By Water, Air & Fire: Artists Explore Environmental Issues
NOW UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR
Anita Balkun | Marsha Borden | zoe mattheissen
(Click on an artist name above to learn more)
We're excited about the overall theme of upcoming exhibits at the MLT Gallery throughout 2023: "By Water, Air & Fire: Artists Explore Environmental Issues." Several talented artists have responded to our call for entries, and the work is impressive. In Rachel Carson's words, “...natural beauty has a necessary place in the spiritual development of any individual or any society." As artists interpret the beauty of – and threats to – our natural world and society, we look forward to a rich and enlightening series of exhibits.
Each artwork tells a story of time, grounding, and tactile design... The core of my artistic process is a blend of many interests fueled by curiosity and experimentation. I think of my studio as a lab for discovering new combinations and artistic approaches, especially when combining natural materials into my artwork. This intuitive method of ‘making’ also has very individual outcomes - so each artwork is totally unique - a singular object with its own particular combination of materials and processes. This is my expressive approach to visual story telling - by juxtaposing found objects with other materials and transforming them into unexpected forms. I choose to use materials ‘as is’- allowing the sculptural aspect of the artwork to highlight with integrity, the extraordinary qualities of the found objects and reveal their stories.
Anita Balkun
Tulips Past, 2019
Paper, eco-printed images, photographs, thread and leaf stems
9” x 8” x 2” (closed)
Anita Balkun
Gathering VI, 2020
Catalpa tree pods, pine needles, wax
16” x 6” x 2.5”
Anita Balkun
Gathering VII, 2020
Nest, Maple spinner seeds, wax
8” x 6” x 2.5”
Much of my work involves the deconstruction and reconstruction of cloth and other fiber, often vintage and reclaimed. Traditional themes of women’s work and motherhood are woven into the work through the labor of stitch. Social justice and environmental issues also feature prominently in my work. Drawing from my psychology background, my process is intuitive and intimate and touches an “in the moment” sensibility that is organically and emotionally responsive to the world around me. The results are often ambiguous and contradictory, and can be rough and raw, but also pure, simple, and fragile.
Marsha Borden
Plastic Planet III: Scorched Earth
Mixed media
36” x 60”
Deeply frustrated by the impact of corporate and political chaos upon our environment and society, Zoe dips her pen addressing topics that impact us all such as plastic pollution, environmental deregulation, corporate greed, deforestation and corrupt politicians. For enjoyment and escape from all of that, she turns to nature and to animals for subject material.
Zoe Matthiessen
Brother from Another Mother
Ink, watercolor on paper
13” x 11”
Marsha Borden
Trashy Coral Reef
Mixed media
38” x 38”
Zoe Matthiessen
Robbin’ the Young
Ink on paper
12” x 15”
Zoe Matthiessen
Ground Clog
Ink on paper
12” x 14”
Marie Louise Trichet Art Gallery
“What was any art but a mold in which to imprison for a moment the shining elusive element which is life itself – life hurrying past us and running away, too strong to stop, too sweet to lose.” –Willa Cather
About the Gallery
What a happy marriage the Marie Louise Trichet Gallery and Wisdom House Retreat and Conference Center enjoy. Over 25 years a wide variety of artists working in various mediums have exhibited in the gallery, each capturing some element of life that reveals the Divine.
Visit the gallery Monday through Saturday* 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. *It is advisable to call to inquire about Saturday hours.
Come breathe in this quiet space and catch a glimpse of a moment of creation.
ONGOING EXHIBIT
Homage to author Madeleine L’Engle
Featuring Sculptor Joseph Jude Brien | Exhibited in our Peace Garden
Charlotte Jones Voiklis, L’Engle’s granddaughter commissioned the West Cornwall Connecticut sculptor and educator to create a sculpture from an old apple tree on the family’s property that was blown down by a wind storm in 2020.
Voiklis asked Brien to create a sculpture from the tree that was inspired by the Time Quintet. After giving it some thought, Brien came up with a work that evokes some of the non-human characters that populate L’Engle’s books.
“She describes many fantastical creatures including a majestic unicorn, a feathered beast with multiple eyes, helpful serpents, benevolent dragons and microscopic organisms dwelling within our DNA strands,” Brien said, challenging viewers to see how many creatures they can find.
The sculpture is on display at Wisdom House in honor of Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time and will eventually be moved to display outdoors at Charlotte Jones Voiklis’s home in Goshen, where her grandmother, Madeleine L’Engle, lived and wrote many of her books.
Joseph Jude Brien studied metalworking and woodworking in secondary school, completed a three-year apprenticeship with a traditional cabinetmaker and graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a B.F.A. in Industrial Design.
He has presented workshops and demonstrations in schools from kindergarten through university level as well as at museums, nature centers, and seasonal festivals and has appeared appeared on network television - CBS “Sunday Morning” and HGTV’S ”That’s Clever!”
Mr. Brien is a Teaching Artist affiliated with the Connecticut Office of the Arts and has been awarded numerous grants to support his art projects and educational programs.
In addition to teaching, he operates, Made on Earth Studio, designing and hand-crafting furniture, cabinetry, sculpture and restoring antique furniture and tools.