Artist's reception for Anne Doris-Eisner at Mercy Center in Madison Fri., Oct. 18

Mercy Center at Madison Mary C. Daly, RSM Art Gallery
167 Neck Rd., Madison, (203) 245-0401
Anne Doris-Eisner: Warp and Weft—Works on Paper
Oct. 18—Nov. 30, 2013.
Artist's Reception: Fri., Oct. 18, 5:30—7:30 p.m.

Press release from the Mercy Center at Madison

Anne Doris-Eisner has described her art as embodying the "interplay of oppositional forces which are interdependent." Her works will be exhibited in a solo show entitled, Warp and Weft: Works on Paper, in the Mary C. Daly, RSM Art Gallery at the Mercy Center in Madison, CT. The exhibition will run from Oct. 18 through Nov. 30, 2013. There will be an Artist's Reception on Fri., Oct. 18, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Both the exhibition and the reception are free and open to the public. The Mercy Center is handicapped accessible.

This unique exhibition presents a singular response to life and to art; relationships with the natural world, with the process of art making and with life itself are explored by Doris-Eisner:

Living with acute awareness of the natural world has been a blessing. I have found inner strength by observing the resilience and transformative beauty of the land and all that grows from it as it moves through its life cycle. What is struck down, crushed, cut, splintered is transformed or altered, but still remains a part of this world. I have sought through my art to express the divine power and mysterious force of life. That which should have been destroyed instead is able to transform and rebuild, albeit into something new. Having faced the death of my child, I liken my survival to that of a tree struck by lightning, which still puts out new branches. The water cuts through mountains and finds its way to continue moving forward. I, too, continue to find a way to live on, though irreversibly changed. Using unique geological formations and forms in nature, I draw parallels between the human experience and the natural world. Resilience, defiance, reverence are all symbolically represented in my work...

In her studio, the artist's practice is a physically demanding one. Using a variety of materials, including graphite, paints, and inks on paper, she forcefully expresses her emotions on the paper's surface, pushing against the opposing strength of a wall, floor or table. She draws, scrapes, pours, carves, twists, and scumbles media with various objects, many of which are found in nature. Most of her works are of almost human scale, as she prefers to be physically encompassed by the work. A calligrapher and lover of line, each mark has meaning and is imbued with the artist’s own energy and movement. Like a dancer, her hands and body move with the rhythms created by each unique mark. The experience of art making then becomes physically demanding yet deeply satisfying personal process.

Anne Doris-Eisner: "Intertwined"

Anne Doris-Eisner, a former art educator, is a member of the New Haven Paint and Clay Club, Syntax, a group of nine Connecticut artists working in mixed media, and The Women's Caucus for Art, a national women's art organization. She has exhibited her work in juried shows across the country including: California, Chicago, Dallas, and New York City. She has completed Artist Residencies at The Vermont Studio Center in Vermont and at the Atlin Art Center in British Columbia, Canada.

Literature for Compassionate Friends, a national organization that provides comfort, hope, and support to families experiencing the death of a child, will be available on site and donations will be accepted from all who wish to make a contribution.

The Mercy Center believes in the spiritual, sacred nature of the individual and sees this spirituality in all living things. Their vision is to nurture a relationship with the Sacred in self, others and creation that seeks to foster a just and compassionate world. They do this through their programs, events and collective intentions.

Saturday opening at the Bruce Kershner Gallery in Fairfield Public Library

Bruce S. Kershner Gallery at Fairfield Public Library
1080 Old Post Rd., Fairfield, (203) 256-3155
Beauty Marks
Mar. 27—May 16, 2010.
Opening reception: Sat., Mar. 27, 5—7 p.m., Curator/Artists' Talk at 6 p.m.

Press release

Curated by Janine Brown, Beauty Marks, at the Fairfield Public Library's Bruce S. Kershner Gallery, is an exhibition of 10 Connecticut artists that use mark making in their art. The exhibition will run from Mar. 27 through May 16. The opening reception will take place on Sat., Mar. 27 from 5—7 pm with a brief talk by the curator and artists at 6 p.m. The Bruce S. Kershner Gallery is located at 1080 Old Post Road in Fairfield.

Ms. Brown states that "Beauty Marks was inspired by the history of the beauty mark." During 17th century France, high society women used faux "beauty" marks made of black taffeta to enhance their looks and communicate coquettish messages. For instance, a mark on the forehead suggested majesty, a mark close to the dimple was playful, and a mark at the corner of the lips was regarded as murderous. Similar to the French female aristocrats, the artists in this exhibition use their "beauty" marks to communicate a message to the viewer. The act of mark making for these and other artists is done by intentionally placing lines and symbols on paper or other supports to ultimately create the artist's unique message. In this exhibition, the humanity and the human form are the common threads, yet each artist in the exhibition communicates their reference to humanity in a different way.

Referencing the origins of man, Paul Kaiser's graphite drawings of hominid skulls on the worn pages from the first edition of The Tragical Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke combines the marks made by the artist with the marks of the typography of the book. The juxtaposition of the skulls and the story of Hamlet provide a subtle statement of man as beast.

Karen Sorensen also references early man with "Viking I" and "Viking II." Sorensen's life-size drawings of the Norse warriors provide an unsettling contrast to the tranquility of a library setting by showing the warriors in full armor with weapons drawn.

Likewise, Jak Kovatch has used the warrior as inspiration. Kovatch uses mixed media to create powerful graphic elements and linear shapes that wrap around or weave in and out of diffused forms. In the works selected for this exhibition, Kovatch starts with the skull and transforms it into various references of the warriors of yore.

Nomi Silverman comments on humanity with three of her works that deal with homelessness. The expressive use of lines and color characterize the sadness and despair that one imagines feeling if one was homeless.

Expression and use of line comes across in artist Peter Konsterlie's work, which fuses medical illustrations with linear marks and patterns to create his response to a loved one's medical treatment and illness.

Addressing the linear in a different way, Edith Borax-Morrison uses a woven sheath of free flowing strings and fibers to create references of women in her pen and ink pieces, "Ensnared" and "Wired Woman."

Noted for her works on ceramics and drawings, Judy Henderson was selected for this exhibit for her drawings executed on tea bags. Henderson's charming works are based on her interest in the human body and the head as a vessel holding information.

The other artists included in the show include Anne Doris-Eisner, M.G. Martin, and James Reed.