NEWFANE — For the month of October, the Crowell Art Gallery presents an exhibit by Gianna Robinson entitled "The Ways of Water: Never Destroyed, Always Changing Form." An artist's reception will be held Oct. 14, from 3 to 5 p.m., in the gallery.
Three years ago, a news release states, Robinson took her first solo show down from the Crowell Gallery in August 2020, having enjoyed a successful response from the community. Sometime later that same night, her son Matthew passed away.
Painting halted; life itself halted for her. It took two months for her to get back into creativity, using her hands rather than brushes. Then she was moved to paint a few portraits of her son. Eventually, she was drawn to take a meditation painting course, out of which came her Mandala series. It took time, but gradually she returned to the art she had begun before Matthew's passing.
Since then, she has been creating, finding much solace in nature and recreating her experiences there. A strong theme that has emerged over the years is water. But not just water in its liquid form, rather, in all its forms: lakes, ocean, rivers, streams, clouds, snow, and ice.
A common thread is how water in all its different guises is changing our landscapes in beautiful as well as destructive ways. It is just the way nature works.
"It is not an angry, punishing force," she writes. "It is change and movement, evolving and regenerative. Water is matter and energy, and the law of energy is that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, rather, it only changes form."
The gallery staff invites the public to this exhibit to view how Robinson has made some peace with how life and nature have evolved. The Crowell Gallery, in the Moore Free Library, 23 West St. in Newfane, is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 1 to 5 p.m., Thursday 1 to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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