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.
May 12, 2014
An exhibit of paintings and drawings by Rachel Folsom and Barbara Johnson, May 1-31, 2014
Award-winning Pioneer Valley realist painters Rachel Folsom and Barbara Johnson will be exhibiting paintings and drawings that reflect their exploration of wabi-sabi, the Japanese aesthetic of appreciating the beauty inherent in objects that are imperfect, unfinished, or show signs of wear.
Johnson (www.barbarajohnson.com) skillfully translates into paints the varied textures exposed in abandoned, demolished, and aging buildings, depicting scenes from our economic corridors in transition. Folsom (www.rachelfolsom.com) will be showing a series of meditative yet playful graphite drawings of found objects in various states of disintegration along with still-life paintings of things from the natural world. Exploring the beauty of our flawed world helps us come to terms with the bitter sweet nature of life – so much pleasure to be had in the face of inevitable losses as our country, our environment, and we ourselves undergo change.
Johnson and Folsom practice a representation that does not stint on observation, resulting in images that give the viewer abundant visual information to reflect upon and a chance to contemplate the complexities of overlooked features of our evolving world.The artists offer different perspectives – Folsom gives an intimate view, while Johnson looks outward to the world beyond the studio.The two bodies of work complement each other, providing a broad view of the possibilities of wabi-sabi.
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
Feb 1, 2014
January 22 – March 1, 2014
Nancy Meagher’s paintings are now on view here at Hope and Feathers Framing. Each of her sculptural, layered oil paintings creates a sense of time, place, and emotion. This exhibition officially opened on January 22nd. It will be on view through March 1st.
Meagher finds beauty in the gray days of the Valley. Her paintings are about finding the green in winter, the silver lining of clouds, the lemons that hold lemonade. Her work reflects geology and the Earth’s history, miles of rambling stone walls, how the Connecticut River evolved, the beginnings of Leverett Pond, how Puffer’s Pond helped create paper, old brick Mills, and fish!
Jan 1, 2014
December 9, 2013 – January 18, 2014
Every year, Hope & Feathers shows small works from a number of local artists. The show is cash and carry, which means you can walk out with that special piece right during the Art Walk! That also means that each day the show is different, as new works are brought in whenever something sells. The exhibition runs through January 18th.
Nov 1, 2013
November 5-30, 2013
Hope & Feathers Gallery is thrilled to announce it will be showing the work of Vanessa Chakour. Now Brooklyn based, Chakour grew up in Amherst in a family of renowned musicians and educators. From November 5th – 30th, Chakour will exhibit select paintings and drawings from 2006-present
Abstract in nature, Chakour’s work incorporates “stream of consciousness” images and words. She releases thoughts, feelings and emotions onto her surfaces as a way of letting go and shedding layers like skins that house dreams, nightmares, memories and desires of one’s true self. Releasing these emotions and reforming them into colorful, bursting forms allows the artist to be free and celebrate being part of a bigger experience in conjunction with the universe.
In her newest pieces, Chakour is exploring connection to nature and desire to maintain wildness within and without. She will be collaborating with the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, NY, and developing workshops while bringing awareness to the issues facing wolves and top predators that are vital to our ecosystem. This show will raise help funds and awareness for the conservation center and more importantly speak to the issue of wolves who have recently lost their protection and are being killed and hunted at an alarming rate. For more information: vanessachakour.com and nywolf.org.
The exhibition opens during the Amherst Art Walk on Thursday, November 7th from 5-8pm. An artist reception will be held on Saturday, November 9th from 4-7pm. The show can also be viewed Monday – Friday 10-6pm and Saturday 10-4pm throughout the month of November.
Oct 1, 2013
October 1-31, 2013
In his new series of paintings, Chris Page explores qualities of time and space using gestural rhythms to create meditative visual fields. Based in witnessing the horizonless, daytime sky, these paintings mirror its dynamic pictorial diversity and optical spaces creating alternative worlds of light, form, and emptiness.
The show opens October 3rd from 5-8PM during the Amherst Art Walk, and there will be an Artist Reception Saturday, October 5th from 4-7PM.
Sep 1, 2013
September 3-30, 2013
Hope & Feathers Gallery is thrilled to announce its September show: work by debut children’s author and illustrator Aaron Becker. “Journey”, a wordless picture book published by the award-winning Candlewick Press, follows the adventures of a lonely girl into an enchanting realm just beyond a magical door drawn on her bedroom wall. Publisher’s Weekly, in one of the book’s several starred reviews, writes “Wonder mixes with longing as the myriad possibilities offered by Becker’s stunning settings dwarf what actually happens in the story. Readers will be both dazzled and spurred on imagined travels of their own.” A Junior Library Guild selection, “Journey” has quickly captured the attention of the book world in what School Library Journal calls an “auspicious debut picture book.”
Becker’s background in film design for such studios as Lucasfilm, Disney, and Pixar informs the book’s rich watercolor illustrations. Several original pieces, along with prints, artist proofs, studies, dummy books, and thumbnail sketches will be on display, giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at his process. Signed books will also be available for purchase.
The exhibition opens during the Amherst Art Walk on Thursday, September 5th from 5-8pm. An artist reception will be held on Saturday, September 7th from 4-7pm. The show can also be viewed Monday – Friday 10-6pm and Saturday 10-4pm through out the month of September.
Prints, original sketches and watercolors, and artist proofs are available for purchase in our online shop.
