The exhibit of works by West Hartford artists is now on exhibit at bin228 in Hartford.

WeHa Artists Emporium exhibitors at bin228. Submitted photo

By Ronni Newton

The WeHa Artists Emporium – a group of West Hartford artists that formed an online gallery and Facebook community in Sept. 2014 – has opened its first themed exhibit – “Wind & Water” – at bin228, 228 Pearl St. in Hartford.

Although this is the third collaborative show for the WeHa Artists Emporium, it’s the first that follows a theme. “Everyone has such different styles and works in different mediums,” group founder Stefanie Marco said in a news release. “We wanted to have something that tied the show together.”

Julie Phillipps works on a piece for the Wind & Water exhiibit that was inspired by watching Game of Thrones. Submitted photo

Marco and other members brainstormed to determine a theme that could be “inspiring and inclusive.”

Group member and artist Julie Phillipps said she loved the idea of a theme. “It pushes me to consider subject matters that I’m not initially drawn to,” she said in the release.

Her inspiration for an image that incorporated both wind and water came while watching the HBO series Game of Thrones. “There was a great battle scene with a line of galloping horses, wind in their manes,” Phillipps said. “I thought, ‘Hey, remove the muddy field and add a shoreline and that could be a great painting.’”

Wind & Water opened on Aug. 29, 2016, and will run through Nov. 5. A mid-show reception will be held at bin228 on Sept. 30, from 5 – 7 p.m.

WeHa Artists Emporium members participating in Wind & Water include Stefanie Marco, Julie Phillipps, Phyllis Meredith, David Davis Wilson, Hannah D. Jackson, and new member AJ Masthay.

Marco said she is really excited to have Masthay as an exhibitor. “His prints are vibrant and energetic and unlike anything we have in the group right now.”

For more information about the WeHa Artists Emporium, join their Facebook page. Further information about the group or the Wind & Water show is also available by emailing Stefanie Marco at [email protected] or Julie Phillipps at [email protected].

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Stefanie Marcco work on an octopus for the Wind & Water exhibit. Submitted photo

WeHa Artists Emporium ‘Wind & Water’ exhibit at bin228 will be on display through Nov. 5, 2016. Submitted photo