Spring Palette

Artists Alaina Enslen and Sarah Fortner Pierson will fill the gallery with artwork that will bring the warm color palette of the spring. Sarah's artworks will be a celebration of flowers that have just started waking up from the winter; Alaina’s work will bring all the warm, light, bright and fresh tones.

From Sarah's own words: “ Nothing is more beautiful and alien than a close up view of a flower.  They are full of spots and hairs, oddly shaped caverns and unexpected streaks of color. Even a humble daisy, with its white petals symmetrically arranged around a yellow center, holds mystery.  Up close, its center is composed of miniature flowers which spiral outward from fresh buds in the center, to fading flowers, transforming into seeds, on the outer edges.  The color and texture ranges from ochre and brown on the tattered edges to bright, orange powdery pollen midway, to smooth greenish yellow buds in the center.  There is a whole cycle of life visible in what we think of as the simplest of flowers.”

Alaina’s encaustic collages are comprised of repurposed fabrics, Japanese papers, pigments, beeswax and resin. In Alaina words: “I’m exploring the emotive properties of cloth as experience, tradition, and memory. I piece together cherished worn heirlooms, discarded clothes, religious garments, and scrapped linens from production factories. These repurposed fabrics are then gently fused with encaustic medium as I explore colors, forms, and lines through a patchwork of canvas. Now it is a map of my own making, flattened, frayed, and immersed in beeswax.”

 Artists’ Reception: Saturday, May 6, 5-7 pm  - On display through May 28, 2023.