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!

Artists' reception Saturday at UConn Stamford for two-person show

The UConn Stamford Art Gallery
One University Pl., Stamford, (203) 251-8400
Color and Line: On and Off the Wall: Sam Wiener and Lori Glavin
Oct. 21—Nov. 23, 2011.
Artists' reception: Sat., Oct. 22, 2—4:30 p.m.

Press release

Color and Line: On and Off the Wall includes recent works by sculptor Sam Wiener and multimedia artist Lori Glavin. Wiener exhibits sculptures and collages united by vibrant color and a feeling of whimsy. Glavin's works include new polystyrene constructions and related color studies in oil. Bright color, strong line, and energetic patterns complement Wiener's sculptural works; the result is a complex interplay of color and line.


There will be an artists' reception for this show this Sat., Oct. 22, from 2—4:30 p.m.

Artists' reception this Saturday at UConn Stamford Art Gallery

The UConn Stamford Art Gallery
One University Pl., Stamford, (203) 251-8400
Habitat, Fragmentation and Growth: Tracy Walter Ferry & Claudia Mengel
Mar. 1—30, 2011.
Artists' reception: Sat., Mar. 5, 2—4:30 p.m.

Press release

The UConn Stamford Art Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibit of art works by regional artists Tracy Walter Ferry and Claudia Mengel. Habitat, Fragmentation and Growth is a two-person show that combines sculpture and painting to explore the visceral reaction to the synthesis and deconstruction of life. The show is available for viewing at the UConn Stamford Gallery from Tues., Mar. 1 through Wed., Mar. 30. An Artist’s Reception will be held on Sat., Mar. 5, from 2—4:30 p.m. in The Gallery.

The exhibit includes approximately six vibrantly colored paintings by Mengel and a similar number of sculptures by Ferry. Mengel comments, “My work comes from not looking but experiencing the world around me, and then translating these visual and emotional perceptions, with every creation there is a new discovery, a new problem, a new solution. Every time I approach the blank white space, I take a unique journey always unlike the last and never like the next.” This is what keeps her coming back to the canvas.

Of her work, Ferry remarks, “This series is based on my extensive and past experience as a registered nurse which gave me insight into the human body and all types of microbiology in a completely intimate way.” She explores what would happen if the order within these organisms were disrupted. “In creating these newly found objects I combine materials that are not typically put together. I combined baby bottle nipples with nails and plastic soldiers with screws. I create new beings, then deconstruct them and use the parts for new sculptures. It is work similar to that of a scientist in a lab.”

Claudia Mengel received her degree in printmaking from the Brainerd Art School at the State University of New York at Potsdam and is a member of Silvermine Artist Guild and a member of the Center for Contemporary Printmaking, where she also sits on the board. Her work is in many private collections in the tri-state area and she exhibits at several galleries. Tracy Walter Ferry received an MFA in Art at Hartford Art School. Ferry is the recipient of the Ellen Traut Collection Award, Art Works Gallery Hartford, CT.