My work takes the form of a visual allegory which pulls from the endearments of craftsmanship and reaches to the ethers of spirit and folklore. Regarding the freedom of a fixed moment and the constrictions of eternity, the work ebbs and flows between the familiar and the foreign.
I cultivate inspiration from historical and personal narratives that are visually coded in handmade objects. I consider my process an act of remembrance through amplifying histories documented through textile, craft, and accessible means of expression. My work conveys human experience without a corporeal body, believing that the depicted body invites subjection from the viewer. In capitalism, the body carries burdens of identity, of objects, and of labor. My work encourages a release from our own lived experience, and into the subconscious mind; where we are free to associate with multiple overlapping narratives and tales – free of linear time and analytical thought. I document the maker and show their hand and mine. While the hand is often purposefully concealed and forgotten, I choose to meditate on the process, the material, the context and the story; asynchronously remembered and felt across barriers of language, body, time, and space.
About Mairead Clifford Dambruch:
Mairead Clifford Dambruch is a painter and a weaver. She is a failed multitasker and an amateur rug collector. She walks fast and paints slow. Painting, for her, is an extension of the self; a living document that absorbs a spectrum of energy and sentiment from the maker. She is a teacher of art to all ages. Her work is informed by research in the fields of cultural textiles, anthropology, folktale, and the sustainable and ethical practices of herbalism and farming. She believes in building upon the roots of other’s learned labor. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2020 at the School of Art of Carnegie Mellon University.
PLEASE NOTE: walk-ins are welcome for the gallery. Masks are required indoors.
Come celebrate the 11th annual Small Works Show at the Opening Reception & Pie Party Thursday, December 1st from 5-8pm.
This year small works got a little bigger! All works are 5×7″, 6×6″ or 8×10″ and all in fabulous frames! From paintings to photographs, illustrations to assemblages and more, the show features works in a wide variety of mediums. All cash-and-carry for easy holiday shopping.
All are welcome and please invite your friends and family.
*Keep in mind: Please note there may be limited parking in our parking lot. On-street parking available. Masks may be required depending on the current COVID-19 situation.
Artists Statement:
“At first unexpected storms threaten to overwhelm. Deep isolation slowly yielded to bonding walks. We explored local environments more deeply, learned to see with new eyes, and found unexpected solace – All residences of a pandemic year. “
About Ruth Rinard: After careers in academe and health sciences, Ruth became intrigued with the freshness of pure pigment and the tactile possibilities of pastel. When she realized she could use her drawing skills within the painterly framework of pastel, she never looked back. Ruth has studied painting with Christine Labich and exhibited work with the Connecticut and New Hampshire pastel societies.
PLEASE NOTE: walk-ins are welcome for the gallery. Masks are required indoors.
