Nagle and Peterson show reception Thursday, Aug. 22, at UConn Stamford

The UConn Stamford Art Gallery
One University Pl., Stamford, (203) 251-8400
Two Heads Are Better Than One: Elizabeth Nagle and Mary Elizabeth Peterson
Aug. 19—Oct. 1, 2013.
Artists' reception: Thurs., Aug. 22, 5—7:30 p.m.
Artists' Talk: Thurs., Sept. 19, 5 p.m.

Press release from Mary Elizabeth Peterson

Fairfield county artists Elizabeth Nagle (New Canaan) and Mary Elizabeth Peterson (Westport) will exhibit new work in a show called Two Heads are Better Than One at the UConn Stamford Art Gallery. The exhibit is available for viewing from Aug. 19 to Oct. 1, 2013. An Artists' Reception is scheduled for Thurs., Aug. 22 from 5—7. There will also be a gallery talk with the artists on at Thurs., Sept. 19 at 5 pm.

This exhibit will feature painting and collage by these two artists, who, working alone and in tandem over the past two years, have created a significant assortment of deeply unsettling, playfully odd, and unavoidably memorable works. The exhibit ranges from the intricately finished large canvases back to the irreverent "sketch" paintings and mixed media collages where their ideas are born. It features all manner of hybrid materials such as woven plastic grass seed bags, millinery ribbons and rusty bottle caps. It includes art works that typically start with one object or idea and then evolve in all directions and sometimes back upon themselves.

The sketch pieces are hung in the gallery where the viewer can watch as the ideas start to take shape. These starter pieces gain one level more of elaboration in the nearly wall-sized works on canvas where the artists go back and forth adding weird tidbits until the upset is complete. Like a dog with its pink tongue hanging down or a wonky line suggesting a tree. Here the collaborative nature of their working is most apparent. It is as if Nagle and Peterson’s paintings talk to each other: sometimes reaching out and sometimes holding back—either way they are friends. A song, a whisper, a secret, a giggle can be heard in the room.

Elizabeth Nagle and Mary Elizabeth Peterson: sneak peek of upcoming show

In all the various types of work exhibited, the often mundane familiarity of the object is "tweaked" by the artists painterly interventions, resulting in a world where time is stopped and a story is unfolding. These "not-quite-right" forms are much more exciting than the logical or photo version would be. You will wonder if you are inside or out, flying or falling, right side up or upside down. Like a bad disco song from the 1970s, these works stick in your head and some may haunt your quiet moments for a long time to come!

The work in this exhibit stands out also from what is trending in galleries, from what their contemporaries are making, from what people expect them to make. It shows Nagle and Peterson pursuing their own interests without the pressures of committing to a particular style, without the demands of making "concept" work. And while the overall mood of the show is fun, these artists always manage to rein in the insanity and conceptually push things just far enough. There are no extraneous elements in the works; everything is as it should be!

Collage show reception at Stamford Art Association Sat., April 6

Stamford Art Association Townhouse Gallery
39 Franklin St., Stamford, (203) 325-1139
Piecing It Together—Contemporary Collage
Mar. 31—Apr. 25, 2013.
Opening Reception: Sat., Apr. 6, 4—6 p.m.

Press release from Stamford Art Association

Connected by a unique teacher and mentor, Piecing it Together–Contemporary Collage, showcases the work of four female artists from Fairfield County. The women met, bonded and found a common love for collage in the "Fragments into Wholes" classes taught by artist Barbara Rothenberg at the Silvermine School of Art. The show will be on view from Mar. 31—Apr. 25 with an opening reception on Sat., Apr. 6, from 4—6 p.m.

Elizabeth Nagle, Mary Elizabeth Peterson, Amy Schott and Ruth Kalla Ungerer are each exploring the medium of collage and pushing boundaries. For them, this involves the use of non-traditional materials, found objects and everyday household items. They share a belief in collage as a vehicle for altering the familiar, bridging the past, present and future, using universal themes and revealing aspects of life that make us all human. Collage is alluring to these artists because it is spontaneous, forgiving, expressive, descriptive, immediate and expansive.

Nagle’s work is inspired by abstraction and the free spiritedness that goes with it. Concerned with color, gesture and composition her process is mostly intuitive, unplanned and free flowing. She works on multiple pieces at a time, adding, subtracting, doing and undoing, layering, covering and uncovering until eventually a dialogue develops with the work. Each piece becomes a journey with its own life and language. Her works are often grounded in narrative. They are inventive, mischievous, witty, pleasantly offbeat and often populated with weird and wonderful characters.

Peterson takes a painterly approach to collage. She incorporates unusual materials in her works including roofing tiles, plastics and driftwood along with found and handmade papers. In addition to painting, she uses a variety of techniques including drawing, printmaking and sewing. Her works echo her love of nature and capture its energy, tension and organic elements. Led by instinct, her multilayered collages have wonderful depth and complexity. They are elegant, open ended and free flowing. There is a visual poetry to be found in them.

Schott with her background in graphic design took to collage like a duck to water. She is a true scavenger and only uses found materials in their original form. She favors timeworn ephemera such as weathered scraps, used stamps, old maps and advertisements. She is a deconstructionist who removes items from their original contexts and reconstructs them in new and unexpected ways. Some of her works are elaborately layered and composed while others are designed with efficiency and an understated elegance.

Kalla Ungerer powerfully blends images, text and pieces from nature into works that evoke larger than life sentiments. Primarily a printmaker, she seamlessly incorporates pieces from her prints along with found objects into her work giving her collages tension and a compelling tactile quality. Her works are very personal, provocative and sensitive to the wonders and disappointments of everyday life. She describes her art as "the window I open to my feelings and values. In today’s complex world, my work affords me an opportunity to seek and realize personal significance."

Thursday evening opening at A-Space Gallery in West Haven

A-Space Gallery at West Cove Studios
30 Elm St., West Haven, (203) 966-9700
Masterskaya: the Studio as a Playground for Nine Artists
July 21—Aug. 13, 2011.
Opening Reception: Thurs., July 21, 6—9 p.m.

Press release

Masterskaya: the Studio as a Playground for Nine Artists opens tomorrow at A-Space Gallery at West Cove Studios in West Haven. The show features the work of nine artists: Rita Brieger, Naomi Cruz, Robert Jacoby, Dmitry Krasny, Carol Kraven, Elizabeth Nagle, Randi Nussbaum, Aleksandr Razin and Victoria Wyndham.

There will be a reception for Masterskaya from 6—9 p.m.

Open Thurs.—Sun., 10 a.m.—4 p.m.