GPL Art Gallery
Upcoming exhibits
in 2008
- More information to come
The Owen Smith Shuman Art Gallery opened on March 15, 1999. Located in Sibley Hall, the Gallery was named in honor of the Library Director in appreciation for her dedication to the Town of Groton. The Gallery is supported by the GPL Endowment Trust, and is open to the public during regular library hours.
| The Figure, Clothed Featuring the work of Sharon Chew, Randy Nehila, Jill Pottle & Sharon Wooding September 13 — November 30, 2008 |
 Sharon Wooding, Central Park Nap, watercolor |
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In this new exhibition, four artists present their own unique styles of representing the human figure.
Sharon Wooding was a visual arts teacher in the Groton Dunstable Regional School District for many years. She has done illustrations for children’s literature publications, including Cricket and Ladybug magazines. Her figures are precise, warm and studied. She also opens up new doors in her collages by juxtaposing magazine fragments with text and paint. Randy Nehila is an artist influenced by the San Francisco Bay artists Richard Diebenkorn, Elmer Bischoff and Nathan Oliveira. His paintings seem to float in time, or rather they have a timeless quality born from lack of specificity of feature. Randy starts with photographs that hold meaning for him, but as he processes these images through drawing and painting, he ultimately leaves the photograph behind, abandoning known territory for deeper waters.  Randy Nehila,Sunday in the Park, oil on canvas Jill Pottle has taught and exhibited locally for many years. In a recent conversation in which we talked about being artists, she said that in her student days it seemed romantic to be an artist, that there was an aspect of it that was cool and hip, and that for many artists the idea of being an artist can become more important than making art. As she has grown and matured she has come to realize that it’s all about making art. "I just want to paint," she says with emphasis. Everything else is a means to that end, to get back to the studio and paint. Jill’s natural drawing abilities are enhanced by a wacky sense of humor, a firm knowledge of art history, and a willingness to take on new challenges. In her self-portrait, Apocalyptic Me, she quotes Caravaggio’s famous self-portrait of himself as Medusa, with his mouth open in a scream and snakes for hair. Luckily for us she hasn’t beheaded herself, as Caravaggio did.  Jill Pottle,Apocalyptic Me, oil on canvas Sharon Chew has coyly draped her nude in a parchment and sumi paper dress. She is fascinated with people’s ideas about nudity, and with the idea of veiling the body, what that conceals and reveals. Our director, Owen Smith Shuman, saw Chew’s painting of an older woman on a surfboard in her studio and was reminded of the poem by Jenny Joseph: "Warning—When I am an Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple." There will be a reception with the artists on Saturday, Oct. 4, from 12:30-2:30 PM. This event is free and open to the public. This exhibit is made possible by the Groton Public Library Endowment Trust. |