There is a finite number of superlatives available in the English language, words to describe something outstanding, something that radiates beauty, something that is wonderful. But there is an infinite number of words that describe emotions like the universe of emotions evoked by the 2023 Summer Members Show at the Marion Art Center now on view through September 22.
The show opened on August 11 with a stunning 117 works of art to feed your art-loving soul.
To give you a sense of what’s in store when you take the show in for yourself, consider this: There are 25 acrylics, 20 oils, 10 pastels and 21 watercolors. Add in a textile, two charcoals on newsprint, three-dimensional collages, wooden sculptures and a host of other delicious offerings and, well, it’s an art banquet. We appreciated it all fully aware of the mental and physical effort it takes to produce art in any form.
Don’t pass anything by as you marvel at John Magnan’s sculptures inspired by man’s inhumanity to man in the 1600s to the trap of continuous data in 2022 (oak, maple, white oak.) While his social commentary is reflected in his sculptures, the masterful manner in which the artist turns wood into a feather or a META symbol into a flowing, seamless piece demonstrates his command of the material and the process.
You’ll want to stand in front of Sarah Brown-Miquelle’s pastels and be bathed in her color choices. Brown-Miquelle is the winner of the 2023 Annual National Juried Exhibition for Pastels Only held in July on Cape Cod.
Tucked into a corner of the second-floor gallery are two faces that touch any animal lover’s heart. These, too, are pastels done by Jane Egan, whose animal faces engage the viewer and seem to lock eyes with you in a tender, endearing manner.
Janet Smith-Flaherty controls her watercolors while producing delicate works; Kate Frazer Rego’s mixed-media collages are in a word brilliant; and Alice Shire’s brush work yields precision and imagination.
And there are several adult students showing their works for the first time, who were thrilled to be counted among those who are classically trained.
“I have taken classes here … they are very good and encouraging to the beginner,” said Janet Cromer, explaining that her watercolor was inspired by objects she has collected over the years, pieces that mean something to the fabric of her life experiences. “Painting them as a still life I think immortalizes them.”
Cromer’s piece has deep, saturated colors not normally associated with watercolors. “The great thing about the Members Show is any member can enter,” she stated with a smile.
Don’t take my word for just how splendid this show is. Take advantage of the wealth of talent on display now at a neighborhood gallery, the Marion Art Center, whose petite frame belies its power to bring us outstanding art in all its forms.
Here is the full list of artists: Sage Lamade, Veronique Bale, Linda Olsen, Lynette Torres, Peggy Totten, Peggy Cal-Conley, Susannah Davis, Carole Constant, Jill Law, Butch McCarthy, Barbara Healy, John Magnan, Russell Saunders, Tianxu Zhou, Meg Hartley, Darlene Sassmann, Freddie Popitz, Barbara Geagan, Elizabeth Antonell, Kate Butler, Iria DeValles Vieira, Jayne Degnan Tirimacco, Michelle Lapointe, Tom Geagan, Nini Evans, Susan Gilmore, Nat Simkins, Donna Gagnon, Nataliia Noble, Robert Dunn, Judith Klein, Mary Cosme, Elwin Williamson, Andriy Noble, David Danis, Heide Hallemeier, Sarah Brown-Miquelle, Susan Costa, June Strunk, Alice Shire, Michael Matherson, Zelia Kenyon, Nicole St. Pierre, Virginia Price, Miriam Towle Lopes, Emma Rose Zhou, Susan Lawrence, Ben Bassham, Michael Pietragalla, Kate Frazer Rego, Kyle Riseley, Janet Smith-Flaherty, Helen Johnson, Lenora Pennington, Heather Long-Roise, Christy Gunnels, Jane Egan, Ellyn Gaspardi, Diana Parsons, Susan Meadows, Donna Paulding, Anthony Days, Maeve Bradley, Helena Oliveira, David Maloney and Janet Cromer.
By Marilou Newell