EXHIBITION DETAILS

• Title: Exploring Common Threads
• Exhibiting Artists: Ann Boyd, Susan Graseck, and Sally Rogers
• Exhibition produced by Art in the Atrium First U
• Opening Reception: Thursday October 26th, 5:00 – 7:00 pm.
• Exhibition runs from October 26 – December 10, 2023
• Location: First Unitarian Church of Providence, One Benevolent Street, Providence RI 02906
• Atrium hours are Mon – Fri 9:00am – 5:00pm and Sun10 am-1pm

ARTISTS PROFILES

ANN BOYD

Ann’s later-in-life artistic journey began just a few years ago.  As she started to work on her drawing and ultimately graduated to painting with acrylics, she found her attention turning to the recurring themes of both the plight of endangered animals and the many examples in nature of symbiotic relationships or “mutualism.” Gradually, Ann began to incorporate a variety of techniques, including ink blots, alcohol inks, paper collaging and zentangle into her acrylic-based paintings. Her goal has become portrayal of a whimsical, sculpted animal who invites protection.

Increasingly, Ann’s artistic purpose has evolved to refinement of her art allowing the beauty of these wonderful animals to be enjoyed by many – while drawing attention to their plight.

Ann has determined that all net proceeds earned from the sale of her work will be donated to a variety of charitable organizations which assist endangered animals.

Contact Ann at email boydat@cox.net; phone 401-578-5245

BOYD ARTWORK

SUSAN GRASECK

Introduced to watercolor by her grandmother who took her on painting excursions as a child, Susan developed over time a fascination with color, texture, and lines—visual abstractions that found early expression in her weaving, batik, furniture design, and even architectural plans for her owner-built home where she and her husband have lived for more than forty years.

Susan grew up near the coast with expanses of land and sea as her frames of reference. Though her roots are in New England, she has also lived in the Midwest where she found wind rippling through vast fields of grain a substitute for whitecaps churning across the water. In recent years, she has traveled routinely to the Southwest where her grandkids help her explore the beauty of an environment dramatically different from the lush Northeast.

When not investigating the sense of distance and feel of a disappearing horizon, she reports that she can get delightfully lost in architectural lines. “It is the lines, planes, and blocks of color that interest me, whether inspired by the magnificent old barns of my youth, the industrial spaces of our New England heritage, or the Southwest’s traditional adobe homes.”

“I paint largely from memories and experiences, seeking the essence of a place or time and exploring the imagery with my paint until I find myself looking through the scene to discover the feelings it evokes. It is then that the final piece begins to take shape. Ultimately, I hope that my paintings elicit in viewers their own distinctive responses.”

Contact Susan at email susan.graseck@gmail.com

cell 860-428-02062; website www.susangraseck.com

GRASECK ARTWORK

SALLY ROGERS

Sally’s work as a quilter spans 55 of her 65 years on the planet.  She learned to sew at age 10, made her first quilt at 16 and has continued to sew and make quilts ever since.

Her limitation is mostly time.  She always saves her quilting for her “free” time, which is quite limited due to other artistic (musical) and domestic (wife and mother) commitments.  As a result, her quilting gets done in fits and starts. She usually attempts to attack projects that can be completed in less than three days, start to finish.  She has hundreds of accumulated ideas and challenges for the needle lined up, waiting in her brain, with no time to thread the needle.

Although she is mostly known as a professional folksinger, songwriter and educator, her “chocolate” is found at her sewing machine. She says“All artwork is informed by our life’s experiences. Music and art share many of the same elements: line, form, color, tempo, etc. While I do think a lot in terms of these elements as I sew, I am mostly an intuitive quilter. I’m always asking the question, ‘What if…?’ ”

Contact Sally at email sally@sallyrogers.com; website http://www.sallyrogers.com/

ROGERS ARTWORK