Hancock displaying her work
Impressions exhibit at Kentville gallery until May 28
Sheri Hancock is the latest guest artist at the Tides Contemporary Art Gallery in Kentville.
A printmaker and graphic designer, she has collected a diverse tribe of creatures together in her exhibit called Impressions. Hancock’s subject matter includes everything from crows to coyotes. She has imagined narratives for most of the prints.
Playing with the notion of two crows representing joy and owls as wisdom, she chose a German shepherd as one of her subjects, saying he signifies loyalty. All of the prints were created since the New Year.
Made woodblock-style, Hancock only made five prints of each work. She said she used the material she had at hand for the blocks, everything from cherry plywood to Styrofoam. Each piece features black ink and a white background.
They come in three sizes and range in price from $125 to $300. Hancock said each print was made with Akua ink, which is “soy-based and non-toxic. It’s fantastic to work with.”
Before moving back to her home in the Annapolis Valley,
Hancock was manager at the Two Rivers Printmaking Studio in Vermont. She graduated from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University, then worked in graphic design for several years at Gottschalk+Ash International, a Swiss visual communications firm in Montréal.
Hancock went on to complete a master of arts at the University of Iowa. She has exhibited her prints at a number of galleries in the northeast United States and her work is included in numerous public collections. Recently, she returned to live and work in her childhood home of Wolfville.
On May 17 at noon, Hancock will offer an artist talk and printmaking demonstration. Impressions will run until May 28.
A non-profit gallery, Tides opened in 2019. It features the work of more than a dozen established and emerging artists from this region. It is the project of the Kentville Art Gallery Society. The gallery is across Cornwallis Street from the Kings County Museum.
One of five remaining members of the original 12-member society, Colin Chase noted that Tides “survived the pandemic. We’re still here and it’s still fun.”
He is gallery co-ordinator and chairperson of the current 12-member board of directors. Other members include Bob Hainstock, Carolyn Mallery and Linda Hutchinson.
Chase, who is a photographer, was busy installing new work in another part of the gallery as Hancock hung her prints.
Tides is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
https://www.tidescontemporaryartgallery.com/