Images 2012 Opening Reception

I drove up to State College, PA  to attend the opening reception of Images 2012, the juried exhibition of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, and pose for the obligatory photo of me with my work, Silk Mill #1.  It’s the first in this series, and the first time it’s being exhibited, so that grin on my face reflects my joy and appreciation at participating once again in this fine event.  Images, a juried mid-Atlantic regional exhibition for fine art and fine craft, was established by the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts in 1989 as a complement to its nationally recognized outdoor Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition, and has evolved into a well-respected exhibition for both emerging and established artists.

The exhibit is held in the Robeson Gallery, a spacious and gracious venue, and it’s always interesting to see how the staff arranges the display to fit the accepted work.  This year many of the fiber pieces were grouped together on a long wall.  From right to left, that’s my Silk Mill #1, Light and Shadow by Mary Lou Pepe, Stills From A Life 38 by Dominie Nash, then Highline Beeches and FLP: Improvisational Moment with Scarves, both wool tapestries by Carol Chave.

Here’s a better view of Stills From a Life 38, and you can see the entire series here.  I’ve had the delight of seeing Dominie’s work in person several times before, and am always impressed with her design sense and mastery of the medium.

One of the great pleasures of attending an opening is discovering new-to-me art, and having the opportunity to meet other artists.  I was deeply drawn into the aerial landscapes of coal mine tailings by photographer Peter Stern.  We had an very interesting conversation where he shared a bit about his process--he pilots his own small plane at low altitudes, and holds the camera out over the edge of the cockpit to take the photographs.  Even more astonishing than the technique, however, is his ability to capture the light at just the right moment for dramatic impact.  In the course of conversation we also discovered a mutual admiration for the Susquehanna River and the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge that loom large in my personal artistic narrative.  Here’s Peter with three of his photographs; the small acrylic on the ledge is Striations #1 by Rodney Fulton.


I also had the distinct pleasure of meeting the lovely and talented Susan Parsonage, and viewing her three woodcut monotypes on display.  She achieves beautiful texture and patterning, and lively movement, with her updated version of this time honored craft.  Susan’s website is under construction, but I will be sure to update once I have her site address.  I‘m looking forward to taking an in depth online tour of her work.

Here’s a closer look at her Fathom, a color woodcut with chine colle.  Forgive the skew; I was trying to avoid excessive glare from the glass, and while the picture doesn’t do the work justice, I hope you can get an idea of how luscious it is.

Courtesy of my friend Anni Matsick - a wonderful illustrator - here are a few general shots of the gallery space.  I was so engrossed in looking at art and talking to artists that I neglected to take some, so thank you Anni!

More about the exhibit can be found at the Festival Banner Blog, including this recent post about the reception.  Lauren, the Festival intern who is providing content for the blog, did a brief interview of my at the reception.  You can watch it here:

Sue Reno interview on YouTube

CPFA also has a Facebook page that provides coverage of the outdoor Festival and related events coming up in July.
For even more  information, you can stop by this previous post where I link to my coverage of Images receptions in years past.  It’s always a good time!