Three solo shows open Nov. 9 at Silvermine Art Center

Silvermine Guild Art Center
1037 Silvermine Rd., New Canaan, (203) 966-9700
J Henry Fair: The Hand of Man
Carlos Davila: Neo-Archaism
June Ahrens: What's Left
Nov. 9—Dec. 23, 2014.
Opening Reception: Sun., Nov. 9, 2—4 p.m.

Press release from Silvermine Arts Center

Three new exhibits open at Silvermine Arts Center on Sun., Nov. 9. Three artists explore themes of beauty and ruin, broken landscapes and lost symbols in photography, sculpture and a site-specific work in which video is a predominant element.

J Henry Fair’s stunning abstract compositions are full of organic forms and graphic patterns: plumes, branches, rivulets, as well as grids and softened geometric forms. But in Fair’s large-scale photographs, beauty and horror coexist. Fair’s subject in The Hand of Man is a damaged environment: de-forested landscapes, polluted waterways, hydraulic fracturing sites, and waste from refinery operations and other industrial practices. His goal is to “produce beautiful images that stimulate an aesthetic response, then curiosity, then personal involvement.”

Photo by J Henry Fair

“Flying over these sites is the only way to see things,” Fair has said. “The aerial perspective is inherently intriguing to land-based animals.” It is the aerial view that is his particular angle of vision—the distant view, not of the peaceful blue planet, but of the compromised landscape of a world that even in the digital era is still predominantly industrial.

J Henry Fair’s photography has been the subject of solo exhibitions throughout the U.S. and in Norway, Germany, and the Netherlands. Fair has been a member of the SIlvermine Guild of Artists since 2011.

In Neo-Archaism, Carlos Davila creates a visual landscape that abstracts the symbols and forms of ancient cultures and combines them with those of advanced technology and modern industry. He explores the relationship between the modern, highly mechanized age that we live in and a totemic, stylized symbolism of a variety of ancient cultures from Egypt, South America, and Africa.

Carlos Davila: "Medusa"

Davila abstracts line, form, and color to create sculptures, three-dimensional wall pieces, and large-scale diptychs and triptychs. His mechanical and industrial elements coalesce into a layered, three-dimensional geometry that is textural and drenched in brilliant color. His is a figurative landscape at once familiar and alien.

After earning his MFA, Davila participated in the reconstruction of the ancient city of Chan Chan, Peru. His work at this Pre-Columbian archaeological dig led to a fascination with ancient and lost cultures, and the experience profoundly affected the course of his work. Carlos Davila’s art has been the subject of solo exhibitions from Lima, Santiago, and Bogota to New York, Boston, and Miami. Born and educated in Lima, Peru, he lived for many years in New York City. He currently lives in Ridgefield, Connecticut, and maintains a studio in a loft in Bridgeport. He has been a member of the Silvermine Guild of Artists since 2012.

In her recent work, June Ahrens has explored repurposed and broken glass as material and metaphor. What’s Left is a new turn for Ahrens—a unified environment made up of a video surrounded by blue walls that are layered with dried pigment mixed with salt. This site-dependent piece, created for the Hays Gallery at the Silvermine Arts Center, evokes loss and fragility while channeling light through a landscape of broken glass.

The video serves as the primary element in the composition and contains many of the materials used in her environment. The integration of materials and images (including images of a human face and hands) invites the viewer to explore and embrace the residue of lives. Salt and glass enhance the imperfections of the walls, which become a metaphor for the imperfections in each of us. The surface partially hides some of the scarring but salt and pigment reveal it in a new way. Repurposed broken glass (clear or blue) is also part of the installation—random patterns of fallen shards will pool and reflect danger, pain, and vulnerability. Ahrens calls the work “a map of awareness.

June Ahrens: Still from video

June Ahrens’s work has been exhibited at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City; at the Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland; in Strong Women Artists, a group exhibit in Matera, Italy; and in many other exhibitions throughout the U.S. She lives in New Canaan, Connecticut, and has been a member of the Silvermine Guild since 1993.

Meg Bloom exhibit reception Sat., May 3, at City Gallery in New Haven

City Gallery
994 State St., New Haven, (203) 782-2489
Meg Bloom: Mixing Memory with Desire
May 1—June 1, 2014.
Opening Reception: Sat., May 3, 2—5 p.m.

Press release from City Gallery

City Gallery presents Mixing Memory with Desire, an exhibit of new sculptural works by Meg Bloom. The show will be on view from May 1 through June 1, 2014. The opening reception is Sat. May 3, 2014 from 2-5 p.m. Admission is free.

Finding beauty in the imperfect or impermanent, acknowledging moments of change, and engaging with the process of transformation form the basis of Bloom's work.

Meg Bloom: "Autumn Flight"

Bloom's process is guided by the mix of planning and chance that her materials offer to the imagery. She has developed her own method of making and then assembling paper made from abaca and flax pulps into large sculptural forms and smaller collages. The final sculptures are a revisioning of her memories.

Shows open Sat., Apr. 26, at Gallery on the Green in Canton

Gallery on the Green
Corner of Dowd and Route 44, Canton, (860) 693-4102
The Eighth Annual Maxwell Shepherd Memorial Invitational Exhibition
Judy Cantwell: Ten Years Later
Genti Bushi: Recollection!
Apr. 25—May 25, 2014.
Reception: Sat., Apr. 26, 6—9 p.m.

Press release from Gallery on the Green

The Eighth Annual Maxwell Shepherd Memorial Invitational Exhibition will take place at the Gallery on the Green in Canton from Apr. 25 through May 25, 2014. This year's invited artists are Connecticut residents Mary Kenealy and Richard Klein. The public is warmly invited to an opening reception from 6—9 p.m. on Sat., Apr. 26. The artists will give an informal talk about their work prior to the reception, at 5 p.m.

Mary Kenealy, registrar at the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art in Ridgefield, Connecticut, has shown widely throughout Connecticut in solo exhibitions including those at Real Art Ways and Trinity College in Hartford. She has also been included in several group shows such as those at the Baltimore Museum of Art, the National Collection of Fine Arts in Washington, D. C., the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, and the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts. Kenealy has also served on the faculty of Central Connecticut State University and Fairfield University. She works largely on paper creating intricate and engaging patterns of color.

Mary Kenealy: "All the Hours #10"

Richard Klein, exhibitions curator since 1999 at the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, has had works shown in numerous museums and galleries, notably at the Neuberger Museum of Art at SUNY Purchase, Caren Golden Fine Arts in New York City, and Tufts University Art Gallery in Medford, Massachusetts. Working with found glass and everyday objects, Klein fuses them to create works that are ethereal and transcendent while remaining grounded in the commonplace.

Richard Klein: "Black Friday"

Walter Kendra, Professor Emeritus of Art at Central Connecticut State University and Mark Snyder, Associate Professor of Visual Design at the Hartford Art School curated the exhibit. The Annual Maxwell Shepherd Memorial Invitational Exhibition is sponsored by the Maxwell Shepherd Memorial Arts Fund, Inc., a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the fine and performing arts. For further information about the Fund please write to MSMAF, Inc., 16 South St., Collinsville, CT 06019 or telephone 860.693.2762.

Also on exhibit Apr. 25—May 25 are two new shows in the upstairs galleries by Judy Cantwell and Genti Bushi.

Judy Cantwell: "Ferns and Oak Leaves"

Cantwell's show, Ten Years Later in the Spotlight Gallery includes found objects such as old wood and rusted metal that are given new life as simple constructions. Her digital photographs, gel transfers and mixed media woven paper pieces are full of colors, patterns and intriguing images. She has found that using more than one medium at a time allows her to better translate the images of the world around her into works of art. She is a member of a group of Ct./ Ma. mixed media artists known as MIXUS as well as a member of the Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts.

Inspirations for Genti Bushi's exhibit, Recollection!, in the main Upstairs Gallery come from objects, landscapes and images from his memories —those shapes and colors that have been tucked away but never forgotten. Bushi's acrylic and oil paintings are rich in vivid colors and lively compositions.

Receptions for two shows at Middlesex Community College on Tues., Apr. 8

Middlesex Community College Pegasus Gallery
100 Training Hill Road, Middletown, 1-800-818-5501
Mari Skarp-Bogli: Architecture of a Memory in the Pegasus Gallery (Pegasus Gallery is located within the library on the first floor of Chapman Hall)
Mar. 24—May 3, 2014.
Kevin Fletcher: Glass Works—Linear Radiation in The Niche (The Niche is located in Founders Hall across from the Registrar’s Office.)
Mar. 24—May 8, 2014.
Reception for both shows: Tues., Apr. 8, 6—7:30 p.m.

Press release from Middlesex Community College

Two new shows at Middlesex Community College will have their artists' receptions on Tues., Apr. 8, from 6—7:30 p.m.

Mari Skarp-Bogli’s Architecture of a Memory addresses the subject of memory and its operation within the human brain. Skarp-Bogli's paintings, sculpture and interactive drawings employ abandoned locations, discarded materials and objects that transmit associations of loss, abandon and decay. These works are assemblages of memory evoking relics of attics, basements, barns and the garages of home in as much as representations of the physiological, psychological and neurological functions they interpret.

Mari Skarp-Bogli: "Synaptic Plasticity II"

Skarp-Bogli earned her M.F.A. from Maine College of Art and B.F.A.’s in both painting and sculpture from the University of Hartford. She is an adjunct art instructor at Tunxis Community College and at the University of Hartford.

Kevin Fletcher’s sculptures unite the complex and associative nature of line and the dynamic energy of glass. Works like "Radiate" exploit the similarities between the animate light of neon with that of molten hot glass.

Kevin Fletcher: "Radiate"

Fletcher has a B.F.A. in Glass from the Appalachian Center for Craft and a B.A. in Business Administration from Marist College. He has also studied glass at Penland School for Crafts, Urban Glass and Franklin Pierce University.

Juried "How Simple Can You Get?" show opens Friday at Creative Arts Workshop

Creative Arts Workshop Hilles Gallery
80 Audubon St., New Haven, (203) 562-4927
How Simple Can You Get: Hillary Charnas, Rebecca Murtaugh
Mar. 7—Apr. 3, 2014.
Opening reception: Fri., Mar. 7, 5—7 p.m.

Press release from Creative Arts Workshop

Creative Arts Workshop (CAW) presents new work by Hillary Charnas (Glastonbury, CT) and Rebecca Murtaugh (Brooklyn, NY), prizewinners of the 2013 juried exhibition How Simple Can You Get? Robert Storr, Professor of Painting and Dean of the School of Art at Yale University, served as juror. The Prizewinners show will be on view in CAW’s Hilles Gallery from Mar.7 to Apr. 3, 2014. An opening reception is scheduled for Fri., Mar. 7 from 5—7 pm. The public is invited to attend.

The juror’s intent for the exhibition from which he chose Charnas and Murtaugh, was to assemble a collection of artwork in which "complexity has been reduced to its most essential and visually arresting expression." Open to any visual media, the juried show ultimately included pieces that ranged from minimalist forms to intricate constructions.

Multimedia artist Hillary Charnas presents a selection of work from her series In A New Light, a collection of photographs that feature found objects reimagined and resurrected into two-dimensional abstract forms. It appears to the viewer that the artist has discovered and examined overlooked and neglected items that might once have occupied a place of belonging. By depicting the objects as specimens, Charnas has stripped away the ephemeral nature of familiarity, leaving the audience with images to decipher as they will.

Hillary Charnas: "Stanton Twins"

Rebecca Murtaugh will exhibit a collection of sculptures from her project entitled Alluring Repulsions. The three-dimensional abstract forms are created using a variety of materials and techniques that draw from both painting and sculpture. Murtaugh describes her interest "in alchemy and the history of objects and materials for their transformative potential… improvisation and intuition drive my actions along with a strong desire and consideration of beauty, form and color." Similar to themes in Charnas' work, Murtaugh gives discarded materials a new life. With titles like "Aequalis: Sunburst and Russian Violet" and "Stand: Regatta and Reflecting Pool," the artist’s non-representational sculptures offer particular references from which the viewer can engage on an aesthetic and intellectual level.

Rebecca Murtaugh: "Aperture: Rain and Cool Lava"

Concurrent with Prizewinners: Hillary Charnas | Rebecca Murtaugh, the Creative Works Gallery will feature two exhibitions. Detroit Dalliance is a collection of photographs by Bart Connors Szczarba, on display from Mar. 7 through 21. An opening reception will be held on Mar. 7 from 5 to 7 pm. Following will be an exhibition sponsored by Susan Foshauer, featuring the work of multiple artists working across a variety of mediums. This group show will be on display from Mar. 28 through Apr. 11. The opening reception will take place on Mar. 28 from 5—7 pm.

Clinard and Cook shows open Sunday at Kehler Liddell in Westville

Kehler Liddell Gallery
873 Whalley Ave., New Haven, (203) 389-9555
Threads of Serendipity: Photography by Penrhyn Cook and Sculpturew by Susan Clinard
Feb. 13—Mar. 16, 2014.
Opening Reception: Sun., Feb. 16, 3—6 p.m.

Press release from Kehler Liddell Gallery

Susan Clinard returns to Kehler Liddell Gallery with an engaging new body of sculpture work. Clinard continues to explore new mediums and use of space with a fleet of breathtaking kinetic paper boats float through space, translucent and glowing with purpose and strength. Each boat carries a sculpted passenger that has been cast in layers of fine paper. They evoke an immediate sensory response as the metaphorical boat is steeped with rich cultural histories and symbolism.

Susan Clinard: "Main Boat"

The photographic work represented in Threads of Serendipity is a compilation of two portfolios: "Little People" and "Humanity." As an emerging photographer, Penrhyn Cook watched from afar, taking in the full palette of shapes and light but always with a conscious focus on human figures as part of the image. With experience came a strong desire for more intimacy with her subjects and as a result, her interactions became more meaningful. This shifted the focus to capture the wide breadth of human emotions; wonder, loneliness, or envy. Similar to the transition Cook experienced, the viewer is becomes an active participant rather than a passive observer.

Threads of Serendipity will be on display from Feb. 13 through Mar. 16. The opening reception is this Sunday from 3—6 p.m.

Nancy Eisenfeld finds artistic harmony with nature

Paul Mellon Arts Center
333 Christian St., Wallingford, (203) 697-2000
Nancy Eisenfeld: Dynamic Cycles—Freeze to Thaw
Through Dec. 15, 2012.

For years, Nancy Eisenfeld—in her drawings and paintings—has created whirlwinds of color and line evocative of natural forms. These works were mostly abstract, if referential. Several years ago, Eisenfeld began taking a sculptural approach to her compositions, engaging in a kind of found object collage.

In her show Dynamic Cycles at the Paul Mellon Arts Center at Choate Rosemary Hall, Eisenfeld exhibits both types of her work. The show is divided into two sections: a sculptural display in the Gallery and a painting/drawing exhibition on the curved wall of the theater.

It's not unusual for an artist to employ the texture of paper or canvas to aesthetic effect. What is clear in contemplating Eisenfeld's sculptural works, such as "Under Cover" and "Under the Skin," is that the natural found objects (and manufactured, in some cases) are for her another form of canvas or paper with which to realize her visions.

Nancy Eisenfeld: "Under Cover" detail

Eisenfeld lets her surfaces and objects sing. But she finds ways—through juxtaposition, arrangement, judicious and bold applications of paint—to harmonize with them. She valorizes the materiality of concrete, bark or rusted steel much as any other artist would the viscous pigment of oil paint or the tooth of a fine paper.

Blizzard Nemo and its aftermath inspired the drawings and paintings. One of the things that strikes me about them is the dense layering of texture, ink and paint. Eisenfeld sets the tone with the first of these, "It's on the way," utilizing whites, blacks, grays and blues to represent the color palette of a "major winter weather event." It's a tour de force, a swirling maelstrom of pooling pigments and coagulating textures, realizing—in its silence—the howl of the wind, the biting chill and a storm's blinding fury.

There is a narrative to this succession of drawings but each also stands on its own as an evocative abstraction. Individually, they sing. Collectively, they harmonize.

Two shows open at Giampietro Gallery on Friday, Nov. 8

Giampietro Gallery—Works of Art
315 Peck St., New Haven, (203) 777-7760
Melissa Brown: Gertrude's Nose
Elisa Lendvay: Moon of the Moon
Nov. 8—Dec. 21, 2013.
Reception: Fri., Nov. 8, 5—8 p.m.

Press release from Giampietro Gallery

Fred Giampietro Gallery is pleased to present new work by artists Melissa Brown and Elisa Lendvay. The two shows will be on view from Nov. 8—Dec. 21, with an opening reception on Fri., Nov. 8, from 5—8 p.m.

Melissa Brown describes in a recent statement that the subject of her works are not to create a dutiful representation of the place being depicted. Brown is instead interested in exploring the formal possibilities of stencil, airbrushing, and graphic techniques to express moments of escape, fantasy and other worldly versions of reality with the hopes of making multiple views and multiple moments of time apparent. In this body of work, Melissa's imagery is in response to the Gertrude's Nose trail loop in Minnewaska State Park, NY.

Melissa Brown: "Facing West"

Melissa received her BFA from Rhode Island School of Design, and her MFA from Yale University. Her work has been shown throughout the Untied States and Canada.

Elisa Lendvay explains that her sculptures and paintings arrive out of a haptic sensibility. Through a combination of combined and often found objects she explores and creates forms that lyricize the internal dynamics of a given space, moment, or place. She seeks to elucidate movement and capture corporeal motion—forms on the verge of collapse or convergence within a specified space or landscape.

Elisa Lendvay: "Somniloquy"

Elisa received her BFA from The University of Texas at Austin and her M.F.A. from the Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts, Bard College. Her work has been exhibited Nationally and Internationally.

Jukkala, Granwell shows opening Friday at Giampietro Gallery in New Haven

Giampietro Gallery—Works of Art
315 Peck St., New Haven, (203) 777-7760
Clint Jukkala: Off Course
Alexis Granwell: Ghost Stories
Oct. 11—Nov. 2, 2013.
Reception: Fri., Oct. 11, 5—8 p.m.

Press release from Giampietro Gallery

Fred Giampietro Gallery is pleased to present new work by artists Clint Jukkala and Alexis Granwell. The two shows will be on view from Oct. 11—Nov. 2, with an opening reception on Fri., Oct. 11, from 5—8 p.m.

Clint Jukkala’s paintings combine color, geometry, and textured surfaces to create images that hover on the edge of nameable things. Ostensibly abstract, his work evokes real world references, suggesting figures, architecture, and landscape elements. Eye-like openings and framing devices orient the viewer, making them question their own perceptions. A play between part and whole ensues as the paintings configure and reconfigure through the act of looking.

Clint Jukkala: "Oracle"

Jukkala received his BFA from the University of Washington in Seattle, and his MFA from Yale University. His work has been shown at Feature Inc., and Envoy Enterprises in New York, The deCordova Museum and Sculpture Park in Lincoln, MA, Tiger Strikes Asteroid in Philadelphia, PA, VOLTA NY 2013, The Currier Museum, and Soil Gallery in Seattle. He lives and works in New Haven, CT.

Alexis Granwell will be presenting sculptures and monumental prints made during a summer residency at one of the only ten foot-presses in the country, at AS220 in Providence. The works in Ghost Stories depict metaphysical structures that have an ancient quality with imagery that convulsively expands, erases, and erupts.

Granwell received her BFA from Boston University, College of Fine Arts and her M.F.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. Her work has been exhibited throughout the United States including the State Museum of Pennsylvania, the Delaware Center for Contemporary Art, FSU Museum of Fine Arts, Art Basel, and the University of Richmond Museum. Granwell has also received many prestigious awards and honors including the Joan Mitchell Grant Nominee, the Woodmere Art Museum Maurice Freed Memorial Prize, the University of Pennsylvania Neil Welliver Award, University of the Arts Professional Development Grant, Ragdale Artist Residency, AS220 Artist in Residence, and the Europos Parkas Artist Residency.

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.

Opening tonight: "Constructed Ecology" at Seton Gallery at UNH

Seton Art Gallery at the University of New Haven
Doods Hall, University of New Haven, 300 Boston Post Rd., West Haven, (203) 931-6065
Constructed Ecology
Sept. 19—Oct. 26, 2013.
Reception: Thurs., Sept. 19, 5—9 p.m.

Press release from Seton Art Gallery

Constructed Ecology aims to enhance the viewer's spatial perception using light, sound, video and texture. When entering the gallery space, one is confronted with two luminescent cubes in a field of grass. These architectural vessels create tension between themselves and the triple L-shaped gallery. This spatial narrative is akin to the first day of spring, recalling the feeling of grass beneath one's feet as one takes in a deep breath of fresh air.

The exhibit will be on view through Oct. 26. An opening reception is scheduled for Thurs., Sept. 19, from 5—9 p.m.

This exhibition blurs the lines of the natural and the engineered. Subsequently, the notion of "viewing" space and "passage" through space is inhibited, forcing the viewer to slow down and interact with the work. The installation encourages one to challenge their perception of curated and regulated spaces from that of nature and the wilderness.

Seton has become more experiential as two artists, Michael Galvin and Kyle Skar, work for one month as artists-in-residence. They have customized the gallery and used it as an incubator for a large-scale project. This discovery aims to challenge the traditional views of exhibition space through an interaction with the existing architectural space. Galvin and Skar have invited two local video collaborators Lisa Amadeo and Nicki Chavoya to develop and project video content within one of the architectural vessels. Gary Velush will customize an auditory piece in the second space. Within this interdisciplinary exhibition, a variety of sensory experiences will be produced.

Constructed Ecology raises questions and draws awareness to the built environment, encouraging viewers to seek out natural spaces. This interdisciplinary project combines architecture, sculpture, digital media and natural forms resulting in conversations about manufactured experiences and the air we breathe. This discourse is relevant to the development of the Seton Gallery as a cultural center for both the University and the New Haven community.

New members show to open at City Gallery Friday evening

City Gallery
994 State St., New Haven, (203) 782-2489
New and Old
July 5—Aug. 4, 2013.
Opening Reception: Fri., July 12, 5—7 p.m.
Artist Talk: Sun., July 28, 2 p.m.

Press release from City Gallery

City Gallery presents its new members show, New and Old, from July 5 through Aug. 4. This year's show features the relief paintings of Rebecca Lowry alongside Meg Bloom's paper sculptures, Jennifer Davies' handmade paper pieces, and the acrylic and watercolor paintings of Kathy Kane.

Rebecca Lowry: "Bound"

The opening reception will be held on Fri., July 12, from 5—7 p.m. Additionally, there will be an artist talk on Sun., July 28, at 2 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.

"Handful of Art" opens this week at John Slade Ely House, reception on Sunday

John Slade Ely House Center for Contemporary Art
51 Trumbull Street, New Haven, (203) 624-8055
Handful of Art
Jun. 19—Jul. 21, 2013.
Opening Reception: Sun., Jun. 23, 2—5 p.m.

Press release from the John Slade Ely House

The very best New Haven artists working in painting, sculpture, drawing, collage, printmaking and photography have made one remarkable deck of playing cards. Please join the John Slade Ely House in celebrating the culmination of a Partnership for CT Cities project over a year in the making. Handful of Art will be on view from Jun. 19 through Jul. 21. An opening reception will be held on Sun., Jun. 23, from 2—5 p.m.

The participating artists are Michael Angelis, John Arabolos, Amy Arledge, Cat Balco, Ethan Boisvert, Riley Brewster, Frank Bruckmann, Susan Clinard, Megan Craig, Jan Cunningham, Leila Daw, Steven DiGiovanni, Karen Dow, Eileen Eder, Silas Finch, Dean Fisher, Amanda Fornal, Josh Gaetjen, Michael Galvin, Elizabeth Gourlay, Rachel Hellerich, Cham Hendon, Lisa Hess, Danny Huff, Clint Jukkala, John Keefer, Zachary Keeting, Janet Lage, Martha Lewis, Nathan Lewis, Linda Lindroth, William Lustenader, Barbara Marks, Christopher Mir, Adam Niklewicz, Jason Noushin, John O’Donnell, Perry Obee, David Ottenstein, Hank Paper, J.D. Richey, Lyn Bell Rose, Joseph Saccio, Charles Santarpia, Martha Savage, K Levni Sinanoglu, Joseph Smolinski, Kevin Van Aelst, Thuan Vu, Jonathan Waters, Marjorie Wolfe and Aicha Woods.

Susan Clinard sculpture show on view at Mercy Center

Mercy Center at Madison Mary C. Daly, RSM Art Gallery
167 Neck Rd., Madison, (203) 245-0401
Susan Clinard: Undercurrents
Through June 29, 2013.

Press release from the Mercy Center at Madison

Unfortunately, I missed posting this before last weekend's opening. This show of sculptor Susan Clinard's work will be on display through June 29.

Susan Clinard has explored the essential undercurrents of our human condition; its pain, loss, joy and desire. Come and experience sculptures made from wood, paper, clay, and found objects. Let them take you on a journey of the self and of the other. Part of this exhibit will be a special tribute memorial to the 20 children and 6 teachers who lost their lives at Sandy Hook Elementary last December.

Sculpture by Susan Clinard

New Haven Register, 2011: "Clinard crafts wonderfully evocative works that seem to exist at some mysterious junction between the world of the spirit and that of reality."

The exhibition will be on display at the Mary C. Daly, RSM Art Gallery, Mercy Center from May 31—June 29.

Two shows open Friday, Jun. 7, at Giampietro Gallery in New Haven

Giampietro Gallery—Works of Art
315 Peck St., New Haven, (203) 777-7760
Riley Brewster: Works
The Self-Portraits of Samuel Rothbort
Jun. 7—29, 2013.
Reception: Fri., Jun. 7, 5—8 p.m.

Press release from Giampietro Gallery

Fred Giampietro Gallery is pleased to present work by artists Riley Brewster and Samuel Rothbort (1882—1971). The two shows will be on view from Jun. 7—29, with an opening reception on Fri., Jun. 7, from 5—8 p.m.

In an artist’s statement from 2005, Riley Brewster writes, "My paintings most often employ an initiating form which operates spatially, metaphorically and structurally as a threshold space. It is a form that measures the painting space in terms of scale, point-of-view, and metaphoric, symbolic identity. It is this form that keeps the paradigm of the reading of the painting hermetic: the viewer is kept on one side of this initiating form; the rest of the paintings spatial relationships occur within the painting space on the far side of this form. This form operates as the hinge between these worlds—the viewers and the paintings. I have become interested in the thought, the possibility of the whole painting operating, functioning as this hinge. This is among my present concerns."

Riley Brewster: Untitled

Brewster received his M.F.A in Painting from the Yale University School of Art and his B.A. in Studio Art from Bowdoin College. Brewster's work has been exhibited throughout the United States as well as Alaska. Brewster has accepted many of prestigious awards including the Louis Comfort Tiffany award, the Maine State Commission on the Arts Biannual Award in Painting, the Bowdoin Faculty Research Award, and Highest award for excellence in painting from Yale University. Brewster has also been awarded many residency and fellowship opportunities including the Visiting Artist Residency from Vermont Studio Center, Painting Fellowship from the Ingram Merrill Foundation, Painting Fellowship from the Pollock/Krasner Foundation, and a Painting Fellowship from the Esther and Adolf Gottlieb Foundation. Brewster's work can be found in both private and public collections including the Davis Museum of Art, the Museum of Art (Portland, Maine) Vermont Studio Center, and the Yale University Museum of Art.

Samuel Rothbort (1882-1971) maintained an intensely personal vision during his long career as an artist. His body of work is best known for his wood and stone sculpture and his painted scenes of Long Island and New York. Fred Giampietro is pleased to present a rarely seen glimpse into Rothbort's eccentric life through his self-portraits.

Samuel Rothbort: "Profile in Shadow"

Two shows open Friday, May 3, at Giampietro Gallery

Giampietro Gallery—Works of Art
315 Peck St., New Haven, (203) 777-7760
Valerie Brennan: No Chance of Rain
Joseph Fucigna: Ebb and Flow
May 3—June 1, 2013.
Reception: Fri., May 3, 5—8 p.m.
Artist's Talk with Joseph Fucigna: Sat., May 18, 2 p.m.

Press release from Giampietro Gallery

Fred Giampietro Gallery is pleased to present new work by artists Valerie Brennan and Joseph Fucigna. The two shows will be on view from May 3 through Jun. 1, with an opening reception on Fri., May 3, from 5—8 p.m.

Valerie Brennan is an Irish artist based in Madrid and Cyprus. For Brennan every panel is an adventure in paint. The images are often the result of a struggle between the artist and her materials. Her work is rooted in the physical act of painting itself, exploring its natural process.

Valerie Brennan: "Animal;, Vegetable, Mineral III"

Brennan received her degrees from the Cyprus College of Art in Lemba, Paphos and the Limerick College of Art and Design in Ireland. She has exhibited widely internationally including solo exhibitions in Mexico City and with The Apocalypse Gallery in Nicosia, Cyprus. Most recently her work has been exhibited in Amsterdam and London. She is the author of Studio Critical blog. Valerie has been awarded with an Exhibition bursary for the 2009 Florence Biennale and was sponsored by the Cyprus Ministry of Education and Culture.

Through experimentation, play and innovation Joseph Fucigna creates sculptures and ink paintings that are known for their power to transform materials, inventiveness and odd but suggestive subject matter. He is a multi-media artist whose work is rooted in process, play and the innate qualities of the materials used. The work is not so much about the narrative as it is about the experience of the process, the materials used and how they express themselves.

Joseph Fucigna: "Plastic Mound"

Fucigna received his Masters of Fine Arts degree from the School of Visual Arts in NY and his Bachelors of Fine Art from Alfred University. Fucigna’s work has been exhibited throughout Connecticut and NY. Joseph awarded many prestigious awards including the Molly and Albert Jacobson Award for Sculpture, the Amidar Award, and the Individual Artist Grant from the CT Commission on the Arts.

Two shows open Friday at Giampietro Gallery

Giampietro Gallery—Works of Art
315 Peck St., New Haven, (203) 777-7760
Beck Yazdan: Recent Work
Christopher Joy: Recent Work
Mar. 1 —29, 2013.
Reception: Fri., Mar. 1, 5—8 p.m.
Artists' Talk: Sat., Mar. 23, 2—4 p.m.

Press release from Giampietro Gallery

Fred Giampietro Gallery is pleased to present new work by artists Becky Yazdan and Christopher Joy.

Becky Yazdan lives and works in NYC. She received her MFA from the NY Studio School, studying with Bill Jensen and Graham Nickson, and her Bachelors of Fine Art from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Her work is in response to industrial grit, juxtaposing elements of nature, as it attempts to reclaim its territory. Yazdan’s work has been exhibited throughout the East Coast and New York. Becky has received many prestigious awards including the Emma Strain Award, Top 100 Artists by GLAAD, and the Hohenberg Travel Award.

Becky Yazdan: "Ticker Tape"

Sculptor Chris Joy lives and works in New Haven, CT. Joy explores the juxtaposition of raw, off-the-shelf and discarded objects.

Christopher Joy: "Easy As 1-2-3"

Joy received his Masters of Fine Arts degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York and his Bachelors of Fine Art from the University of Connecticut. His work has been exhibited throughout New England.

Artist talk and reception at John Slade Ely House Sunday

John Slade Ely House Center for Contemporary Art
51 Trumbull Street, New Haven, (203) 624-8055
Life Ascending: Three Views
Through Mar. 10, 2013
Artist Talk and Reception: Sun., Mar. 3, 2—5 p.m.

Press release from the John Slade Ely House

The John Slade Ely House launches its 2013 exhibition schedule with Life Ascending: Three Views running through March 10. Included are sculptures by Susan Classen-Sullivan of Canterbury, mixed media work by Jessica Goodyear of Branford, and photography by Frank Noelker of Storrs, all of Connecticut. An Artist Talk and Reception will be held Sun., Mar. 3, from 2—5 p.m. All events are free and open to the public.

Animals have been a subject of interest for artists since the Lascaux cave painters. Life Ascending: Three Views looks at animal forms in the context of renewed interest in life's common origins. Recent genetic evidence shows the preservation for over 500 million years of what scientists call "immortal genes”—and necessary for every lifeform from microbe to human being. For example, a gene that initiates the growth of an eye in a fly is the same as that in humans. Our new understanding of evolution leads us to see our fate as interconnected to that of all other animals.

Photographer Frank Noelker has witnessed the conditions of animals in captivity since early in his career. He has visited over three hundred zoos, sanctuaries, and farms around the world. Careful not to exploit his subjects for aesthetic concerns, he often frames his photographs with a wide, inclusive view exposing the stark reality of their environment. In his "Zoo" series animals sometimes appear in front of a painted reproduction of their native habitat giving them a toy-like appearance.

Artist/scientist Jessica Goodyear finds inspiration in the ornithological studies of James John Audubon. A video editor for the National Audubon Society in 1993, Goodyear reused the edit logs from that program as the ground upon which she xeroxed Audubon’s birds. Her recycled materials and images reflect a concern for the environment. The three-dimensional folding of the paper makes it impossible to see the work in its entirety from a single angle. Thus our stereoscopic vision interacts with the art in a way that requires and rewards extended viewing.

Susan Classen-Sullivan initially found the source for her exquisitely sculpted works in amphibians discovered while running. Sullivan was attracted to the expressive characteristics of their death throes. Transformed by direct observation into both life-size and larger than life-size pure white ceramic sculptures, they confront and invite us to look intimately at animals that are rarely scrutinized so closely. Embodying both ecstatic sensuality and extreme suffering, Classen-Sullivan's sculptures remind us that we share a common physical destiny with all animals.

Opening reception this Saturday for shows at Gallery on the Green in Canton

Gallery on the Green
Corner of Dowd and Route 44, Canton, (860) 693-4102
Members' Show Dreams
Tom Cameron: A Wild and Scenic River
Diane Wright: In the Mind's Eye
Feb. 15—Mar. 17, 2013.
Opening Reception: Sat., Feb. 16, 6—9 p.m.

Press release from Gallery on the Green

From February 15 thru March 17, 2013, the Canton Artists' Guild will be hosting 3 exhibitions at the Gallery on the Green. The public is warmly invited to the Opening Reception Saturday evening, Feb. 16, from 6-9 p.m.

The downstairs Main Gallery will feature a member's show with the theme Dreams. Gallery members will showcase interpretations of dreams in various mediums featuring works in sculpture, paint, pastel, photography and other mixed mediums.

Tom Cameron: "A Meade Sunrise" 

The Upstairs Gallery will showcase an exhibit of waterscapes by Tom Cameron entitled A Wild and Scenic River. Cameron has become an informal ambassador for the 'wild and scenic' character of the Farmington River. This latest exhibit is dominated by his newest work. Included are serene (almost surreal) waterscapes, bold reflection symmetries, a heron 'portrait,' striking dew drenched webs, and many other images that one will see only rarely if ever. All images come directly from time on and around his favorite river. His earlier river works have been shown in solo shows, galleries and collections throughout the Farmington Valley. Cameron states, "The river, lighting and seasons generate continuous visual delight. This is where I most often dwell—with the sunrise, on the water."

The "Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild & Scenic Management Plan" (2011) and related Study Report both featured numerous images from his earlier river works. Additional images can be viewed at his Web site. Cameron is General Manager at Ultimate NiTi Technologies in Bristol, CT.

In the 2nd floor Spotlight Gallery, mixed media artist Diane Wright will feature a showing of her work titled In the Mind’s Eye, which will include new collages and several "story boxes."

The gallery is open Fridays through Sundays from 1—5 p.m. The downstairs gallery is handicapped accessible. Gallery on the Green is located within sight of Rt. 44 at 5 Canton Green Rd.

Upcoming receptions, other events, for "Nudes and Nudibranchs" at Kehler Liddell

Kehler Liddell Gallery
873 Whalley Ave., New Haven, (203) 389-9555
Nudes and Nudibranchs: An Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture
Through Mar. 10, 2013.
Artist Reception with Frank Bruckmann and Gar Waterman: Sat., Feb. 16, 2—4 p.m. followed by "Poetry and Chocolates" (see below) from 4—6 p.m.
Artist Reception with Frank Bruckmann and Gar Waterman: Sun., Feb. 24, 2—4 p.m.
"Conspicuous Cocktails" (see below): Sat., Mar. 2, 2—4 p.m.

Press release from Kehler Liddell Gallery

Award-winning painter Frank Bruckmann and sculptor Gar Waterman will exhibit their most recent work at the Kehler Liddell Gallery: Nudes and Nudibranchs, from Feb. 7—Mar. 10, 2013. Because of the disruptions caused by Blizzard Nemo, there will be make-up artists' receptions on Sat., Feb. 16, from 2—4 p.m. (followed by "Poetry and Chocolates" from 4—6 p.m.) and Sun., Feb. 24, from 2—4 p.m.

Frank Bruckmann: "Home Library"

Frank Bruckmann and Gar Waterman are both traditionalists who use direct observation of nature and carefully applied technique to craft their work. Bruckmann's brushstrokes caress oil paint with an expert and familiar hand into the eternally complex landscape of the female figure, while Waterman's sculpture bends the liquid sheen of polished stone into impressions of rhythm and grace from the marine environment. Their work is beautiful, but its beauty is not confined to the surface. Instead, it wells up through the underlying layers of paint and stone, brush and chisel strokes revealing the more complex alchemy of their creative process.

Gar Waterman: "Humboldt Squid"

Meet artists, art patrons, neighbors and friends at Kehler Liddell Gallery, one of Connecticut's premiere retail arts venues, located in the heart of historic Westville Village. Cultural and culinary happenings during Bruckmann and Waterman's exhibit will include:

· Sat., Feb. 16, 4—6 p.m."Poetry and Chocolates." Samples of exquisite chocolates, generously provided by Chocopolgie, will accompany poetry recitations by SCSU faculty and MFA candidates.

· Sat., Mar. 2, 2—4 p.m. "Conspicuous Cocktails." An exotic drink-tasting event with restaurant 116 Crown's John Gianetti, CT's hottest mixologist.