Brian Walters' sculpture show reception at History Center in Manchester Fri., Oct. 11

History Center
175 Pine St., Manchester, (860) 647-9983
Brian C. Walters II: Harvest
Oct. 1—Dec. 1, 2013.
Reception: Fri., Oct. 11, 5:30—8:30 p.m.

Press release from Manchester Historical Society

The Manchester Historical Society is pleased to present Harvest an exhibition of sculpture by Brian C. Walters II at the History Center on 175 Pine Street in Manchester. This is the inaugural visual art exhibit to take place at this venue.

Walters, a Bethel, Connecticut-based artist has been sculpting for over a decade and has exhibited throughout Connecticut and New York. While self-taught as an artist, Walters has an extensive welding and metal working background that he has honed since first expressing interest in the trade back in the late 90’s. The marriage of his creativity and passion for the trade is very evident in his work. He is represented by the Behnke Doherty Gallery of Washington Depot, Connecticut, and a member of the prestigious New Haven Paint and Clay Club.

Gallery view of Brian C. Walters II's "Harvest"

The theme of this exhibition is Harvest; honoring the humble beginnings of the Cheney Brothers' silk empire as a silk cultivation initiative, while playing on Walters' use of raw and collected materials to create his art. Using innovative technologies as a catalyst for change, the Cheney Brothers transformed from silk growers in the early 19th century to one of the largest silk manufacturers in the world by the early 20th century. An enduring symbol of their success is the survival of the Machine Shop, the host venue of this exhibition.

Curator Valerie Garlick is the ‎Visual Arts Manager, Real Art Ways in Hartford Connecticut. Garlick received her MFA in New Media and a MA in Art History from the University of Connecticut, Storrs and has exhibited her work in numerous venues worldwide. Her strong ties to Connecticut especially the Greater Hartford area made it very easy choice to request her vision as a curator for this exhibition. Both the Manchester Historical Society and Brian Walters are very excited to be working with Valerie Garlick on this project.

The exhibit will run from Oct. 1, through Dec. 1. Please call the Manchester Historical Society at (860) 647-9983 for more details.

Two-artist show opens Saturday in Washington Depot

The Behnke Doherty Gallery
6 Green Hill Rd., Washington Depot, (860) 868-1655
Just Beneath the Surface: Works by Michael Quadland & Brian Walters
May 18—June 24, 2012.
Artists' Reception: Sat., May 19, 4—7 p.m.

Press release

The Behnke Doherty Gallery is pleased to announce its upcoming exhibition: Just Beneath the Surface, featuring the Grid Series of paintings by Michael Quadland and the Burst Series of sculpture by Brian Walters. The show will also highlight the Shona Sculpture of Zimbabwe. The exhibition will run from May 18 through June 24. There is an artist reception on Sat., May 19, from 4—7 p.m.

At first glance, Michael Quadland’s paintings appear deceptively simple. Yet upon closer study, they reveal themselves to be extraordinarily complex. He is perhaps most readily described as a Color Field painter, and indeed his work is deeply influenced by the Abstract Expressionist Color Field painters of the 1940’s and 1950’s whose large expanses of flat, solid color literally spread across the canvas in vast fields of unbroken surface. There are clear antecedents to his paintings in the early works of Clifford Still, Barnett Newman and Hans Hofmann. But these artists focused first and foremost on consistency of form and surface and consciously de-emphasized brushstroke and texture.

For Quadland, while saturated color is essential to creating the overall mood of a piece, it is not the end goal in and of itself. Building his paintings painstakingly layer by layer and then selectively scraping away what he has laid down, he creates extraordinary depth and mystery. Color is at one moment revealed, and in the next hidden. The resulting shades and hues enter into dialogue with each other. The impact on the viewer is as much emotional as visual.

But Quadland then takes things a step further. By scratching out a seemingly endless configuration of grids, squares, and lines, the artist infuses his paintings with intense energy. Upon reflection, his works seem to constantly transform themselves as different elements of underlying patterns alternately take the forefront, only to recede and grant prominence of place to another arrangement. The result is an ever-changing vision of immense dynamism. His works immediately bring to mind Robert Rauschenberg’s masterful “black paintings” of 1958-64 in which the artist literally scraped away the canvas’s surface to reveal all that was already going on underneath.

The Burst Series is the most recent work by sculptor Brian Walters. Continuing his exploration of reclaimed material, these pieces made of clear coated stainless steel evoke nothing less than the visual energy of the expanding universe. Pivoting on a single interior point of gravity, the works literally seem to hang in that suspended moment just as the explosive force reaches its maximum, reminiscence of the ephemeral beauty of fireworks as they hover briefly against the night sky. The satin clear finish on the steel serves to heighten the effect as it reflects and amplifies the light.

In Walter’s hands, the metal loses its original identity, its rigid stasis transformed into energy and motion. What once was rigid is transformed into vital force. Defying the weight of the medium, Brian’s pieces seem to float in the air of their own accord, bursting into the viewer’s awareness.

Artist Brian Walters discusses his work

Metal sculpting artist Brian Walters recently had a show up at the Benkhe Doherty Gallery in Washington Depot. In this YouTube video, Walters discusses his work.

Saturday opening at Gallery at Hunt Hill Farm in New Milford

The Gallery at Hunt Hill Farm
44 Upland Rd., New Milford, (860) 355-0300
Robert Alberetti
Mourina Stott: City Scapes
Brian Walters: Salvage Series
Tony Zatzick
May 15—June 20, 2010.
Opening reception: Sat. May 15, 3—5 p.m.

Press release

There will be a Saturday afternoon opening from 3—5 p.m. for shows by four artists in the Gallery at Hunt Hill Farm in New Milford.

Robert Alberetti • encaustic, collage, and oil painting

Imagination and emotion are the catalyst for Bob's paintings, collages, and mixed media works. This allows him to focus on the significant aspects of remembered scenes and experiences. He references on site, paintings, sketches, and photographs from his travels, which enables him to develop the formal attributes of his work. Alberetti's work, imbued with emotion, resonates with the viewer, which is a major factor in his working process.

Mourina Stott • oil on canvas - City Scapes

Mounira Gareeva was born on September 22, 1955, in Moscow, Russia. Her parents had recently migrated there from a village near the city of Ufa. She demonstrated an early aptitude for drawing and participated as an artist in school newspapers and similar activities. However, in that time and place it was not practical to pursue such a career. She received a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Moscow Institute of Radio Engineering and Automation, and until 1992 worked as a research engineer. Following the collapse of the USSR, she returned to school as a student of art, and graduated from the Moscow College of Artistic Professions with high honors. For the next several years she worked as a private artist, selling her works (principally still life's in oil on canvas and other substrates) through galleries and brokers in Moscow, Russia. Many of her works from this period are now in private collections in Eastern and Western Europe. Her recent works reflect her romantic view of the city, particularly New York City.

Brian Walters • sculpture- Salvage Series

A visit to Storm King Sculpture Park inspired Brian to research the exhibiting artists and develop ideas for his own work beginning with drawings and studies for small-scale abstract sculptures. Creating sculpture has become a very rewarding part of Brian's life as he allows all aspects of what interests him to arouse and motivate his inventiveness. His work is untitled, which allows each viewer to explore the work without imposition and much, if not all the sculpture is constructed with reclaimed materials. Brian's work is currently included in The Sculpture Mile in Madison, CT, an outdoor sculpture exhibition, through next spring , as well as here in The Berry Garden, before the Twin Silos at The Henderson Cultural Center. Brian will also be a featured artist both within The Silo Gallery and on Hunt Hill Farm's grounds.

Tony Zatzick • watercolor landscapes

Originally from California, where he was born in 1967, Tony has lived, worked, and exhibited in both Europe and the Americas. His work has been selected for exhibition by many well-known artists and critics such as Irving Sandler, William Bailey, Graham Nickson, Charles Cajori, Barbara Grossman and Bernard Chaet. His work has also been included in exhibition alongside Philip Pearlstein, Janet Fish and Jamie Wyeth.