Fine Arts Connection announces new show

THOMASTON — The Fine Arts Connection of Thomaston presents its new show, “Home Sweet Home,” running from July 14-29 at the Crescent Gallery, 158 Main Street, Thomaston.

The focus of this show is to find a perfect match. The works for sale hope to find their forever home. If you have an empty wall, we have a painting ready to hang in that special spot. There will be artwork suitable for the kitchen, living room, man cave, and even the powder room. These artists have been painting for a long time and have a great body of work.

The Gallery will be open one hour before show times of the Thomaston Opera house productions of “Annie” on July 14, 20-21, 27-28 from 6-7 p.m., and July 15, 22 and 29 from 1-2 p.m.

Kent Art Association lecture series

KENT — Continuing the Kent Art Association’s 95th Anniversary Celebration (1923-2018), members are presenting the third lecture in the series, “Discovering Our Founders” with American art expert Amy Kurtz Lansing, curator at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, speaking on Robert Nisbet, the first President of the Kent Art Association, Saturday, July 14 at 3 p.m. at the KAA Gallery in Kent located at 21 South Main St.

The Florence Griswold Museum is located on the site of a colony for Tonalist and Impressionist painters at the turn of the 20th century. Before scandal forced his relocation to South Kent, Robert H. Nisbet spent summers in Old Lyme painting the old fashioned town’s celebrated views. In this lecture Kurtz Lansing will look at Nisbet’s work and career.

Nisbet began his art studies at the Rhode Island School of Design when he was 8. He taught at Brown University and was president of the Art Students League of New York.

He was an Associate Member of the National Academy of Design, a National Academician, an Artist Life member of the National Arts Club, one of the incorporators of the Society of American Etchers, a member of the Philadelphia Society of Etchers and a founder of the Kent Art Association and served as its President for 20 years.

In addition to his art he was gun collector an excellent marksman and was proficient with a bow and arrow. During WWII he was a commissioned Rifle Instructor, Chief Air Raid Warden, State Forest Fire Warden and a Captain in the State Guard Reserve Company.

An expert in Parliamentary procedure, he was often called on to be the moderator for town meetings and he was Grand Master of the Masons of CT.

His paintings and etchings can be found in museums and private collections all over the world including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian, the Library of Congress, the Bibliotheque National in Paris, the New York Public Library, and Yale University.

Admission is $5; refreshments will be served. Next in the series is a talk on Sculptor Willard Paddock by artists Deborah Chabrian and Edward Martinez on Saturday, Aug. 11 at 3 pm.

Presidents Show winners

During the opening reception for the Kent Art Association’s Presidents Show, $2,000 in awards were presented to 14 artists from Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts. In addition to awards honoring the nine founders of the KAA, Best in Show Award and awards from the Pastel Society, the Richard Ochs and Sasha Mauer Awards for Watercolor, an award excellence was given in the name of long time member and patron of the KAA, Alice Wolfe, who died recently. She was an active member for many years and helped to establish the KAA”s Student Art Show.

The Best in Show winner receives $500 award and is also given a Solo Show during the Elected Artist Show and this year, for the first time, it was won by a photographer.

Winners are:

Best in Show — Photograph, “Basket with Crow”, Judy Secco, Bantam; Richard Ochs Memorial Award for Watercolor — “Loggerhead Turtle’, Betty Ann Medeiros, Danbury; Sascha Maurer AWS Memorial Award for Watercolor — “Mary Ellen’s Bouquet”, Carolyn Bucha, Southbury; Spencer Nichols Award for Oil — “Cherished Threads”, Tamara Oppel, Woodbury; Robert Nisbet Award for Graphics — “Dreamer”, Chandra Rogers, New Milford; George Laurence Nelson Award for Portrait — “Joey”, Harry Burman, Brewster, NY; Willard Paddock Award for Sculpture — “Special Hat”, Werner Kappes, New Preston; F. Luis Mora Award for Pastel — “Thinking It Over”, Anna Petranich, Danbury; John T. Mott Award for Marine Painting — “Still Night”, Jeff Gettis, Torrington; Pastel Society Award for Pastel — “Alone and Empty”, Clayton Buchanan, Newburgh, N.Y. ; Richard Ochs Memorial Award II for Watercolor — “Cross Country Ski Tracks”, Sally Sargent Markey, Granby; KAA Award of Excellence for Acrylics — “Brook Trout”, Keith Davidson, So. Egremont, MA; KAA Award of Excellence for Photography — “Happy Together”, Sergio Villaschi, Warren; Alice Wolfe Award of Excellence for Oil, “The Shelf” , Michael Spross, Millbrook, N.Y.

The Presidents Show ends July 22. The KAA Gallery is located at 21 So. Main St. in Kent. Contact the Gallery at 860-927-3989 or check our website for the latest news, www.kentart.org.

Grief support group offered in Salisbury

SALISBURY — SVNA is hosting a Grief Support Group to help the bereaved cope with sadness and loss in a safe space. The group is facilitated by SVNA’s Medical Social Worker, Liz Tanner-Horn and Sharon Health Care’s Social Worker, Cindy Meritt.

The group is open to all community members, and it is not necessary to attend every session. Meetings are held every Wednesday, 1-2 p.m. at St. John’s Church, 12 Main Street, 2nd floor, Salisbury. The group is free.

For more information or to reserve a seat, call Liz TannerHorn at 860-435-0816 or ETannerHorn@salisburyvna.org.