​​Spring Group Exhibition

Contemporary Abstract Art - Exploring Individual Perceptions

May 30 - July 15​​

 

Carlton Gallery hosts its Spring Group Exhibition Opening Reception on Saturday, May 30, 2-5 pm. This Spring Group Exhibition begins the season and the gallery’s 44th anniversary. Some of the standing gallery artists are planning to greet attending guests and art patrons. Gallery Owner, Toni Carlton, invites everyone for an afternoon filled with great art and camaraderie while enjoying light hors d’oeuvres.  

This exhibition – Contemporary Abstract Art – Exploring Individual Perceptions features painters Laura Berendsen Hughes, Debbie Arnold, Tonya Bottomley, and Toni Carlton, along with clay artists Mary-Ann Prack and Mary Kinzel Means.    

Contemporary artworks by Lori Hill, Lisa Boardwine, Trena McNabb, and Jennifer Murphy are included for this art exhibition.

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Laura Berendsen Hughes’ horse paintings are inspired by narratives such as freedom, independence, power, strength, journey and transformation. Her horse paintings connect one to nature and the earth. Hughes states, “they act as intermediaries between human presence and the rhythms of the natural world carrying us – their riders, whether seen or implied, along both the literal and metaphorical journey of life”. She names her artwork from the poetry of Rumi, a 13 century Persian poet, mystic and theologian. His poetry speaks of the soul’s journey toward oneness – a movement toward connection, transformation, and a form of divine expression.

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The mixed media paintings of Debbie Arnold are the result of her process of pouring acrylic paint onto a canvas. She uses the fluidity of the paint to reflect the organic forms of nature found in trees and the flow of the paint inspires her to create each individual image. Arnold uses brushes to unify shadows, outlines to add dimension, blends paint with toothpicks, while adding color to highlight the painting. It is a meticulous process requiring many hours spent in her studio.  Her figurative paintings in acrylic are rendered without reference material. Arnold says her technique and method is an intuitive process which she describes as a stream of consciousness merging the creative process with spirituality

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Tonya Bottomley’s paintings are rendered to express not just with line, shape and color, but also her passion and substance of living with purpose. Her colorful abstracts are geometric, often outlining objects, figures and trees while her non-objective abstracts are bold compositions of color tightly executed and reveal an emotional impact for the viewer.

 

The mixed media paintings of Toni Carlton are intuitive with emphasis on texture, movement, and flowing patterns. They consist of many layers of calligraphic writings, songs, poems, blessings and prayers. Her artwork reflects her interpretation of the balance of peace within our changing world.

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Mary-Ann Prack creates original and unique sculpture that is distinctive, precise, and with geometric purity of surface and form. Each figurative sculpture is hand built using specially formulated clay that has a stone-like hardness, strength and consistency suitable for large scale clay constructions. After bisque firing, she glazes and fires again and or uses cold colors that are permanently sealed. Her sculpture sizes range from approximately two to nine feet in height.    

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The figurative sculpture in mixed media ceramics by Mary Kinzel Means can be best described as “Peaceful”. Her sculpture creates a bridge from the grounded nature of clay to the spiritual/imaginative realm. Her artwork is sometimes whimsical, sometimes serious, but always exhibiting a feeling of calmness.   Means says, “I aspire to capture lightness and fully embrace the spiritual feel of my work. I can feel the energy coming through the clay, almost like capturing an image of a visitor from above and hope this gift of peace translates through my sculpture”. 

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In addition to the featured artists, the Spring Group Exhibition includes new landscapes by painters, Andrew Braitman, Egidio Antonaccio, Trena McNabb, Karin Neuvirth, Holly Glasscock, Kim Abernethy, Jean Rupprecht, Linda Apriletti, Cindy Shaw; florals by Sandy Fulginiti; figurative mixed media by Marion Cloaninger, along with work by clay artist Scott Stockdale. Their artwork is rendered in various styles, mediums and techniques in varied subject matter.

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Celebrate the season by visiting the gallery for the Spring Group Exhibition on Saturday, May 30, 2-5 pm.  This exhibition can be enjoyed through July 15.

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Enjoy browsing by clicking links to the artists' galleries to see recent artwork.