New shows at Brush and LDG brighten late winter in Lowell
Splash of color on display
The Lowell art scene is flourishing this week as February gives way to March and spring hovers on the horizon.
The Brush Art Gallery and Studios, 256 Market Street, pays tribute to seven artists who use cartooning, illustration and sketching in their creative processes in its new show. It is on view Feb. 25-April 8, with a reception 2- 4 p.m. on March 18, with a snow date on March 19.
Featured artists include Donna Berger, a freelance illustrator and graphic designer whose subject matter includes animals, children, people, historical information, and ethnic diversity.
Award-winning children’s author/illustrator Shennen Bersani also shares her work at the Brush. Her art — shown in 3 million books cherished by readers world-wide — delivers heartfelt emotion and the wonders of nature and science that create a joy of learning. Read about her and her books at www.shennen.com.
Bill Bradbury, a graphic artist at The Sun for over 25 years, now works from his Western Avenue Studios space doing portraits, caricatures, drawings, and advertisements. He also taught cartooning and advertising in the continuing education department at Umass Lowell for 15 years.
Brush artist Will Winslow was a children’s book illustrator before becoming art director of the children’s books division of Addison-wesley Publishing in Reading. He had his own graphic design firm, Graphic Associates, before his 2002 retirement when he joined the Brush.
Ted Lavash was also an art director at the Honeywell Corporation from 1977-2000. He draws cartoons, line drawings and paints. Lavash is a trustee of the Ayer Lofts Art Gallery in Lowell.
Colleen Sgroi’s work is available world-wide on prints, puzzles, calendars and greeting cards. Her illustrations in children’s books have earned her a Moonbeam Best Illustrator Award, a Feathered Quill award and several Mom’s Choice awards. She works from a Lowell studio.
Gary Destramp grew up in Lowell’s Acre, one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods. He studied illustration at New England School of Art and Design in Boston. His illustrations have appeared in newspapers and magazines, and he currently works as a designer at a regional daily newspaper.
For hours and info, visit www. thebrush.org.
More faces are on view in “Face to Face,” an exploration of the universal within the individual. Featuring the work of artists Katren Cleo and Wendy James, the show is on view March 1-26 at the Loading Dock Gallery at Western Avenue Studios, 122 Western Ave. A reception is planned 3-5 p.m., Saturday, March 4, in conjunction with WAS’S monthly Open Studios.
Their portraits invite connection between viewer and portrayed. James paints bold, intimate oil paintings, rooted in her personal photographs, using saturated color. Sitters’ words are included in the display, creating a narrative of personal meaning.
Cleo focuses on communication through the body. Her charcoal portraits range from realistic to abstract, and their bold marks and sweeping gestures resonate with dark emotion, both private and familiar.
The gallery is open noon-5:30 p.m., Wed.-sat., and noon- 4 p.m., Sun. Visit www.theloadingdockgallery.com for info.
Gallery notes
‘AQUA TERRA’ IN WESTFORD: Lowell artists Brooke Lambert and Kurt Hanss join forces in “Aqua Terra,” a new high color, duo exhibition at the Parish Center for the Arts Gallery, 10 Lincoln St., Westford. On view Feb. 28-March 28, the opening reception is 6-9 p.m., Fri., March 3. The gallery is open noon-2 p.m. on Sundays. Lambert’s work is influenced by emotions and memories of natural environments and the ocean. Her collagraph prints are made using discarded and recycled materials, such as string and plastic netting, the very materials that are choking the ocean. She hopes that the moments of unexpected beauty captured in her images inspire a deep appreciation of the natural world and her use of sustainable practices encourage us to protect our environment. Hanss is a painter and maker, whose current focus is painting.
His work invokes a sense of vibrant movement, combining kaleidoscopic colors in unexpected ways to breathe life into favorite objects and refreshing scenes. Some of his preferred subjects include vintage vehicles, machinery, and iconic New England landmarks.