Emergence at North Adams Eclipse Mill Gallery
Debi Pendell, Diane Sawyer, Sarah Sutro, and Betty Vera
By: Eclipse - Jun 03, 2021
Emergence, an exhibition featuring new work by Debi Pendell, Diane Sawyer, Sarah Sutro, and Betty Vera, is on view June 3–30 at the Eclipse Mill Gallery. Passing through and emerging from the pandemic year, these artists offer fresh perspectives in response to a time of isolation, contemplation, and loss.
They have created a rich variety of imagery in acrylic, collage, ink, oil and coldwax, pastel, and woven threads.
Viewers may be surprised by the luminosity that emerges from the artwork as they explore this exhibition. To paraphrase Leonard Cohen, sometimes "It's the crack in the world that lets the light in."
Debi Pendell is exhibiting work from two series. In one, she collages rescued throwaway materials from the trash and gives them new life in the context of a grid format. In the other, she alternates layers of collage, sanding, and painting in representational/abstract landscapes that continue her ongoing exploration of how people "read" various symbol systems and make meaning from them.
Diane Sawyer, known for he pastel paintings, also works in oil and coldwax to explore shifts in both the natural landscape and our internal experience, as we move from winter to summer and the terrible grip of the pandemic begins to loosen.
Sarah Sutro draws the viewer into the emotional edge of abstraction through her ink drawings and acrylic paintings based on nature. Her series “Marking Lives” is a resurgence from the year of isolation and grief.
Betty Vera creates Jacquard tapestries that render imagery with dots of woven color, inviting introspection and quietude. She likes to focus on aspects of our environment that often go unnoticed.
Emergence is the debut exhibition of North Adams Contemporary—an evolving collaboration of its four professional artist members, who meet regularly for discussion, critique, and the development of opportunities for exhibiting and marketing artwork.
The Eclipse Mill Gallery is located at 243 Union Street, North Adams, Massachusetts. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, 10:00–6:00, or contact debipendell@msn.com or eclipsemill.com/emergence to schedule an appointment for a visit.