October shows open Sunday at Silvermine; Dunlop lecture series resumes Sunday

Silvermine Guild Art Center
1037 Silvermine Rd., New Canaan, (203) 966-9700
October Exhibits at Silvermine
Oct. 18—Nov. 13, 2009
Opening Reception: Sun., Oct. 18, 2—4 p.m., special pre-reception lecture: 1—2 p.m.

Press release

Silvermine Guild Arts Center, located in New Canaan, CT will feature a Guild Group Show Narrative Art juried by artist Mary Frank, as well as an exhibit of recent selected works by Ms. Frank, and Director's Choice Scott Bricher's Dreams, Desires & Curiosities. All are welcome to the opening reception on Sun., Oct. 18, from 2—4 p.m. There will be a special lecture to be held just prior to the Opening Reception from 1—2 p.m. with Mary Frank. The exhibit runs through Nov. 13 in the Silvermine Galleries.

In the Director's Choice exhibit, Scott Bricher"s Dreams, Desires & Curiosities dream images join mystical and mundane pairings to create images of discovery. The works ranging from large scale realist oil paintings to small mixed media pieces demonstrates the artist use of multiple themes, while maintaining their separate identities, existing side-by-side to create a suggestive ambience, each with its own chapter or vignette, yet forming a complete story leaving it to the viewer to compile the images for their own meaning. "I isolate and focus on elements versus creating a scene. The works are more stream of conscious in their creation and the multi-image approach breaks the illusion of space," says Bricher. "Every landscape, still life or figure in my work has personal significance. I love painting from life, whether it is a raging river or a portrait of a friend - that direct observation informs my work. I bring that grounded perception of my world to the more dreamlike areas of my imagination."

For over 50 years, Mary Frank has used such diverse media as sculpture, painting, drawing, printmaking and encaustic to explore the idea of narrative, suggesting that her primary loyalty is not to a particular way of working or to any medium, but rather to the power of direct expression and to the act of creation itself. In her exhibit of Selected Works, showcasing recent bodies of work from the last three to four years, the viewer will identify with the artists imaginary figures, landscapes and creatures on the emotional, philosophical and psychological levels. Ms. Frank initially established her reputation as a figurative sculptor. Although she had always expressed herself through paintings, drawings and prints, it was not until the 1980's that she began to focus her talent and energy on these media as a means of expressing her own visions of shapes and images that mirrored innately spiritual qualities. Nature resonates in many of her works, with images of owls, trees flowers, landscapes, forests and mountains portraying both turbulence and stillness, immediately drawing the viewer.

Mary Frank will present a lecture on Sunday, Oct. 18 from 1-2 p.m. and cover the chronology of her work, showing slides of her many sculptures, paintings and new photographic work. The lecture will be held in the School of Art Auditorium and tickets are $10 per person which can be purchased in advance or at the Gallery Gift Shop.

The Juried Guild Group Show, Narrative is an exhibition of artworks with social, political, historical and psychological dimensions. Visual expressions of cultural and personal worlds can possess deeply powerful communicative imagery arrived at through literal, abstract and figuratively visual means. The intention of this exhibit is to reveal timeless stories in powerfully evocative ways. Silvermine Guild Artist members have been invited to create artworks in any media that reflects their own narrative through their works. This storytelling exhibit will be juried by the widely acclaimed narrative artist Mary Frank. The Narrative Art committee include Silvermine Guild Artist members and Connecticut residents Suzanne Benton of Ridgefield and Janice Mauro from West Redding.

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Silvermine Guild Art Center
1037 Silvermine Rd., New Canaan, (203) 966-9700
David Dunlop 2009-2010 lecture series
Oct. 18 (4:30 p.m.) & Nov. 8, 2009 (4:30 p.m.); Feb. 21 (4 p.m.) & Mar. 21, 2010 (4 p.m.)

Press release

Silvermine Guild Artist and School of Art Faculty member, David Dunlop, returns to Silvermine Guild Arts Center in New Canaan with his popular lecture series, this time as an Emmy Winner! David's PBS series, which began airing in March 2008, Landscapes through Time, won a Daytime Emmy award this year for Outstanding Special Class in writing. His lecture series, which begins on Oct. 18, are always stimulating, fun, and sell out quickly, often with standing room only available.

For 2009—2010, David Dunlop will conduct four exciting lectures, with the first lecture on Sunday, Oct. 18 at 4:30 p.m. on "Where do new ideas come from? The Art of Invention." Following lectures include "Look Back to Move Forward: How the Arts uses other Cultures and Times as Sources," "Art and Science: Cross Breeding Ideas and Techniques;" and "Painting in the Fourth Dimension: Can a Picture Slow Down and Taste Salty?" Each lecture is unique in their topics and David always brings amazing insight into his discussions, actively involving the audience. He is extensively well-read, searching for the underlying principles of art, exploring original sources and recent advances in neuroscience. That he is eager to share his discoveries is reflective in the titles of his lectures.

A resident of Wilton, David Dunlop has been a teacher at the Silvermine School of Art since 1993. His work is nationally known and featured in many prominent collections throughout the United States and abroad. Dunlop has given art history lectures at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and has been a visiting artist/lecturer at multiple institutions, including the Caramoor Museum of Art, Katonah, New York; the Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vermont; and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, Arizona.

All lectures are held at the School of Art Auditorium (Sara Victoria Hall) and ticket prices are $10 per person. For more information and to purchase tickets in advance, call the School Office at 203-966-6668 ext. 2 or visit our website.