Ketcham art exhibit at library to offer a rhythmic presence

The David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village will present “Sallie Ketcham: Recurrent Rhythm,” an exhibit of paintings and prints, beginning Saturday, May 26, with a reception from 4 to 6 p.m. The exhibit will be on display on the library’s art wall through June 16. For more information, call the library at 860824-7424 or visit huntlibrary.org. The artist’s work can be seen at sallieketcham.com.

Sallie Ketcham loves “playing in paint, like a child in a mud pile.” Her energetic and sometimes roaming nature is present in the paintings and monoprints collected for her new exhibit. She says that she tries to capture energy that she takes in on her journeys through nature.

“I look for the intimate in what sometimes feels to be an overwhelming scene, finding details in nature that at first seem insignificant,” Ketcham says. “Looking into a pond and seeing leaves that are settled to the bottom creating a rich environment for new growth; looking through a forest and seeing layers of trees interspersed with leaves and branches all connected. I want to express the crashing sea, the rushing river, the windblown hedgerow. I want the painting to feel the weight of gravity’s pull.”

This connectivity and physicality emanates throughout the collection. In her paintings and printmaking, she physically layers. Oil paint or ink goes on and is then scraped or wiped out, leaving serendipitous bits of color or texture from which to build anew. Ketcham’s prints combine not only multiple plates but also different processes in the same image. Each plate adds a new layer of color and intensity. Recurrent imagery flows through her painting and printmaking creating a natural rhythm.

Ketcham was educated at the University of Delaware, receiving a Faculty Award in 1986. In 2013 she completed a post baccalaureate, concentrating in oil painting at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Her varied career includes freelance photography for the Wilmington News Journal and several teaching positions. She turned to painting in 1996 and her work has been exhibited several times with the X-Girls collective, at The White House, Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts and Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Her line of bronze funeral urns is part of The Funeria collection in San Francisco. .

Contributed photo The Hunt Library’s exhibition of paintings by Sallie Ketcham opens May 24.