Feb 19, 2015
March 5-28, 2015
Field Notes 5 is a collaborative exhibition of drawings, paintings, collages, and sculptures created by architects Sigrid Miller Pollin and Stephen Schreiber, and landscape architect Jane Thurber. This is the fifth iteration of Field Notes, a collaborative exhibit featuring these three artists.
In this exhibit, the artists explore complex relationships between multiple patterns, colors and imagery in very different ways. While the works share themes, each artist employs a different medium and level of abstraction. Despite this range, the works consistently evoke a visceral sense of order and calm.
There are parallels to the processes of designing buildings and landscapes. The works do not offer a single point of view but allow multiple explorations in different scales. There is a clarity in the way each artist stays focused on his or her own explorations while still maintaining a subtle thematic unity that threads together the works of Field Notes 5.
This collaborative art exhibit will be up in the gallery from March 5 to March 28 with a reception during the Amherst Art Walk on Thursday, March 5 (5-8pm) and Artist Reception Saturday, March 7 (4-7pm).
Feb 1, 2015
February 7 – March 18, 2015
Artist Reception: Saturday, February 7, 4–7 pm
Art Walk Reception: Thursday, February 5, 5–8 pm
Premiering oil paintings inspired by the interior and exterior landscapes of the Pioneer Valley, Meagher’s new body of work represents a masterful evolution in her abstract impasto style. Her passionate use of the palette knife forms unique image textures usually reserved for memories and reflections in rippling water. Through this ecstatic exploration of color and dimension, Meagher draws from the internal, meditating on her personal journey, vision, and jubilation when painting. She states, “I have my fears in this life, but I am never afraid to paint. Any passion that we give ourselves over to –opens the door to what’s inside of us.
above: “Connecticut River in Rain.” Oil on canvas. 48×30″. $1200
Nov 1, 2014
November 4-28, 2014
In this new body of work Crigler to explores “Non-Ordinary Reality” through use of meditation and drumming. The images created for this exhibition are inspired by experiences and information received while in a meditative state. This is a continuation of crigler’s work exploring collective consciousness and the cosmic evolution that is unfolding in the multi-verse.
“My hope is not to only engage people with pretty paintings, but to create images that speak to them on a soul level. I create work for the inner light of all, making images that can work as portals to remind us of our true inner-connected nature.”
About the Artist
Michael Crigler is a wild-creative. When he is not out roaming the forests wildcrafting plants for medicine for his work as an herbalist, he is in his studio working as an artist, poet and designer. His work is heavily influenced by cosmic energy, healing, connection of all things and his Cherokee and early Powhatan roots which trace back to Chief Powhatan and his daughter Pocahontas.
His work has been exhibited in North America, Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
He currently lives with his wife Lauren in Western Massachusetts.
www.michaelcrigler.com
Oct 1, 2014
October 1 – November 1, 2014
Artist Amanda Barrow lays out a brightly intuitive show at Hope & Feathers Galley during the month of October. Monotype Prints and Chine-collé prints will be on display alongside a constellation / installation of wood “Shape Meditations”.
In her recent “Shape Meditations” series, Barrow observes the request of the wood, inspired by its ingrained pathways. Barrow contemplates each piece of wood before applying watercolor, oil pastel, and the flame of a candle. The result is an abstraction that reflects the artist’s guided improvisations.
Sep 1, 2014
September 3-29, 2014
Nan Salky’s most recent work presents a mixture of drawing and mixed media assemblage that takes us on a journey into a realm of dream and mystery. Images that embody a sense of quiet order, of flight and liberation, appear alongside those of darkness and disintegration. The rich sweetness of childhood is captured and then torn asunder, bringing us fully into the experience of the fragility of life. What lay hidden is exposed, and what was feared is brought to light and loses its grip.
Nan Salky was born in 1956 in Memphis TN, She received her BA in Writing and Illustrating Children’s Books from The University of Colorado, Boulder, and an MA in Counseling Psychology from Antioch New England. She has worked for thirty years as a psychotherapist and has reared two daughters. She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts with her husband, Tom Murphy, her co-conspirator in artistic endeavors.
Aug 1, 2014
August 2014
Steve Eagle has a focus on portraying the best of any given scene. With a background in short animated films, Eagle’s experience includes combining single frames into a continuous moving image. Now focusing his attention on photography, he still incorporates the spirit of animation by compositing several photographs together to produce a single, “ideal” image.
Spending time in the city during the week, Eagle retreats to the Amherst area on weekends and finds much of his inspiration in the countryside of Western Mass. In good weather he goes out with his camera to explore the places where land and water meet, visiting locations like Puffers Pond, Fort River and the Connecticut River. He finds the patterns and reflections of the surface of water to be compelling. When selecting the subject matter for his photographs, Eagle considers the sky, the horizon, the ground, and the feeling of the water.
After choosing a subject, he then takes hundreds of separate photographs – each from a slightly different angle. The images are then blended together, similar to the frames of an animated film. This process allows Eagle to control and adjust the composition, colors, textures and level of details of the final image to create something at once immediately recognizable, yet uniquely special.
Image: DAR State Forest, Goshen MA. 14”x21”
Jul 1, 2014
July 2 – August 2, 2014
An exhibit of varied works from Nicole Daviau, Mary Carroll, Sharon McCartney, Bobbie Salthouse, Lynne Adams and Andrea Zax.
Six local artists have teamed up to celebrate the common thread that flows through their artwork. The natural world and the setting of the Pioneer Valley unites and inspires their work. “Sticks & Stones” offers six individual perspectives inspired by pebbles, leaves, thread, scraps of fabric, and the fall of sunlight on trees.
Each artist, working in a different medium, will illustrate the influence of the natural world on their work. There will be wool stones from Daviau, torn clay bottles by Carroll, textile constructions created by McCartney, mixed media/assemblages from Salthouse, paintings by Adams, and weavings by Zax.
The exhibition opens July 2. There will be a combined opening and artist reception during the Amherst Art Walk on Thursday, July 3rd from 5-8pm. The show can also be viewed Monday – Friday 10-6pm and Saturday 10-4pm until August 2nd.
Jun 12, 2014
June 4-30, 2014
Siovhan Hutcherson and Isabel Margolin both began their journey with mosaics in the same way. Seven years ago, Siovhan took a class in the indirect method of mosaics at the Brookfield Craft Center in Brookfield, CT – three years later Isabel happily stumbled upon the same class. “The Indirect Method of Mosaics” was taught by artist and instructor Cynthia Fisher. Since that time mosaics have permeated their lives.
The Indirect Method uses a reverse technique to create a mosaic. Instead of applying the mosaics face up on a prepared cement surface, the tiles in the indirect method are temporarily affixed face-side-down, posing a more challenging and circuitous process. This allows pieces of different sizes, shapes and textures to be used all in the same piece of work.
Cindy Fisher has been a professional artist for twenty-five years with a focus on mosaics since 2000. She gives workshops and classes at several renowned art and craft centers across the country, as well as her studio in Buckland, MA. Her diverse body of work ranges from illustrative to painterly to non-representational. Her abstract mosaics have received prestigious national and international awards, including the Orsoni Prize Honorable Mention in Venice, Italy in 2011.
Isabel Margolin’s art consists primarily of abstract pieces, with a small mix of representational work. This series of artwork deals with shapes and form, everything from the free fall of pins and needles to the cacophonous Mardi Gras. If there is a consistent theme to Isabel’s work, it is color and movement, and a sense of fun.
Siovhan Hutcherson has always been fascinated by colors and shapes and how they relate, as well as the particular joy of crafting by hand. She is often drawn to themes depicting animals and the beauty of nature, but lately, she has also begun to explore more abstract designs. Siovhan’s designs feel as though they have been “painted with glass”.
These three artists are united by their use of the indirect method for creating mosaics, and the show will showcase their different approaches to the medium.
Apr 1, 2014
April 2-28, 2014
B.Z. Reily’s show, “Full Circle“, opening April 2nd at Hope and Feathers in Amherst, includes found-object wall sculptures and prints.
B.Z.‘s work is constructed out of weathered and worn items, antique wood, metal scraps, fabric, gloves, and pieces from the natural world.
This new work includes collagraph plates, embossed prints, and encaustics. The circle has been a reoccurring form throughout her sculptural work but she has made it central to this show and installation. Forty years ago she was a printmaking student in college so you could say she has come full circle.
B.Z. just recently retired from teaching art in the public schools after 33 years. She has shown her work in museums and galleries all over the northeast.
Image: Radial, Mixed media sculpture
Mar 1, 2014
March 5-29, 2014
Artist William Rathbun’s paintings will be on display beginning Wednesday March 5th. Rathbun has been creating work for over 40 years and has shown his work exclusively in museums in galleries in Massachusetts, most notably the deCordova Museum. Rathbun is continuously experimenting with a variety of styles and mediums that include paintings, sculpture, and neon.
Recently, a visit by the Hope & Feathers staff to Bill’s studio resulted in the resurfacing of a series of watercolors. Captivated by the vibrant and playful nature of these works we set about planning a show. Rathbun’s exploration of neon sculpture is an obvious influence on the creation of this series of paintings. To experience these watercolors is to witness an evolution of “electric” from sculpture to paint and paper.
Image: Our First Snow, Watercolor on paper
