Let There Be Love: Spectrum Gallery’s Holiday Show Opened November 22
As 2024 nears an end, the world trembles with war, racism, health, and climate change catastrophes. Yet, we hope that compassion, empathy, and love do still exist. At Spectrum we explore this in the annual Holiday Show: Let There Be Love! A diverse array of works from both well-established and emerging artists showcase paintings, sculptures, mixed media, and photography that explore this theme. The Artisans Store brims with seasonal pottery, glass, fiber, home décor, jewelry, toys, books, gift cards, and handmade ornaments on two celebrated six-feet holiday trees. The exhibit is at 61 Main Street, Centerbrook, Connecticut, and runs through January 11.
Returning favorites and new artists include Christina Cowan, a painter who focuses on the beauty of women and femininity, using glamorous colors, textures, and fashion. Artist Jeffrey Blazejovsky returns with new work; he uses watercolor, graphite, and colored pencil with a style that is realistic with a focus on light, reflection, and a high-level of detail. Mark Hannon, the president of the Arts Alliance of Stratford, joins and presents new and whimsical pen and ink works. Pamela Mancini is showing for the first time at Spectrum Gallery. She works from her own photographs, creating stylized realistic works with a focus on composition, value, and color, with subject matter from florals to pastel portraits and landscapes in oils.
Mixed media artist Regina Thomas whose work ranges from representational to abstraction is also showing; she is in private collections throughout the US, Europe, South America, and Asia. Painter Jeannette Delmore is inspired by the beauty of the New England landscape. She is an award-winning artist and works in oil, pastel, and more recently watercolor. Deepti Gondia returns; she paints in a semi-abstract style and presents a landscape and a vibrant image of “divine love” through the story of Krishna and the Hindu Goddess, Radha. Jacqueline Benoit shows oil paintings of whimsical scenes of animals in soft, pleasing colors while watercolorist. Linda Reid and print maker, Diane Rubacha explore the love between mother and child.
New to Spectrum is Kristin Elise who presents a “You Hold the Keys,” a mixed media piece that captures the sentiment of love. Also new to Spectrum is Kim McGennis, a painter and photographer, who exhibits a colorful work of love and nature. Italian-born Louie Pisterzi returns offering a new oil on canvas, “Whispers of Winter.” Artist Kim Kordonowy exhibits, “Stolen Kisses”, a playful image of affection in acrylic. Celebrated portrait and figurative artist Ted Genard is once again at Spectrum with work that provokes mystery and surprise. And artist John Murray presents his new watercolor work, “Serenity Thomaston.”
Other important artists at the Gallery include Patricia Corbett whose work lovingly depicts her daughters when they were children. Lynelle Abel, a botanical artist, displays a large peace sign created with her collection of dried botanicals. Returning favorite Molly Waite Lund exhibits in Let There Be Love a collage depicting the richness of diversity. Bivenne Harvey Staiger shows touching watercolors of animals, and Catherine Satsuk exhibits oils on canvas of pets and their doting humans. Also presenting are favorite Spectrum artists Gloria Nilsson, Daniel Dahlstrom, Marianne Dietz, Linda Reid, Pat Damiani, Rosemary Gates, and Ned Farrell.
New and returning photographers presenting include David Zeleznik, an underwater and nature photographer based in Essex, Connecticut. Mary Elizabeth Dutko returns to Spectrum; she comes from the world of floral design and usews her color and composition experience to create dramatic photographs. Other returning and experienced photographers who show us their world of love are Dianne Roberts, Carol Lowbeer, Mallorie Ostrowitz, Robert Thomas, Paul Ramsey, Maria Johnson and Sarah Watson Anderson.
Spectrum’s Store includes many fine artisans working in ceramic, pottery, glass, fabric, wood, and paper. These include wood artisan Andy Teran; knitters Christine Rook, Elaine Sych and Jillian Nielsen; Joan Weir who works in fused glass to create imaginative holiday trees, platters and dishes and Maryann Flick working in stained glass showcases her colorful window glass panels, decorative treasure boxes and frames. Fused glass artist, Jeni Gray-Roberts returns to Spectrum showcasing her dramatic “Exploding Love” piece as well as her whimsical holiday trees. And Carol Dunn presents her popular sets of cut glass trees…..an annual holiday sellout! Joanne Brown brings both elegant special occasion as well as festive holiday-themed frames for year-round home décor. Lynn Webber’s repurposed glass totems and birdbaths can add to your holiday garden display; and Jean-Luc Godard delights with a variety of never-before-seen decorative light impression lamps and nightlights. Other artisans include lampwork jeweler Sandra Huber; Barbara Hernandez-Froehlich with seasonally decorated standing glass and slate panels; polymer clay jewelers Beth Terhaar and Kristie Foss; and Tom O’Connell who creates fused glass serving ware and his popular and whimsical “funny” birds.
Fabric designer Elaine Sych offers her ever popular gnomes as does Anna Mastropolo who embroiders and fabric paints upcycled clothing items. Felters Catherine Stebinger and Cathy Lovell offer unique holiday gifts both decorative and useful such as eyeglass cases, scarves and purses. Valerie Owens, a fabric artist and jeweler creates children’s sweaters decorated with her hand embroidered designs. Kristen Owens, a fabric and home décor artist offers lavender candles, felted bookmarks and whimsical wine charms. The ever-popular Janice Wood also returns with her soy based candles in a variety of sizes and scents.
Potters in the Store include returning favorites and new ones such as Maria Campbell who shows delicate smaller, functional pottery pieces and always finds time for her art no matter what life throws her way. Returning to Spectrum are potters Elisa Eaton and Niko Scharer who creates crafted functional serving ware, porcelain holiday trees and scented candles that become usable cups after the candle has burned out.
As always, there is a wide variety of unique and daring fine jewelry in multiple styles and materials created by designers such as Michele Kleiman, Dawn Lombard, Lisa Fatone, Kristie Foss, Joan Wenzel, Susan Braden-Hull, Linda Saucier, Samantha Barlow-Beamer, and Sharon Lee Mullen-Reynolds who creates inspired floral holiday head bands for this show.
Multiple artists and fine artisans have contributed ornaments to the holiday tree (with several already mentioned here). Others include Maureen Maalouf, who also displays her hand painted holiday themed stemware, fused glass artist Jean Gresham who shows ornaments, platters and trays, Pamela Chandler shows her Swarovski Crystal spiders, Ceil Rossi showcases her unique hand painted gourd ornaments and Lydia Becker displays her annual array of highly decorated porcelain ornaments.
Spectrum Art Gallery and Artisans Store is open Wednesday through Saturday (12-6pm) and Sunday (12-5pm). From December 7-23, the Gallery is open daily 12-6pm; Sundays, 12-5pm and on Dec 24, 11am-2pm. For more information call (860) 767-0742 and visit Spectrumartgallery.org. Shop online at spectrumanytime.com with shipping available throughout the US – a perfect choice for convenient gift giving all year long, gift cards are also available in the Store and online. To join the community conversation, follow us on social media at facebook.com/spectrumartgallery, instagram.com/spectrumartgallery, twitter.com/spectrum_ct, and youtube.com/@spectrumgallery6211
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