Sculptor David Crane and painter JJ Long tackle “emergence” in their joint show at the
Loading Dock Gallery in Lowell May 2-27. Their works celebrate the strength and
mystery of form in dialogue with gravity, of potential realizing itself. “We’re looking at
metamorphosis,” Long says. “Forms break through their wooden molds as if they are
born from the earth, shedding their bark skin and coming to life.”
On March 28, a forest rises in Lowell’s Loading Dock Gallery. Walk through Arlette Laan’s installation, Welcome to My World! Mixed media Laan summons trees from old blankets, animals from socks, and clouds from crochet. She reimagines nature on a scale at once whimsical and grand.
Passionate about nature, Laan is an avid hiker. She has walked challenging routes around the world. The wilderness originally inspired Laan to focus on photography. But recently Laan’s work took a whimsical turn. She began making sock dolls.
Arlette works on one of her trees
Laan learned how to sew and crochet from her mother. Now fiber allows Laan to work spontaneously. Her dolls also bring an immediate response from viewers. “With photography people often get technical with their comments,” says Laan. “With my dolls they just get a big smile on their face.”
As Laan’s work expanded to larger pieces she began to incorporate recycled materials. For this exhibit, she reached out to Western Avenue Studios artists for supplies. They responded with objects, transportation, and ideas. With their help, Welcome to My World! grew from a small idea to a room-sized exhibit. “This installation has really pushed my boundaries,” says Laan.
Welcome to My World! celebrates Laan’s love of her environment: the natural world, her imagination, and the community of Western Avenue Studios, “with all its creative minds and knowledge.”
Laan lives in Tyngsboro. She has studio space at Western Avenue Studios and plans to move to the Western Avenue Lofts in Lowell in May.
Welcome to My World! shows in the Loading Dock Gallery at Western Avenue Studios, 122 Western Avenue, second floor of the A-Mill, from March 28 through April 29, 2012. There will be a reception for the artist on Friday, April 6, from 6 to 9 pm. Or stop in for cookies and lemonade during Western Avenue’s Open Studios, and meet the artist on Saturday, April 7, between 2-4 pm.
Gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 11 am to 4:30 pm. For further information about the exhibit or the gallery, visit theloadingdockgallery.com or call 978.710.8605.
The month of March is when we begin to look forward to a muddy spring after a cold winter. To celebrate this prelude to spring, The Loading Dock Gallery presents From the Mud, an exhibit of sculptural ceramics by Lowell artist, Glenn Szegedy.
According to Mr. Szegedy, ceramics are made from “fancy mud,” but that’s not the primary reason for the exhibit’s theme of “From the Mud”. Mr. Szegedy was inspired by a Chinese myth about the carp, which is born in the mud. The carp symbolizes perseverance during adverse times, and strength of purpose. The carp will swim upstream, struggling the entire way, until it reaches a final waterfall where it vaults into the mist to become the legendary water dragon.
Mr. Szegedy says “After reading this I became fascinated with the concept of perseverance. My perseverance took the form of mastering a new medium …….clay. I took mud (clay) and persevered until my own personal water dragon began to emerge. I truly love the idea of taking something very plain and simple, and with perseverance turning it into a thing of beauty.”
Click on the photo above to view more images from the opening reception. From the Mud runs through March 25, 2012, at The Loading Dock Gallery, 122 Western Avenue in Lowell. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 11AM-4:30PM.
More photos on Flickr.
It’s February, which means it is time for First Saturday Open Studios! Join us on Saturday February 4th from 12-5PM, where you can visit over 140 studios full of paintings, photography, jewelry, glass, pottery, sculpture, fiber art, mixed media, and more.
A special event for February – Give a unique and handcrafted gift from the heART this Valentine’s Day, and shop locally with the artists making the products. Visit participating artist studios, collect stickers, and enter to win one of 3 gift certificates! This is especially fun for the kids, as they really enjoy collecting and keeping track of the stickers.
And rumor has it that we will have Girl Scouts on site, selling Girl Scout cookies!
If you need more convincing about why you should visit, check out this recommendation from Barrett & Company Real Estate we found on Facebook.
The Loading Dock Gallery at Western Avenue Studios is honoring the old year and celebrating the new with 50 under 50 — an exhibit of works of art priced under $50 by the cooperative gallery’s 50 members. Oils, photographs, watercolors, sculpture, fiber art, acrylics, glass, jewelry, mixed media – it’s an exhibit offering visitors a delicious taste of many creative talents.
50 under 50 is a wonderful opportunity for collectors, both seasoned and new, to enjoy the opportunity to experience and own work by the members of the Loading Dock Gallery cooperative. The exhibit is a thank you to the visitors who have visited and supported the LDG since its founding in 2008.
Michal Truelsen’s show of new works, Earth Stories, at the Loading Dock Gallery for the month of February, presents a rich, shimmery look at the world we live in. Truelsen says the show springs from her interest in geology and mapping, “and in the human experience of living on this physical earth.”
The show features a series of paper bas reliefs celebrating the course of the Merrimack River from Franklin, New Hampshire to the sea at Newburyport. Many of the works reflect the terrain around Lowell, showing the eons-long story of the planet in a new way. Truelsen helps us look at the river and the land it flows through independent of the cities, roads, and other structures that appear on conventional maps.
Face of the Earth III by Michal Truelsen
Truelsen works in mixed media, drawing, and printmaking. “Much of the work for this show is what I call ‘paper bas relief’,” she says. She cuts paper in organic shapes and glues the shapes together to build up intricate layers and surfaces that reward a visual exploration (it’s very tempting, but please: don’t touch!).
A Lowell resident, Truelsen grew up in Vermont and lived in New Hampshire for many years. She has a home studio for quiet, focused work; and a studio at Western Avenue for the stimulus of the “shared, lively environment” of the community of artists there. She says she makes art because there is no better way for her “to think about the really important stuff. For me, it’s a way of talking about, asking about, thinking about the essentials, the intangible parts of what we are.”
Truelsen studied printmaking at the DeCordova Museum, and has been creating works on, and of, paper for more than twenty years.
Earth Stories shows in the Loading Dock Gallery at Western Avenue Studios, 122 Western Avenue, second floor of the A-Mill, from February 1 to 26, 2012. There will be a reception for the artist on Friday, February 3, from 6 to 9 pm. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 11 am to 4:30 pm. For further information about the exhibit or the gallery, visit theloadingdockgallery.com or call Maxine Farkas at 978-349-8069.
Each year the Winter Lights artist and artisan showcase at the Loading Dock Gallery gets brighter and more extensive. Winter Lights IV, running Nov 30, 2011 through Jan 1, 2012, expands the display of elegant, giftable art into media not offered before. The main area of the gallery will be packed with locally-made, affordable, and entrancing works to give to others or to cherish yourself. All are invited to meet the artists on December 3, 5-7pm and join them for holiday celebration in the gallery.
Visitors view work at Distressed opening reception. Photo by Jack Holmes.
Check out photos from the opening reception of Distressed at the Loading Dock Gallery. The show runs through October 30th.
“Distressed” typically refers to being damaged or previously used, intentionally defacing or fading an object to convey an antique or used look, or to experience distress. At the Loading Dock Gallery, Distressed is an exhibit of artwork by Karen Bettencourt and David Hogan. Bettencourt and Hogan “distress” their artwork literally, but the artwork has also been a positive outlet for telling stories of distress. They each work with a mix of media and techniques. Bettencourt focuses on digital and material collage, assemblage, and fiber while Hogan works with drawing, painting, assemblage, and printmaking.
In A Window by Karen Bettencourt
Bettencourt uses mixed media to create artwork that responds to all forms of distress. She says “I have always been truly fond of that which is old, weathered, rusted or distressed. I search endlessly for old handwritten letters, paper, tickets, photographs, hotel bills, rusted metal, and aged or distressed wood and cloth.” Bettencourt uses these found objects to create colorful, textured collage and assemblage.
Oil and Fire by David Hogan
For Hogan, the artwork is about how nature and manmade objects like buildings are affected by natural and human forces. He says “Everything we perceive is “distressed” to one degree or another.” The objects may not fit our preconceptions of beauty because they are “distressed,” but they can have their own integrity and beauty.
Bettencourt and Hogan endeavor to translate the life experiences of people and objects into pieces of art. They use objects that they find, what they see around them, and experiences they have to tell stories with their artwork so that their meaningfulness is never lost. Their art will help you to see the beauty in an object or an experience that you might not have otherwise noticed.
Distressed exhibits at the Loading Dock Gallery, 122 Western Avenue, 2nd floor of the A Mill from September 28th to October 30th. Join the artists for a reception on Friday evening October 7th from 6 to 9pm. The Loading Dock Gallery is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11am to 4:30pm. For more information, go to www.theloadingdockgallery.com.
Painting by David Leblanc
Action-art fans will be delighted to learn that Action Evolution, a new installment in David Leblanc’s “Action Abstraction” series, will be on view at the Loading Dock Gallery in Lowell from August 31 to September 25. The series captures the excitement and energy of the covers of classic Superman adventures in Action Comics publications, but is more than just an homage to a unique American art form.
David with one of his creations
Leblanc says that the current show is “an extension of what I have been doing since 2006,” when he moved into Western Avenue Studios as one of the founding members of that artist community. However, his fascination with, and creating art in response to, comic book covers reaches back to when he was five. “I would be drawn into the worlds of the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and Superman. This inspired me to create my own characters and comics, and to dream of becoming a comic book artist.”
Action Evolution shows in the Loading Dock Gallery at Western Avenue Studios, 122 Western Avenue, second floor of the A-Mill, from August 31 to September 25, 2011. There will be a reception for the artist on Friday, September 16, from 6 to 9 pm. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 11 am to 4:30 pm.
