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Greta Gundersen : Afterimage II
Jun 18, 2022
July 6th – Extended to August 30th
Greta Gundersen was a prolific Belchertown-based artist who passed away in 2017. This exhibit is a selection of graphite drawings from her large body of work.
We are happy and grateful to once again host a series of Greta’s drawings in our gallery.
About Greta’s work: The drawings have identifiable single subjects — bats, birds, bulbs of garlic — but they exist in a hazy liminal space like they’re emerging from dream-like visions. She captured the essence of her subjects and gave us delicate images that feel like dream visions preserved before they fade upon waking. These pieces draw us in, they speak to the non-verbal part of us, the places we can’t describe clearly but we know to exist. These are transitional images that exist between what is and what might be.
Peter has again graciously made these works available so they can be seen and appreciated – to get her work out of storage and back out into the world. For this reason, they are offered for sale at less than half their appraised value. We will be donating 15% of all sales to The Performing Arts Project: performanceproject.org
About Greta Gundersen (1952-2017):
A native New Yorker of Norwegian descent, Greta Gundersen lived in New York City, California, Spain, and South America. From 1981-1990, she was the director of BACA Downtown, a nonprofit visual and performing arts center in Brooklyn, where she curated more than 80 exhibitions and nine years of theatrical programming, which earned her an OBIE “for keeping experimental theater alive and well in New York City.” In 1990 she became the Artistic Director of The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council at the World Trade Center. There she worked with visual and performing artists to create public installations, events and festivals throughout the Financial District. For over 10 years she served as a panelist and consultant with The Rockefeller Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc., The Jerome Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, The New York State Council on the Arts, The Jim Henson Foundation, among others, reviewing work by artists and organizations from around the country. She left New York City for western MA in 1995, to paint full time. Her work was featured in numerous exhibitions in the US and abroad. Learn more about Greta at: gretagundersen.com
PLEASE NOTE: walk-ins are welcome for the gallery.
Donna Roy : A Walk in the Reeds
May 18, 2022
June 2nd – July 2nd
Artists Statement:
During the pandemic years, I longed to find places of peace and serenity. To escape from the solitude, constant anxiety, and sadness that was omnipresent. With lockdowns in place, I turned to nature and found soul-saving beauty in places that were empty of humans but filled with life and nutrients. The Marshes, Swamps, Fens, and Bogs of Massachusetts provided me with calm beauty, and peace.
A Walk in the Reeds is the body of work that culminated from time spent in the beautiful wetlands where I sketched, photographed, and found inspiration. Exploring textures, colors, and organic compositions, I used soft pastels on paper because of the tactile feel and energetic mark-making. Exploring washes, textured grounds, and a color palette that was new to me, I endeavored to capture the beauty of common places in an uncommon way.
Feelings of hope, serenity, clarity, and inspiration are what I want the viewer to take with them from this body of work. Seeing color that is barely there yet vivid and bright, and to have a new perspective and appreciation for these quiet places that are so important in our Massachusetts eco-system.
About the Artist:
Donna Roy is a Western Massachusetts artist who began her love of painting while studying privately with a local oil painter when she was ten years old. During weekly studio sessions, she learned traditional foundations of composition, perspective, color theory, and design. This foundation cemented her love for painting and her creative journey.
A graduate of UMASS with a BFA, Donna continued her exploration of art through several mediums, including glass fusing and enamel painting. During the last ten years, she developed a line of post-consumer glass and copper garden sculptures.
Learning to thrive in a pandemic, Donna pushed her passion for color full circle and found her home with soft pastels. Addicted to vibrant color and energetic marks, her paintings center on New England landscapes and local natural beauty. Her award-winning paintings have been exhibited in local, national, and international juried shows.
These days, you will find Donna visiting local farms, rivers, and trails with her trusty camera in search of inspiration, painting Plein Air, or in her small home studio creating pastel paintings inspired by beautiful New England character.
PLEASE NOTE: walk-ins are welcome for the gallery. Masks are appreciated indoors.
Sharon Loehr-Lapan : Common Thread
Feb 23, 2022
March 3rd – March 28th
Artists Statement:
Painting in different mediums of watercolor, acrylic, and oil encourages new avenues of exploration. With a flat surface and a little paint, I combine the wonder and discovery of childhood with experiences I’ve gained over time.
By initially exploring abstract forms the paint determines the image’s composition and formal relationships. I become the observer of my own painting and then expand upon what the paint has already provided. Using this method I get to enjoy the image as a viewer and author. As the artist, I actively enhance the journey the paint has taken me on. Then as I get closer to completing the painting, I delve into the technical aspects of more realistic elements. It is my turn to balance out the composition and influence the viewer’s experience.
The common thread of this exhibit is the interplay of the paint’s and the artist’s contribution. I get to be both the observer and the creator of each painting.
About Sharon Loehr Lapan:
Sharon has degrees in fine art and special education. She has lived and taught across the country in western Massachusetts, Delaware, Utah, and Missouri. Now back in Massachusetts, Sharon is a resident artist at the Sawmill River Arts Gallery. She enjoys working in the mediums of oil, acrylic, and watercolor.
PLEASE NOTE: walk-ins are welcome for the gallery. Masks are required indoors.