BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – Canal Street Art Gallery presents the Basha Freudenburg solo show, the Dorian Sanders solo show, and the Sandy Sherman solo show, all open Jan. 17 – March 16. The MC Noyes Vermont Trees solo show, and the Kathleeen Govotski solo show are both open through Feb. 15. The gallery is also pleased to welcome the newest artists to join the Working Artist Program: Clare Adams, Amy Pandolfi, and Ashley Simmons. Join the gallery on Jan. 17, from 5-7 p.m., for Free Self Expression on Bellows Falls Third Fridays and an opening reception for the artists. All gallery events are free and open to the public. For wheelchair accessibility, call 802-289-0104.
Basha Freudenburg, based in Saxtons River, Vt., shares her newest oil paintings, made outside and of the Vermont landscape. Freudenburg, the daughter of two artists, is a ferocious painter, both in her style and prolific creativity. Committed to her plein-air practice, Freudenburg works in the New England elements year-round. In a piece such as “Dummerston Landing,” Freudenburg composes the landscape with seemingly impulsive brushstrokes, working in the light blue of the sky reflected on the river, the dark green and blue tree line, and its dark shadow cast on the water. The sun, unapologetically placed in the upper left-hand corner of the painting, casts repetitive reflections, made in bright yellow and orange. In the foreground are two tree trunks, and the near side of the river, in dark red and bright green respectively.
Dorian Sanders, based in Windsor, Vt., shares a collection of prints representing all the artist has accomplished in the field of astrophotography. From the aurora borealis to the Milky Way galaxy, the artist photographs the grandeur of space in conjunction with stunning landscapes. Sanders, born in Massachusetts to two artists, found his passion for photography while working on archaeological digs in Europe, and building timber-framed barns in the United States. Sanders currently works as a photography tour leader in multiple national parks around the country, teaching both amateur and experienced photographers how to shoot the night sky and landscapes.
Sandy Sherman, based in Bellows Falls, Vt., creates still life paintings using effects of light and color to portray tenuous scenes of everyday objects, vintage clothing, and unique antiques. In this show, Sherman shares an oil painting of fresh peaches with their leaves and branches still attached, along with a collection of the artist’s “Grotoons.” These are small works featuring characters with a cartoon-like feeling which explore the tradition of the grotesque in Western painting. Sherman is a native of New Hampshire, and has been painting in the traditional manner since 1980.
Kathleen Govotski, based in Rockingham, Vt., shares her newest acrylic paintings of landscapes and floral still lifes. Govotski has fervently studied painting in recent years. The artist uses techniques of drawing, painting, and undercoating, then applying quick brushstrokes to create representational pieces. In a work such as “Ready for Rain,” a warm orange and pink underpainting shows through the blues of the sky and purple mountains in the background. The foreground brings out more warm yellows balanced with cool light blues and violets of a field where four black and white cows sit expectantly looking at the viewer.
In the MC Noyes Vermont Trees solo show, Michael Noyes, based in Bellows Falls, Vt., presents paintings utilizing Japanese color pigments on Chinese paper, depicting the dense New England forests in their changes of light and season. This series of artworks uses Xuan paper, which is thin and very absorbent, immediately showing the quality of each brushstroke. Powdered pigments, some of varying grain sizes and available in many thousands of shades, are mixed with cow-hide glue to make paint, and applied with brushes made of natural bristles ranging from soft to stiff.
Clare Adams, based in Cambridgeport, Vt., is focusing her time in the Working Artist Program on block printing. Adams applies the abstracted style seen in her monotype prints to her block prints of local towns, rivers, and landscapes. The materials used by the artists are modern rubber mats in which the reversed drawing is carved. Adams will be refining her wood carving techniques, and exploring traditional Japanese wood block printing.
Amy Pandolfi, based in Bellows Falls, Vt., is a self-taught photographer and a master social worker, using photography as a means of self-understanding. Pandolfi acknowledges photography as a therapeutic tool, a way to experience the positive mental health effects of art and expression. Pandolfi’s current work focuses on waterfalls as a subject. For the artist, the subject of moving water, a powerful healing element, represents Pandolfi’s personal journey of following her intuition, seeking answers in the natural world, and nourishing her spiritual well-being.
Ashley Simmons, based in Bellows Falls, Vt., is a mixed media artist using art as a healing and therapeutic practice. Classically trained in figure drawing, Simmons uses acrylic paints with collaged materials to create texture and fantastical colors on canvas. “Art has long been my sanctuary. At this time, I am focused on reveling in the playful flow of creation, using art as a tool to move through experiences and emotions, as well as play with various materials, textures, and subjects,” Simmons says.
Canal Street Art Gallery is located at 23 Canal Street, in historic downtown Bellows Falls, Vt., and is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.; and the third Friday of every month, until 7 p.m. For more information about Kathleeen Govotski, MC Noyes, Dorian Sanders, Sandy Sherman, Clare Adams, Amy Pandolfi, Ashley Simmons, the Solo Show Program, or the Working Artist Program, go to www.canalstreetartgallery.com, call 802-289-0104, or email artinfo@canalstreetartgallery.com.