAINTINGS+ & Light Takes the Tree
Paintings by Ricky Darell Barton and Doug Holst
Starbursts & Dancing With the Ancestors
MARJORIE KAYE
In my recent body of work, I have been isolating the shapes inherent in my paintings to examine and delve further into their nature. I am finding limitless potential in particular intuitive algorithms, with an infinite number of patterns that can be determined from the visual arrangement of mathematical suggestions. In this new series, space is broken down as it emerges from the center. There is a combination of organic and geometric sensibilities, and although there is a tip of the hat to symmetry, it is not always prevalent. It is the previous shape that determines the responding one, and regardless of the intense detail, there is not always precision involved.
I build sequences, adding to a primary shape, with each successive form getting larger and more complex, mirroring growth from cellular beginnings to complex formation. My gouache paintings manifest similarly to an explosion of a Geode form. The commonality of momentum is what drives each work and results from the exploration of the one before it. They are one continuous piece, accessible fractals. Details emerge from one basic pattern into a vast array of shapes, some of which approach the recognizable. It is a net that captures and also comprises the structure of the material universe.
CAROLYN NEWBERGER
Dance is a universal language. It carries us across time and place,
expressing culture, signifying resistance, and communicating grace,
sorrow, enmity and cohesion.
When Russia invaded Ukraine, Carolyn Newberger imagined her
Ukrainian ancestors in a dance of defiance, linking the beginning
of their century’s violence to the beginning of ours.
This set her on a journey, viewing histories through the lens of
dance, expressed on paper through pen, paint, and collage,
with a loose hand and an open mind.
Bodies of Work
Anna Salmeron is a conceptual artist with a focus on the goings and comings in the sediments of the art world. She finds that this is art itself and is also acutely aware of the desires of its denizens. She will at once rip apart the institutions that carry this world, and eagerly re-assemble it through photography and performance.
Samantha Marder is a multi-disciplinary artist with a deep respect for the diversity and ever ironic state of the human condition. Through photographs and found objects, she offers humorous and distinct narratives and changes the game of acceptability and expectations.
Sonia Domkarova sees the beauty and wonder in the most unexpected places. She revels in life energy and employs a myriad of forms and materials to reflect her observations, often laced with humor and involving the body as a vessel of its own communication.
Eric Wallen's paintings and drawings are rapt with observation, usually of societal ills, and there is no shortage of material for his work. He tends to expose gritty nuances - hubris, existential anxiety, and the emotional slipping on a banana peel - all in a combination of clowns and revelry, and with great skill.
Bo Petran's work runs from painting to sculpture to installation - the common thread through all of his work is a deep earth-like surface, as if the piece were a living and breathing thing. The textures are both visual and tactile, at once very tangible, but not lacking in mystery.
Pat Fietta & George LeMaitre
PONDERING ENVIRONMENTAL ANXIETIES
Works that respond to a world-wide crisis
by Patricia Fietta and George LeMaitre
Opening Reception - Friday, May 3rd, 6 - 8pm
Closing Reception - Saturday, May 25th, 6 - 8pm
With daily reports of extreme weather, widespread loss in biodiversity habitats, and increased levels of endangered and extinct species al over the world, the time for denial is over. Every day brings more alarming evidence that our world is in a crisis.
As these changes take place there is a degree of uncertainty about ourfuture and with that uncertainty comes anxiety that is not just felt by us but is felt by all the world's creatures and habitats.
As artists we observe and reflect on the world and things that are happening around us. "Pondering Environmental Anxieties" represents two artists' impressions of what is happening while expressing their concerns for the future of our planet. Through engaging mixed-media art the viewer is reminded that our problem is affecting us on many levels. We do not purpose a solution to the viewer but invites the viewer to ponder their own interpretation of these presented anxieties.
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Iapetus
Featuring the work of member artists Sergio Demo, Ariel Klein, Eric Wallen, and Nancy Wood.