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NOVEMBER 5, 2011
In the Gallery: Travels . . . Body, Mind and Soul

     For the month of December, Canton Public Library’s Gallery features the work of three artists in a show titled “Travels . . . Body, Mind and Soul.”  The show explores the work of Susan Crawford, Carol de Berry, and Walt Hampton, who have shared artistic spaces in the past. The exhibit will run through Saturday, December 31.

     “We like how our work goes together,” said Susan Crawford.  “All three of us tend to experiment with and within different media.”

     Susan Crawford works mostly in mixed media, sometimes beginning with a monotype.  She has won numerous awards and exhibited widely in New England.  Her work is held in private collections here and abroad.  She is a former longtime board member and twice chair of the Canton Artists’ Guild and the former art curator at Canton Public Library.
Carol de Berry, whose studio is in Portland, CT, often relies on monotype to create a first impression, whether a landscape, interior space, or still life.  She uses masses of color combined with linear marks to suggest an image.  She also enjoys using caran s’ache, water soluble wax crayons, to achieve a fluid watercolor effect in prints.

     De Berry has a fine arts background, with a BA from Connecticut College and graduate work at Wesleyan University.  Recently she has been included in juried shows at The New Britain Museum of American Art, The Lyme Art Association, and The Gallery on the Green in Canton.   She has been elected to membership in Connecticut Women Artists and the New Haven Paint and Clay Club.
 
     Walt Hampton is an adventure photographer, high altitude mountaineer and attorney who has conquered four of the world's highest mountains, including Denali, Aconcagua, Kilimanjaro and Mt. Elbrus. He cites, as one of his inspirations, legendary adventure photographer Galen Rowell, “who often said that great outdoor photography was found at the edges of things: land and sea; earth and sky; the oncoming storm; the clearing dawn.” 
 
     Hampton believes that “adventure is about exploring those edges and, through photography, endeavoring to capture the magic of those moments, so that one can remember and still know.  It is about our journey along these edges, and in that journey, learning how to live. My hope is that the adventure found in these photographs will inspire you to explore and experience the edges in your own life and discover the excitement and the knowing that the journey brings.”
 
      Library hours are Monday-Thursday 10:00-8:00, Friday and Saturday 10:00-5:00, and, beginning Sunday, November 6, 1:00-4:00 PM.  For information:  (860) 693-5800 or www.cantonpubliclibrary.org

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NOVEMBER 5, 2011
On Display: Dona Dalton: Stories and Spirits—Toys as Sculpture


     For the month of December, Dona Dalton will be a delightful presence at Canton Public Library.  Her whimsical and spirited creations filled the display case in November, and in December a new display will be featured,  “Juxtapositions and Partnerships:  Birds and Animals.”  Many of the items in the display case will be available for sale, which is good to know for anyone contemplating holiday gifts.  The display is sponsored by the Maxwell Shepherd Memorial Arts Fund. 
 
     It’s hard to pin a label on Dalton’s work.  Is it a toy?  Is it art?  Is it a toy for children?  Or a toy for adults?  Is it an heirloom that should reside on a shelf out of the reach of tiny hands?  Or does it demand to be played with—now!  Or is it “all of the above?”
Dalton calls her creations “Toys as Sculpture” because they are not for “throwing around or into the toy box.”  She adds, “they encourage the imagination and relationship which I felt towards my playthings. My intention is to capture gesture, personality, and something of the spirit, especially as it exists in relationship. A Kingfisher at your workplace, or a cat in a boat can be the best of companions.”
           
     Dalton’s menagerie is made up of brightly painted wooden creatures, mostly animals, some real and some fanciful, often in unexpected combinations.  There are farm animals and wild animals; equines, felines, and canines; birds, frogs, snakes and fish; running, sniffing, slinking mice.  There are sets of creatures:  animals on an ark, animals on a farm, and a dinosaur den.  There is a smattering of humans, angels, and merpeople (maids and men).  Many of the creatures are on wheels.
Whatever we call them, they are a pleasure to look at, to hold, and to play with, and they are an unlikely blend of the primitive and the sophisticated.
 
      In a third-floor studio, Dalton handcuts her creations on a bandsaw, then sands and paints free hand.  “Each one has its own personality and uniqueness and is signed,” she said.  “Color, gesture, pattern and attitude are qualities I try to incorporate in the smallest to the largest piece.”
 
      Dalton, a Philadelphia artist who has been crafting her toys for more than 30 years, sees herself as “a painter who uses a three-dimensional canvas.”  She has a BA in sculpture from the Philadelphia College of Art, and has studied advanced drawing at the University of Pennsylvania, where she also immersed herself in Egyptian art.  Her creations are sold in galleries and museum shops throughout the country.  She has lectured widely and has been featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and in American Craft  magazine.

      Library hours are Monday-Thursday 10:00-8:00, Friday and Saturday 10:00-5:00, and, beginning Sunday, November 6, 1:00-4:00 PM.   For information:  (860) 693-5800 or www.cantonpubliclibrary.org

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Category: On Display

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