Works on Paper

NATURE, TRAVEL AND PLAY INSPIRE WORKS ON PAPER AT WAG

Windham Art Gallery is pleased to present Works on Paper, an exhibition featuring the work of gallery member-artists Stuart Copans, Judy Hawkins, Lesley Heathcote, Nan Heminway, Carolyn Nelson, Matthew Peake, Linda Streidieck, Robin Stronk and Susan Wadsworth, as well as two invited artists, Karen Becker and Mary Therese Wright.The works cover a wide range of mediums, including; drawing, painting, printmaking, mixed media, oil and pastel, and all share the common thread of being done on paper. The exhibition runs from Friday, April 6-Sunday, April 29, with an opening reception on Friday, April 6 from 5:30-8:30 PM.

Lesley Heatcote's series of pastel on paper works depict small birds that are found in the area. "Birds have always fascinated me; their intelligence, delicacy, alertness, and unique abilities to adapt to different environments," Heathcote explains, "many are considered common but when observed closely are miraculous in their abilities to negotiate air, tree and earth." Nan Heminway, worked with oil on paper in the experimental pieces, both abstract and figurative, that she will be exhibiting, while Stuart Copans primary medium of choice is papercuts and watercolors, which are made from finely ground rock pigments. Textile designs and old Turkish illuminated manuscripts inform the works on paper of Linda Striedieck, whose says her paintings can be thought of as visual "formscapes," as are made up of a thick, tight arrangement of forms. Newest gallery member, Matthew Peake will show pastels from his Bearing Fruit series, which show sensuous nudes holding ripe fruit,"one day last summer, as I was doing a pastel of cantaloupe, pear and nectarine against a purple cloth with numerous folds, it occurred to me that the human figure, like the fruits, had a variety of pleasing forms. . . These pastels are a sensual treatment of both subjects, they explore the forms within forms, and they deal with the theme of nurture."

A recent trip to Guatamela inspired recent large pastels of Susan Wadsworth, specifically one which conveys a hike up Mount Pacaya, a live volcano, on New Year's Day when the last rays of light from a sunset fell upon the red crusty lava; another pastel on paper shows an abstracted aerial view of Lake Atitlan, a glimmering lake surrounded by volcanoes. A wonderful experience of sailing down the coast one summer in a small sailboat found its way into the abstracted work of Carolyn Nelson; in one piece, the bow of the boat emerges, as an ethereal image, from the water's surface. Robin Stronk created a series based on the beach dogs of Costa Rica. "I have observed this population over the course of many trips and I find them intriguing. . . Each dog has a personality as distinct as its body image. They prowl the beach alone or in groups, digging crabs and often playing in the surf. Some have owners but most are free agents. If we stop to appreciate a glorious sunset the dogs stop and, like furry sphinxes, gaze into the evening sky. . . Their independence, simple needs and exuberant joi de vivre make them captivating models."

Invited artist, Karen Becker finds paper to be beautiful, sensual and versatile material and well-suited to watercolors, drawing, pastels and mixed media. "In my artwork, I am always experimenting, changing, and finding visual delight, so for me paper supports my art/play perfectly." The other invited artist, Mary Therese Wright, a metalsmith, returned to printmaking three years ago after a 15 year hiatus. Her prints are constructed in much the same manner as a built piece of jewelry
--piece by piece in metal is now layer by layer in ink. These layers of transparent inks build a sense of space in a color field, resulting in work that attempts to "capture beauty in a spirited way."