In partnership with Carriage Barn Art Center, Carriage Barn members and 40th Annual Member Show selectees Heide Follin, Kathy Hoets, Susan Leggitt, and Kiyoshi Otsuka will participate in an entrancing group show at Sorelle Gallery Fine Art August 8th – 24th. Meet the four painters and enjoy a beautiful evening during the Closing Reception on Thursday, August 23rd from 5 – 8pm, held in conjunction with New Canaan’s celebrated Taste of the Town Stroll.
Heide Follin: Lyrical Abstraction Inspired by Nature
A graduate of the School of the Worcester Art Museum and former student of Parsons School of Design, Silvermine School of Art, and Greenwich Art Society, well-known abstract artist Heide Follin makes playfully colorful acrylic paintings that “embrace the unexpected.” Follin says, “Lines, ‘X’ forms, curves and triangles found in the environment coalesce as a life force in my work.” Botanical specimens, Connecticut gardens, Himalayan Prayer Flags, and artistic inspirations Dana Schultz, Carrie Moyer, Neal Welliver, and Lois Dodd entice Follin to “look and look again.”
Kathy Hoets: Moving Memories on Steel
Taipei, Taiwan native Kathy Hoets has lived in many different parts of the world, including New York City, Geneva, Switzerland and Bali, Indonesia. Her oil on steel paintings are abstractly autobiographical – a bright memory and expressive vision entwined with experience in languages, fashion illustration, ceramics and writing, infuse her subjects with life. Waves of branches, leaves and flowers, elephants and lions, pulsate with incisive depth and contrast. Hoets remarks, “We all have dreams… the desire to share. With the ability to paint a vivid mental image, to capture with a sweeping brush and bring into existence a visual expression of imagination, I feel I have accomplished my ability to share this passion…”
Susan Leggitt: Place, Connection, and Serenity
As a successful graphic designer and art director, Susan Leggitt began an award-winning fine artist career under the instruction of Frank Bruckmann, William McCarthy, Alex McFarlane and Dean Fisher. Today, Leggitt is active in many regional arts and community organizations, including serving as the president of the Rowayton Arts Center. She is a member of Firing Circuits Artists in Norwalk, the Silvermine Guild of Artists and the Westport Art Center Collective. Her yearly painting retreats to Maine feed her love of describing the “rugged and beautiful coast” in oil paint. Says Leggitt, “My work reflects a deep connection to the water, coastline and sky, especially to the natural forms created by tidal streams, rock formations and marshes. The play of light and color, warmth and coolness, depth and atmosphere — all take on a role in each painting.”
Kiyoshi Otsuka: Black and White Liquid Layers
Kiyoshi Otsuka studied in Paris at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. Stimulated by the encouragement of Akiyama, a sculptor friend and mentor, Otsuka moved to New York and enrolled at the Art Student’s League. There, he studied with muralist and sculptor Knox Martin. Otsuka has enjoyed a robust artistic career with gallery exhibitions in New York, London, and Japan. Otsuka states, “My acrylic abstractions develop directly from the experience of the landscape. I grew up in Gunma Prefecture, Japan and I have worked in Propagation for the New York Botanical Garden, which has been a pivotal influence,” Otsuka’s paintings speak to “… our deep connection to [nature’s] ever-evolving and transformative power.”
The Carriage Barn Arts Center is the home of New Canaan Society for the Arts, a member-supported, non-profit cultural organization founded in 1895. To learn more, please visit carriagebarn.org.
Sorelle Gallery Fine Art specializes in a wide variety of contemporary, modern and traditional art from over 40 established artists. With access to Sorelle’s consultation and advisory service, art-seekers looking for a personal, professional touch have their wish lists fulfilled; from first meeting, to art installation. We offer exhibitions, lectures, and demonstrations designed to showcase important talent.
For further information, please contact
Miranda Girard at 203-920-1900 miranda@sorellegallery.com
Hours: Mon 12 – 5, Tues – Sat 10 – 6
Email: info@sorellegallery.com
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