Artists Guild Fall Juried Show 2007 A Display of Local Talent

Published: October 30, 2007 « Back to Latest News

By REGINA KYLE

The Falmouth Artists Guild annual fall juried show, open to all media and all artists, is a challenge to both the juror and the curator hanging the showl

The distinguished painter Joseph McGurl and the talented Dan Hanagan have both met different challenges with style and verve. The artworks, combined with the sometimes ebullient, sometimes delicate floral arrangements by members of the Falmouth Garden Club, make this an experience not to miss.

The Best in Show, awarded to Linda Creed for her "In the Garden" quilt, demonstrates an important point – fiber art can hold its own with the traditions of paint. The other quilts in the show amply support this. While Mr. McGurl focused on the structure and composition of this work, for me color and contrast were equally important.

The high notes of the brilliant cobalt blue border had just a shadow of the deeper resonances of lapis, with the floral arrangement by Inance Dobberteen bringing hints of Chinese blue and white porcelain and Dutch tiles. The delicate blue tracery of the garden sections barely whispers on its white panels.

The beauty and complexity of the quilts made me wish for a much larger room, where they could be hung with several feet of space between each one.

I have always believed that the finest work is one where technical strengths are present but not obvious, subordinated to aesthetics and communicative power. Several pieces in the exhibition combine all three and call the viewer to return to them in contemplation.

One of these is Joyce Ewing’s pen-and-ink view "Vineyard Sentinel," partnered with Priscilla Bond’s extraordinary arrangement of a vertical, gnarled piece of driftwood embellished with Spanish moss and a trailing succulent.

A second is the iconic black-and-white photograph "Boat Yard" by M. Richard Weiss. I returned time and time again to that amazing strip of building, boat, and sea melted into sand. This photograph is a striking example of strong technique in the service of beauty and comtemplation.

David Kelley’s pastel "Quissett Rocks" lies half a world away from his usual hard-edged work. Created in plein air, it draws you into itself: you are sitting on an unseen rock in the shades and mists of an early evening, with the wind in your hair and a faint scent of the sea carried with it.

Joseph McGurl’s "Cranberry Bog" in oil also captures the viewer. Here, however, you are more aware of the paint itself – I love the way he reminds you that it is, after all, about the paint.

Many works in the show deserve mention. The juror’s choice award went to Terry Dunn for her oil "The Lighthouse," which is a stretch of shape and color, light and shade. Ruth Leech’s wonderful "Mohegan/Fish Beach" pastel reveals yet again her strengths in this medium.

I loved the drama of Rosalie McCarthy’s oil "Santorini Evening" and Milt Williamson’s photograph "Off Chapoquoit."  There are fine works by Doris Epstein, Hope Grossman, Mark Chester and others.

While this is a strong show in the traditional sense, there is very little experimentation on view. Only Muriel Locklin’s lovely monoprint with solar print offers us something that stretches the traditional just a bit. There are many talented artists in this show; I would love to see them stretch themselves more.

Ms. Kyle is a Falmouth Artist, consultant and freelance writer.