‘Appreciating the Everyday’ show opens

ESSEX — Spectrum Art Gallery and Artisans Store in the Centerbrook portion of town will present its newest exhibit, “Appreciating the Everyday,” beginning this weekend.

It comprises “new and original artwork that showcases the imagery of daily events and objects that make our lives easier and more pleasurable — the family dinner, a bottle of wine, a fireplace, and more,” according to a news release.

Located at 61 Main St., the gallery’s first show of 2020 includes an open reception from Friday from 6:30 to 9 p.m., wine and refreshments. The seven-week show runs through March 15.

“During these cold, winter months, it is a nice time to sit back and appreciate the daily events and objects that we may not notice as we rush from one place to another ... . the baby sleeping, a warm cup of tea, our sweet, endearing pets. So take a breath and visit us at the gallery to find more to appreciate,” Barbara Nair, Spectrum Gallery director, said in a prepared statement.

Presenting at Spectrum are both returning and new artists working in a range of mediums including new-to-Spectrum artist Patti Maher, who is interested in simple, elegant lines, shadows and negative spaces. She works in pencil, pen and ink, watercolor, and at times a combination, the release said.

They include Melissa Rae Dovey, who creates pen-and-ink drawings documenting everyday life; and Steven Ostrowski, also new to Spectrum, who exhibits a playful, yet dramatic style in acrylic and gouache, the release continued.

Other fine artists showing are painter Denise Gaffney Hartz, who focuses on the abstract to express memory and experience in her work. Painter and photographer Lori Blados, who lives part-time in Connecticut and Costa Rica — both places enriching her visual aesthetic and contributing to her imagery and color palette; and painter Melissa Imossi, a contemporary realist artist focusing on the source and flow of light in her images.

Also, Linda McCarthy, whose paintings give hints of reality letting the viewer’s eye and imagination fill in the rest, returns to Spectrum with three still lifes; as does Rosemary Webber, who is exhibiting two new oils, the release said.

A new artist to Spectrum, Sally Brown, working in acrylic and pastels, shows both mediums in “Appreciating the Everyday.” Fine artist Mark Rich also returns to Spectrum and presents a vibrantly-colored abstract in oil and wax pastels on canvas.

Others presenting include Catherine Satsuk, with several “heartwarming” oils on canvas; Iacopo Pasquinelli, an Italianborn and award-winning painter, whose work captures the romantic view of local countrysides and coastlines, but in the current exhibit presents a thoughtful and very personal portrait; painter and calligrapher Ned Farrell, who has several fun mixed media works in the show; and Regina Thomas, known for her adventurous use of mixed media in her collages, returns to Spectrum showing several works.

Photographers are Robert Thomas, with several new pieces; Dianne Roberts, who captures images of the passage of time in animals and nature. John Hsu, a native of Taiwan, has exhibited extensively throughout the region and has published multiple photographic books, including several dedicated to water reflection imagery. In “Appreciating the Everyday,” he captures the beauty of animals.

Also showing is Howard Margules, who shoots a wide range of subjects but favors portrait photography, particularly candid, unposed subjects; and Paul Ramsey, who presents a powerful photographic seascape, according to the director.

Many Spectrum potters, glass artists, fabric and jewelry designers, and other fine artisans are exhibiting their pieces, including Andy Teran, who sculpts whales and fish using local driftwood; Marsha Leavitt, a New England basketry artist best known for her functional and decorative reed baskets and pine needle art weavings; and Maryann Flick, who has several new stained-glass panels. Numerous jewelry designers are also bringing in new pieces in preparation for Valentine’s Day.

Spectrum Art Gallery and Artisans Store is an expansion of the nonprofit Arts Center Killingworth, which organizes classes, workshops, and summer art and fashion camps for children and teens. The center also recently announced two calls for artists for the Summer Arts Festival in Essex and the Autumn Arts Festival in Madison.

For information, call 860-767-0742 or visit spectrumartgallery.org. To learn about the Arts Center Killingworth, call 860-663-5593 or visit artscenterkillingworth.org