Reception Sun., Apr. 6, for "Explorations in Embellishment" at Mercy Center gallery

Mercy Center at Madison Mary C. Daly, RSM Art Gallery
167 Neck Rd., Madison, (203) 245-0401
Rachel Hellerich: Explorations in Embellishment
Mar. 31—Apr. 25, 2014.
Artist's Reception: Sun., Apr. 6, 2—4 p.m.

Press release from the Mercy Center at Madison

Explorations in Embellishment is the second solo exhibition for Milford-based artist, Rachel Hellerich. The show will include more than 20 drawings and paintings spanning from 2005 to the present. Hellerich’s work will be on display at the Mary C. Daly, RSM Art Gallery, Mercy Center at Madison, 167 Neck Road, Madison, CT from Mar. 31—Apr. 25.

Rachel Hellerich: "Emerald Erosions"

With a background heavily rooted in sculpture and installation, Hellerich’s return home to Connecticut in 2004 marked a new phase of creative development focused on drawing and painting on canvas and panel. From its conception, this body of work has been influenced by the themes and aesthetics of Asian art, science fiction, fashion and military history. Her drawings have been a source of reflection, serving as blueprints for larger scale, atmospheric paintings. The work encompasses a range of media including watercolor, ink and vinyl paint, each painting or drawing considered three-dimensionally from the compositional development of their subjects to their physical realization with brush, pen and palette knife. The process of working in multiples on a modular level, with repetitive, textile-like references, has been a recurring exercise; as an obsessive means to connect with each piece physically, providing a gateway to meditate and reflect on a particular memory or place.

There will be an opening reception on Sun. Apr. 6 at the Mercy Center from 2—4 p.m. Both the exhibition and the reception are free and open to the public.

"Slight of Hand" reception this evening, Thurs., Mar. 13, at Seton Art Gallery

Seton Art Gallery at the University of New Haven
Doods Hall, University of New Haven, 300 Boston Post Rd., West Haven, (203) 931-6065
Slight of Hand
Through Mar. 21, 2014.
Reception: Thurs., Mar. 13, 6—8 p.m.; (Preceded by and concurrent with bake sale from 2—8 p.m.)

Press release from Seton Art Gallery

The group exhibit Slight of Hand will be marked by a reception this evening, Thurs., Mar. 13, from 6—8 pm. In the Seton Art Gallery at the University of New Haven. A bake sale will begin at 2 p.m. in the gallery and run through the reception. Participating artists are Geoffrey Detrani, Rachel Hellerich, Debbie Hesse, Jeanne Heifetz, Tim Nikiforuk and Rachel A. Vaters-Carr.

Intended to be a play on words: slight, refers to modest, handmade gestures that form interplays of spatial configurations. When wnvisioning space in the mind's eye, memories fade and certain details come into focus. Often our memory of particular space conflicts with physical rules, and the mind has a unique way of imposing elements from one space with those of another. Whether those space recall chaos theories, explore organic matter, and/or expose socio-political histories, each participating artist addresses his and her own spatial perceptions.

Jeanne Heifetz: "Working the Line 7"

From the layered abstractions of Geoffrey Detrani to the iconic geysers and volcanoes of Rachel A. Vaters-Carr, this exhibit attempts to capture spaces that are familiar but vaguely distant. Rachel Hellerich's detailed paintings draw on a variety of architectural references from German WWII style structures to Islamic patterns, depicting representational and embellished spaces. Debbie Hesse assembles plant matter with plastic and foam, alluding to the fragile balance between humans and nature. Jeanne Heifetz works with quartzite, bronze, zinc, nickel and wax to generate sinuous lines that recall ridges and other natural formations. Tim Nikiforuk, University of New Haven Art and Design faculty member, references biological entities and systems through condensed layering. Through line, pattern and textured surfaces, the artists in Slight of Hand employ highly crafted techniques that are subtle yet evocative.

"Dreamy" show opens Tuesday at Gallery at Whitney Center in Hamden

Perspectives: The Gallery at Whitney Center
200 Leeder Hill Rd., Hamden, (203) 772-2788
Dreamy
Oct. 9—Nov. 30, 2012.
Opening reception: Tues., Oct. 9, 5-7 p.m.

Press release from the Arts Council of Greater New Haven

Perspectives—The Gallery at Whitney Center presents Dreamy, a collaboration between the Whitney Center and the Arts Council of Greater New Haven.

Curated by Debbie Hesse and Steven Olsen, Dreamy includes works by Stephen Grossman, Rachel Hellerich, Lisa Hess Hesselgrave, Jaime Kriksciun, Kristina Kuester-Witt and Margaret Roleke.

Dreamy will be on view through Nov. 30. There will be an opening reception for Dreamy on Tues., Oct. 9, from 5—7 p.m.

Thursday early evening opening at Albertus Magnus College gallery

Margaret L. MacDonough Gallery at Albertus Magnus College
700 Prospect St., New Haven, (203) 777-1282
Real Places, Ideal Spaces: The Works of Rachel Hellerich and Rashmi Talpade
Feb. 26-Mar. 20, 2009.
Opening reception: Thurs., Feb. 26, 4:30-7 p.m.

Press release

Students at Albertus Magnus College enrolled in a Special Topics course—AH 351: Museum and Curatorial Studies—would like to invite the public to attend the Opening Reception of Real Places, Ideal Spaces: The Works of Rachel Hellerich and Rashmi Talpade on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009, from 4:30-7:00 p.m. at the Margaret L. MacDonough Gallery located in the Campus Center. The exhibition features works by Rachel Hellerich and Rashmi Talpade and will run from Feb. 26, 2009 through March 20, 2009 (except Gallery will be closed March 9-13). Gallery Hours will be Monday-Thursday 4:00-7:00 p.m.

Rachel Hellerich, born in New Haven and now residing in Milford, creates ideal spaces in her elaborately detailed, vibrant, mandala-like landscapes using acrylics, ink, and watercolors on paper and canvas. At the heart of her inspiration are the influential forms of "nature, landscape and architecture" that she sees within textiles (both woven and worn) and a fascination with Eastern art, as well as negative space.

In the exhibit, Ms. Hellerich's use of color, light, and space, in combination with patterns of repetition and intricate formations, appeals to the senses beyond one's imagination. A personal journey for both artist and viewer is intimately rooted in memory of and meditation upon an "otherworld."

Rashmi Talpade, born in Bombay (Mumbai), India, currently residing in Wallingford, constructs modern-day mosaics of real places in her brilliant, photomontage landscapes that use the artist's own photography. Motivated by "history, humanity, and our place in it," Ms. Talpade's work incorporates both realist and abstract elements. The two distinct worlds of eastern India and western American and European cultures collide and merge.

Ms. Talpade's photo collages reconfigure the places of rising development and declining culture in her native and adoptive lands. (Talpade was among the artists whose work in the show Lost and Found was recently reviewed by Connecticut Art Scene here.) Ultimately, this collection measures geographical and cultural distance in terms of both harmony and contradiction, and asks the viewer to "ponder our global existence."

The students are: Christian Ammon, Milford, CT, Melanie A. Gailunas and Jessica Porrello, both of Branford, CT, Arianne Hebert, Hallie Muscente, Patrick See, all currently residing in New Haven, Jessica Mercede, Easton, CT, Kristle Scanlon, Mystic, CT, and Jana Whaley, Deep River, CT.