PUTNEY, Vt. – The NXT Gallery presents an art exhibit by Karen Becker titled “Bearing Witness, Part 2.” The exhibit will run from May 21 to August 13, at the NXT Gallery, located at 15 Kimball Hill in Putney. The opening reception for the exhibit will be held on May 21, from 3-5 p.m.
The majority of the exhibition is devoted to Becker’s love of nature, which is being severely threatened by the climate crisis. The animals and trees represented here are all bearing witness to the devastation that is unfolding due to industrialization and war.
The exhibit is dedicated to Becker’s parents, Marianne and George Becker, for their lifelong courage, generosity, kindness, and devotion to the arts in southern Vermont. Her parents instilled in her a deep appreciation of nature and beauty, and the courage to express her inner world. They fully and lovingly supported her art.
This is a retrospective of artworks Becker made during the past 40 years, including her favorite maple which inspired paintings for 35 years, and imaginary canyons. She uses many different media, including watercolors, pastels and gouache. On display are her drawings of animals and birds, which combine mono-prints and charcoal drawings. In addition, there are fantasies, including “The Sphere Series.” Many of these paintings and drawings have been in her private collection.
Karen Becker has exhibited her artwork in New York City, Boston, Maine, and Vermont. She received a BFA in Graphic Design from the Pratt Institute, in Brooklyn, N.Y.
The journey from Brooklyn to Brattleboro has been varied, and has included creating on-air graphics and photography for public television in New York City, designing typography layouts on Madison Avenue, and working for Rolling Stone Magazine in San Francisco.
Living in Vermont, Karen became part of the Vermont Arts Council’s Artists-in-Education Program. For 25 years, she led over 150 mural painting workshops for children and adults.
Karen was for a time a professional wedding photographer, and was voted “best local wedding photographer.”
If you want to see more of Karen’s artwork, please contact her by email at kb4art@earthlink.net.