BRATTLEBORO-Mitchell-Giddings Fine Arts, 181 Main St., debuts "Haystack Crescendo," etchings overpainted and hand-embellished by master printer and painter Dan Welden. Also featured is a series of new paintings by the artist.
An opening and artist reception is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 23, from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibit will continue through Oct. 26.
Prior to the Aug. 23 opening, at 3 p.m., Welden will provide a short demonstration of his working techniques, and a discussion of the creation of "Haystack Crescendo."
A printmaking workshop is scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 24–26, with details to be provided soon.
About a decade ago, Welden came upon a stack of 50-year-old oxidized, deteriorating zinc printing plates in an abandoned building. He pried the plates apart to produce pairs-mirror images - of the corrosion on the plates. Welden incised his own marks and lines into the plates and printed them - front and back, 22 altogether - in black ink. Honoring the theme of opposites, he named the series Aesop's Fables.
Early this summer, Welden completed an artist residency at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, in Deer Isle, Maine. Arriving with a portfolio of the beginning state, black-and-white Aesop's Fables prints, his goal was to create a new body of work with the etchings serving as the foundation for further image-making with acrylic, watercolor, and crayon.
Welden says the solitude offered while in Maine created the ideal opportunity for him to experiment and explore his curiosity with spontaneous responses to color.
"With the excitement of creating at Haystack, I experienced a sense of 'awareness' that my mark-making through the lines, colors, and forms had become kindred to an orchestra conductor hearing the energy of music," Welden wrote. "My act of creating a symphonic painting resonates when there is no ego separating that birth of pure energy."
The resulting work is the artist's latest iteration of his Aesop's Fables, a suite of hybridized prints that are neither pure print nor pure painting. "Showcasing his spirit as an experimental artist," organizers wrote in a news release, "they are a celebration of his curiosity to collaborate with nature."
For more information, call the gallery at 802-251-8290 or visit mitchellgiddingsfinearts.com.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.