Inside Art with Michael Rose - Local Talent Abounds at Warwick Center for the Arts

Wednesday, February 09, 2022

 

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PHOTO: Michael Rose

Located in the heart of Warwick on Post Road, the crenelated facade of the Warwick Center for the Arts (WCFA) is hard to miss. First established in 1974 as the Warwick Art Museum, the WCFA is home to a range of exhibitions, classes, and programs that bring art to the center of the state. On view through February 11, WCFA’s 2022 Member Show is a celebration of local art and artists. With a wealth of work on view, the show has plenty to see and offers a chance to examine what local artists are creating.

The exhibition boasts over seventy-five artworks by fifty-two artists, making it one of WCFA’s most popular shows. Artworks in a range of media, from paintings and photographs to sculptural assemblages and collages, are on view throughout the brick-walled gallery of the WCFA. Showing off the work of active WCFA member artists, the exhibition details some of the topics, themes, and styles that currently hold the interest of Rhode Island artists.

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Many artworks in the exhibition play with texture and utilize multiple components. Two such works are inventive reliefs by Krzysztof Mathews. Employing found objects to create his assemblages, Mathews’ invites viewers to look closer in an attempt to untangle myriad elements. Other multi-part works in the exhibition include collages by Beverly Silva. In her art, visitors will find works by a creator who delights in putting together pieces to explore surfaces and whimsical narratives.

Other works on view are decidedly more pared down, but no less creative. Photographers Eric Hovermale and John Pitocco both explore the human form in their submissions. In Pitocco’s image, “Flying”, a woman is seen in mid-jump on a beach. Her red pants and white top are set against the muted tones of the shoreline at dusk. Hovermale’s image covers an almost identical subject but within the context of a studio and in a discerningly minimal style. Both photographs are well done and are enjoyable to compare and contrast.

 

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PHOTO: Michael Rose

 

Botanical subjects form another component of the exhibition. Michael Pekela’s “Rose of Sharon”, a painting completed on upholstery fabric, bears an unusual and textural surface. Alexandra Spano’s treatment of the Shakespearean character Ophelia is a reexamination of a scene that has appeared repeatedly throughout the history of art. The waterlilies in Spano’s colored pencil drawing take on a mournful quality. In another image in the show, these leafy islands appear again. Kate Mello’s thoughtful photograph, “Scratching the Surface”, finds lily pads sharing the scene with falling autumn leaves on a rippling and watery surface.

Some artworks take greenery and use it as a base for deep dives into line and design. Two images from Ann-Marie Gillett’s “Underfoot” series are contemplative explorations of the surface of the ground. Gillett uses handpainted tape, acrylic paint, and markers on the sensuous foundation of Yupo paper to create images that are packed with meandering lines and graceful forms. The results are full of vivid details that offer viewers the chance to see the world through one artist’s eyes.

 

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PHOTO: Michael Rose

 

Where Gillett’s imagery is rich in detail, another exhibitor shares earthy artwork that is extraordinarily subtle. Barbara Canning’s eco print, titled “Excitement”, is a triptych of three sets of leaves, which are barely whispered on the page. The ghostly images are testaments to the transience of foliage.

Straying from the organic, Claire Marschak’s painting of the East Greenwich Kentish Guards Armory is precise and architectural. Subtle use of color makes for an interesting study of the facade of the stout white building, bringing the site to life. Another take on architecture shows up in Wells Moore’s drawing “NIMBY”. Moore’s attention to line and detail come across with the quality of a designer’s hand. The image is a creative mashup of rendering and cartoon.

 

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PHOTO: Michael Rose

 

One of the best and most hypnotic artworks on view in the WCFA’s Members Exhibition is Janet Maher’s “Mapping the Invisible #8.2”. Three overlapping circles are set off against a white background. Smaller inset orbs draw the eye closer, suggesting the viewfinder of a microscope. The artist’s interest in issues related to the environment is successfully translated into engaging abstraction.

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PHOTO: Michael Rose

Like many shows of its kind, the WCFA Members Exhibition has lots to look at, and it deserves close attention. While the show in Warwick closes on February 11, a companion exhibition will bring other artworks by local art-makers to the Atrium Gallery in Providence from February 23 - March 24. For those interested in seeing recent artwork by their neighbors, these shows are not to be missed.

 

The 2022 Member Show at the Warwick Center for the Arts is on view at 3259 Post Road in Warwick through February 11. Gallery hours are 11 am - 3 pm Wednesdays - Saturdays. To learn more, visit www.warwickcfa.org.

 

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