‘Women Artists: Collective Experience’ and ‘Earth Inspired’ open Sept. 5 at the West Hartford Art League.

Artwork by Sue Banks. Courtesy image

By Ronni Newton

“Women Artists: Collective Experience,” a diverse exhibit of work by six women, all members of the West Hartford Art League, will be on display in the Clubhouse Gallery beginning Sept. 5.

“The women are also members of Women Artists Collective, a group of visual artists in Connecticut and Massachusetts who come together to energize and support each other in the creative process, and to show and sell their work,” West Hartford Art League Executive Director Roxanne Stachelek said in an announcement of the exhibit.

The Women Artists Collective was founded in 2003, and members work represents a variety of art forms, including painting, printmaking, fabric art, ceramics, glass and gourd painting.

September’s exhibit will include works by Sue Banks, Rita Bond, Martha Jeffrey Galuszka, Irene Hilbert, Karen Israel,  and Charlene Li.

Stachelek said that the WHAL regularly makes its galleries available to groups of three or more members to provide them the opportunity to exhibit and sell their work. In addition to being members, Li and Israel are also instructors.

“We’re happy to be able to showcase work by the artists in this exhibit, all of whom are members of the Art League. Its an exciting exhibit that has a variety of styles and mediums,” said Stachelek.

Banks “uses fluid acrylics to transform vintage furniture with a wide variety of scenes and faux finishes,” said Stachelek. “Her joyful, detailed designs are painted with intense color in sharp focus.”

Bond is a landscape artist, who in her abstracted impressionistic manner captures “the transience of time and memory as she travels primarily through the landscape and coastal areas of New England.”

Galuszka is a print maker. Her images are created through a variety of techniques ranging from traditional etching and ancient woodcut to modern adaptations.

Israel “is drawn to all things ephemeral. Her goal is to reveal the essence of a subject before it changes forever.” The template for her work is that nature is fleeting, with each moment an element of truth, and notes that this “inherent contradiction ignites her creative process.”

Hilbert is inspired by nature and “her own inner landscape,” and works in acrylics, watercolor, and mixed mediums.

Li creates functional and decorative stoneware pieces. Many of her ceramic pieces feature a nature theme, and she also utilizes vibrant glazes and other techniques.

Artwork by Paul Osgood. Courtesy image

Also opening Sept. 5, in the Saltbox Gallery, is “Earth Inspired.”

This unique exhibit of the work of member artists Ruth Buffington, Jim Bremer, and Paul Osgood combines fiber art and photography. The three have shared and discussed their work over the past several years, and are connected by its organic nature.

According to an announcement of the exhibit, “Bremer and Buffington create unique works of fiber art that incorporate innovative techniques and unconventional materials. Married for 15 years, they live in East Longmeadow, MA. Osgood, based in Suffield, CT, travels around the country to explore the abstract artistic potential of landscape photography.”

“Artists don’t work in isolation,” Osgood said in the release. “They are completely aware of the social, political and artistic trends that shape their environment, including the work of fellow artists in their circle of friends.”

The Women Artists: Collective Experience and Earth Inspired exhibits will be on display in the West Hartford Art League’s Clubhouse and Saltbox galleries through Sept. 22.

Galleries are open Thursday through Sunday, from 1-4 p.m.

For more information, visit the website westhartfordart.org, or call 860-231-8019.

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