BRATTLEBORO — If you need a break from all things bovine during the Strolling of the Heifers weekend, Brattleboro-West Arts (BWA) has the show for you.
Fifteen BWA artists will be exhibiting and selling artwork at a group show called “Got Art?” It will be held from June 3-5 at the Gallery at Headroom Stages, upstairs at 17 Elliot St.
These artists will exhibit work that includes fabric arts, furniture, paintings, pottery, sculptures, and works on paper.
The artists collectively decided on a theme for the weekend: the Whetstone Brook watershed, which gives a great picture of what Vermont represents.
Community is another important theme. The artists want to reach out, as well as give back, to the town with their artwork.
According to Naomi Lindenfeld, one of the 15 participating artists, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Brooks House Tenant Fund of the United Way of Windham County, earmarked for those who were displaced by the five-alarm fire on April 17 at the historic landmark.
Exhibiting BWA artists include Bobbi Angell, Josh Bernbaum, Jason Breen, Karen Kamenetzky, Steve Lloyd, Kris McDermet, Petria Mitchell, Cathy Osman, Janet Picard, Marrin Robinson, Tim Segar, Walter Slowinski, Matt Tell, and Doug Trump.
BWA's professional artists live along the lush vegetation and calming waters of the Whetstone Brook watershed. Many of the artists focus on the beauty of the natural world to inspire and create their works.
Lindenfeld said she draws her inspiration from nature. Her porcelain pieces display a sense of elegance. Her layering and carving techniques allude to ocean and wind movement.
Walter Slowinski and Matt Tell fire their pottery in wood-fired kilns. This procedure gives their pieces an exquisite and unique style. Every creation - including birdbaths, pitchers, and vases - provides a smooth glistening sense of Vermont's natural beauty.
Along with the porcelain and pottery pieces, “Got Art?” will have glasswork from Josh Bernbaum. He presents transparent and opaque glasswork, including striking vases and wall sculptures. The composition of Bernbaum's glasswork is developed from his sense of color relationships.
In addition, Jason Breen will be presenting his woodwork artistry. Tables and desks made from local hardwood will be featured.
Fiber arts will be represented by Karen Kamenetzky's vibrant and colorful cotton and silk fiber works, as well as Kris McDermet's hooked and braided traditional classic rugs and wall hangings, which use dyed wool and silk woven into warm designs.
Sculptor Tim Segar crafts sculptures and drawings. The wood formations that he models provide illustrations that mark out, and open, planes and spaces.
Painter and printmaker Cathy Osmond's large collages capture the splendor and beauty outside her studio, as well as scenes from her travels beyond Vermont.
Nature is a focal point as well for Bobbi Angell. Her copper etchings of plant life pay close attention to the intricate beauty of plants. Angell uses her skills as a gardener and botanical illustrator while engraving her designs.
The labor of five distinguished painters in the BWA will be hung up on the walls of the Gallery at Headroom Stages.
Petria Mitchell's oil paintings radiate Vermont's warm sunsets. Her strong vibrant and contrasting strokes make the viewer's eye sweep across the piece.
Janet Picard also uses strong strokes to grasp the viewer's attention. Abstraction meets reality in her paintings, made vibrant with her use of lively, contrasting colors.
Marrin Robinson's oil and mixed media paintings draw upon nature.
Doug Trump uses the skills and experience gained from 30 years of painting to convey his bond to the earth with a sense of place.
Steve Lloyd's artwork derives from his profession in architecture. His watercolor landscapes and abstract acrylic paintings are based upon West Brattleboro's picturesque scenery, as well as upon European scenes. Each piece has a sense of calm deriving from the geometric soft hues he uses.
For information about the “Got Art?” exhibit and the individual artists, visit www.brattleboro-west-arts.com or call 802-257-4021.