Thursday, March 9, 2017











 

Opening Reception, March 2nd, Gallery Artist Show


What a wonderful evening we had showcasing the extraordinary artwork of our Gallery featured artists, such as Lisa Neher, Patte Ormsby, Linda Hollett-Bazouzi, Kathleen Walsh, Elizabeth Kinahan, Cri Kars-Marshall, and many more! 

We always have a great time at our opening receptions and this one was no exception! The gallery was filled to the brim with many familiar faces and it was a treat to welcome some new friends to our Gallery Flux family. Our guests enjoyed viewing the new artwork and meeting the artists in person. We were thrilled that so many found a special piece to add to their home. The highlight of the evening was the interactive artist talks, excerpts of each are below. It was inspiring to hear how passionate Nol felt about nature and how Linda took a simple concept, such as the sun setting and rising, and turned it into a magnificent series. 




The work you see here at Gallery Flux is based on a series of paintings I did as a 30 paintings-in-30-days challenge.  I wanted to work small, I wanted to work with on paper. I wanted to master that particular surface because it has some challenges, especially using a palette knife. This idea grew into working with the moon in the sky. I then decided to challenge myself by limiting my palette to really just different kinds of black and to see how much light and dark I could get from those blacks.  THIS idea I was inspired by the moon paintings that Childe Hassam and Edward Banister painted.  One used a medium value turquoise and gave us the feeling of midnight, of deep night; the other gave us the exact same feeling but used dark, brownish-greys. Both were seascapes. I wanted to see if I could push myself in that direction as well. I will continue on that journey: nocturnes.

--Linda Hollett-Bazouzi

Gallery Flux - March 2, 2017


Thank you all for coming this evening; and I hope you survived the big blow relatively
unscathed. There was damage all along the Blue Ridge from Virginia to up-state South Carolina.
March winds will blow, but Mother Nature, Mom, seems to be sending us some wake-up calls.
We live in perilous times, difficult times, there is fear abroad in our land. Deportations;
harassments; vandalism; some trying to use the majesty of the law; some just cowardly, using the
dark of night. These are not alternate facts. These are real events taking place in real time. Dark
forces unleashed, given permission with a wink, wink and a nod, nod. They are not the country I
know, not the country I have grown up in, not the country I have spent my life working in.
I am half a Massachusetts Yankee and half a Norfolk Virginian with important French
overtones, my ancestry reaching back in both places to the 18th century. After graduating from
college with a degree in Modern European History, I became a teacher. I have been a teacher ever
since simply trading places where and how I taught. I was raised by artists, surrounded by art. It
was not a calling I could escape. So here I am. And here I am watching everything I have stood for
being torn down, belittled, denigrated, steam rolled over, humanity ignored by the current
administration. I expect openness, fairness, honesty, learning, equality, respect and support for
another who may be different.
What is an artist to do? I write and speak, I lead from my heart, and I try to make art.
Several weeks ago, I was invited to a Mosque. We shared our feelings and broke bread together.
They have a school, we are trying to find a date where the children may come to my studio to learn
and try and play. To reach across religions and cultures and to break bread. Do we not all want the
same things for our selves and our children? Clean air and water, nutritious food, a decent and
equitably paid job, fair housing, and friends….?
I teach reaching for our imaginations; I teach allowing our souls to soar; I teach creating
something out of an idea. If the stream is too broad to jump, I create a bridge in the middle. If the
move is too scary, I hold the learner guiltlessly in my arms. I reach for the person within. I lead
with my heart. I create a space where it is safe to fail. Along the way that involves drawing, then
thinking about the drawing, to be critical of the idea, to explore its creation. The area of endeavor
does not matter. Is that not the basis for all learning?
I am a blacksmith. I use the four sacred elements of earth, fire, wind and water to create
sculpture in ways that define a space within space. I believe in the need for solitude to allow time
for imagination and intuition to come forth. I decry the plethora of devices that separate us from
ourselves. Who are we? If we will not listen to ourselves in silence, we become the last voice we
heard. I listen to my dreams … the only way to enter my psyche. Many of my sculptures arrive
through dreams. I have learned to trust the process.
So… I have been a teacher for 58 years. I have been a smith for 45 years. I have gone from
house jewelry, craft shows, to architectural ironwork, and now to forged iron sculpture. I currently
serve as the smith for the National Cathedral. If you look closely at my work, you will find my
heart and soul within…..

-Nol Putnam


If you didn't make it out to the reception, please feel free to stop by the gallery when you are free to view this amazing new collection of work. Gallery Artist Show  will be on display until the end of March and we would love to see you and give you a personal tour. Another simple way to view the new show is by checking it out on our website. 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS for our new exhibit, C O N T E M P O opening April 6th. 

                                                                                                             










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