MARCH 2 – 30
Weaving Narratives
Lois Matson • Marsha Lodge • Patricia Jones
Opening Reception: Saturday, March 2 (2-4 pm)
Our current exhibit in Fisher Gallery showcases the artistry of Connecticut weavers Lois Matson, Marsha Lodge, and Patricia Jones. Explore soft sculptures, elegant wearables and accessories, and a beautiful selection of table linens perfect for any occasion. All items are on display and available for purchase until March 30th.
APRIL 6 – 27
Renewal Rhythms
Kerri Michaud-Bagley | Doug Hockman
Opening Reception: Saturday, April 6 (2-4 pm)
The rhythms of nature influence our daily lives. From the 24 hour cycle of circadian rhythm to the lunar tides. Through the cold and dark of winter, flora and fauna take time to rest. Their internal clocks tick in pace with the awakening of Mother Nature in the spring.
This collection is a meditation on the cycle of the seasons. We invite you to look up close, notice the changing color palettes, and feel the ever-shifting rhythms of nature’s renewal.
About the Artists:
Kerri Michaud- Bagley
Kerri Michaud-Bagley is a Connecticut based potter. She received her BFA in Ceramics and teaching certification from Central Connecticut State University and MA from Wesleyan University. Her pottery business, Heart Stone Gallery was born in 2015.
Nature is delicate, fragile and ever changing. It’s those quiet moments in nature that cause us to pause for a moment, reflect a little deeper, look a little closer, explore a little more and breathe a little freer. Kerri aims to bring the beauty of nature into your home with her designs. Whether you sip your morning cup of coffee alone or gather around the table as a family, she hopes that her pottery allows you to connect with your special place in nature.
Doug Hockman
Seasoned landscape photographer Doug Hockman is continually inspired by the interplay between the raw beauty of nature and the dynamism of weather and light. The ordinary becomes transcendent when carefully captured by his keen perspective, and the viewer bears witness to the awakening of the natural elements’ inherent sublimity and grandeur. Across all seasons and climates, each image preserves the wonders of land, sea, and sky, through which Hockman invites his audience to find comfort, peace, and serenity.
June 1 – 29
Delightfully Decadent
Sandy Welch
Opening Reception: June 1, 2-4 PM
Sandy Welch infuses the magical joy of makeup into all her work, drawing from her 25 years in the cosmetics industry. Her artistic journey began with paintings centered around designer shoes, earning her the moniker “the shoe artist.” Over time, her portfolio expanded to include portraits of fashionable women and celebrities, as well as vibrant scenes of flower gardens and bustling beaches, where the buzz of conversation seems almost tangible. Additionally, Sandy’s repertoire features delectable, beautifully decorated cakes, which garnered attention from the Hartford Courant in a feature titled “Cakes on Canvas.” Through her lighthearted and exciting subjects, Sandy invites viewers to escape into a wonderland filled with vivid color and fantasy.
July 6 – 27
Animal Stories
Grace Epstein | Nan Runde
Two artists combine their unique approaches to visual storytelling, depicting the natural world with subtle realism and vibrant whimsy, each telling an engaging and captivating story.
Grace Epstein’s collection of functional ceramic pieces features animal motifs inspired by the daily lives of backyard animals, infused with humor and whimsy.
Nan Runde masterfully captures the delicate vulnerability of birds in man-made environments through her intricate graphite drawings.
Grace Epstein
Grace’s art background is anchored in art education, having taught art in NYC, Texas, and CT, most recently having taught grades 6 – 12. art at Ethel Walker School until 2017. She is now homeschooling two of her grandchildren (reading, science, social studies, math, and art), which recently has expanded to include Clay Playtime part-time with two additional homeschoolers. Grace has moved from painting on canvas to painting on clay, producing ceramic functional pottery for clients, FVAC, and local CT craft shows. Her illustrated pottery includes animal stories inspired by her own hens and local wildlife, her favorite chicken-proof Montauk Daisies, and most recently, grandma stories, though she’s been asked not to sell them.
Nan Runde
Nan Runde has been immersed in the arts all her life. At eighteen, she participated in an exhibit at the Greenwich Art Society. Despite earning degrees in literature and pursuing doctoral studies in English and folklore, her varied interests led her to work as a proofreader, political cartoonist, composition and rhetoric teacher, and freelance graphic designer, illustrator, calligrapher, photo restorer, and writer. She created The Shakespeare Calendar and has written for Parabola magazine.
In 2008, Nan joined the BFA program at Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, completing her degree with honors in 2012. Now a full-time studio artist and drawing instructor at the West Hartford Art League, her work has appeared in juried exhibits across numerous galleries and museums, including solo exhibits at the Clare Gallery and the Artists Live program in Storrs. She has also participated in notable shows like “Three Women: Visions in Contrast” at the Hartford Public Library ArtWalk Gallery and “Not Your Mother’s Drawing Show” at Five Points Gallery in Torrington.
Inspired by both the natural world and the inner realms of dreams and imagination, Nan’s work includes abstract egg tempera paintings, atmospheric oil paintings, tonal landscapes, and meticulous graphite drawings. Her art evolves organically, embodying the essence of nature
September 7- 28
Recent Paintings
I.S. LEVITZ
Opening Reception: September 7
I.S. LEVITZ is an abstract artist, activist, curator, and teacher. Her work is in American and European collections.