Whimsical folk-art pillows by Linda Harvey are among the works on display at Winthrop Gallery.
Laurelle Walsh
The new exhibit at Winthrop Gallery, “ARTiculated by Hand: New Work From Paula Christen, Linda Harvey, Kathy Meyers and Linda Wick,” opens today (June 24) and runs through Aug. 3.
The summer show “celebrates made-by-hand original art,” according to Winthrop Gallery’s head of promotions, Laura Aspenwall, and features a mix of recent paintings, jewelry and textile arts by four of the co-op gallery’s member artists.
Watercolor artist Paula Christen shows a series of five paintings that explore the Georgia O’Keeffe quote: “I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way — things I had no words for.”
“If I were a writer, I know my work would be too long,” said Christen, who admits she’s rarely at a loss for words. “But give me a brush and I can articulate perfectly by hand.”
Although working in a series was a new way of painting for her, Christen said she enjoyed taking the time to focus in on all aspects of an interesting idea.
For example, in Tin Roof Serenade, Christen articulated the feeling of comfort she derives from listening to the sound of falling rain on a tin roof. The peaceful watercolor depicts a ramshackle tin-roofed farmhouse that sags in the rain. Three bright-red barrels stand out against the misty background to enliven the scene.
To explore the value of conversations with old friends, Christen painted Conversations, a familiar summertime snapshot of women lunching under umbrellas on a restaurant deck. “The chemistry of those conversations are a cherished constant in my life,” Christen said.
Fiber artist Linda Harvey brings tactile comforts to the group show, with her squeezable crocheted animals, knit hats, and folksy appliquéd pillows. “I like to make things that make people smile,” Harvey said. “I try not to take myself too seriously.”
New for this show, Harvey explores the whimsical side of American primitive folk motifs with playful animals — ravens, sheep and cats — that frolic on decorative pillows. “I take ideas from folk art and make them my own,” she said.
Metal artist Linda Wick presents mixed-metal jewelry that showcases some spectacular stones as well as her fine metalwork. “I’m featuring faces, fossils and fabulous turquoise,” said Wick.
Luscious blue-green turquoise nuggets came from a mineral show Wick visited in Quartzite, Arizona, and provide centerpieces to Wick’s necklaces and beaded pieces. Hand-carved bone reveals serene, moon-like faces accented with stones, silver, brass and copper. Wick has also used fossils — red coral, trilobites and othoceras — to create statement jewelry pieces for this show.
Meyers’ work “Ice Ponies” will be on display during the show.
Impressionist Kathy Meyers shows new paintings in acrylics that depict the scenes and moods of the Methow, particularly in winter. “I’m bringing the chill of winter into the heat of summer,” Meyers said.
Meyers pulls colors from nature that most untrained eyes miss. For example, a bare apple tree in the dead of winter is rendered in cool and warm colors to create vivid contrast — colors not always noticed in a stark landscape.
A line of dark horses is backlit with halos of gold in Meyers’ feature piece, Ice Ponies. “I’m moving toward a more abstract style,” she said, and capturing the ponies’ movement was the goal of this piece. “I wanted to get the flow of the horses as they fluidly run toward the viewer,” Meyers said.
A reception for ARTiculated by Hand will be held at the gallery on Saturday (June 27) from 5 to 7 p.m. Refreshments will be served.
The Winthrop Gallery is located at 237 Riverside Ave. in downtown Winthrop. The gallery is open every day, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, contact the gallery at 996-3925 or go to the gallery’s website at www.winthropgallery.com.
