St. Paul’s spring art show opens March 4
Shaping Color: Paper and Clay, the spring show at the Nicholson B. White Gallery at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 2747 Fairmount Blvd., opens with an artists’ reception on Friday, March 4, 5–7 p.m., where participating artists will describe their creative processes and meet with guests. The show runs through June 5.
Featured artists are Cathy Bryan (watercolor on paper), Hilton P. Murray (paper-on-paper construction), Christine Weigand (hand-cut paper) and Andrea LeBlond (ceramics).
Bryan directs the Creative Art Therapy program at Judson’s three retirement communities. She loves to show others how to experience joy in their own creative process. Bryan’s artwork reflects her love of nature and keen sense of color. Her favorite medium and ongoing challenge is watercolor. She has taken, as well as taught, community art classes for many years.
Murray’s art reflects monuments of the human spirit, such as those found in architectural structures throughout history. In an effort to reflect the city, sky, earth and water, Murray employs elements of line, shape, value, space, form and texture, and principles of balance, movement, patterns, rhythm and variety. He enjoys working in paper because of the medium's naturalistic look and feel, and the ways light plays on the surfaces.
Weigand’s images are made of layered and inset card stock, meticulously cut by hand using an X-Acto knife. After cutting, the card stock resembles a delicate piece of lace. She then has one shot to glue it down or else dozens of hours of work could be down the drain. Her favorite subjects include architecture, flowers and animals—especially cats.
According to LeBlond, “natural order is startlingly beautiful and complex. Microscopic particles, cellular structures, geological formations and the relentless force of entropy are all things that continually fascinate me. I engage these principles by manipulating clay to make these abstract concepts tangible, employing containment, mass, form and color.” Her current works focus on the bowl form, as she is attracted to its mass and interior space. LeBlond feels the bowl itself is ripe with metaphor; it simultaneously conceals and reveals.
All are welcome at the opening reception. The gallery is open weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on weekends, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The artists receive all proceeds from the sale of their work.
Mary Cushing
Mary Cushing is a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church.