|  | | | Mate by Nancy Moore |
Ridgefield painter Nancy Moore and Newtown ceramic artist Marcia Taylor celebrate the serendipitous discovery of their shared artistic vision of the natural world in their new exhibition, "Wild," continuing through January 7th, 2008.
Moore and Taylor, who previously have staged solo exhibitions at Good News Cafe, were unaware that they were traveling parallel paths in their artistic development and studies of the natural world until they found themselves standing side by side as winners of "Best of Show" awards at the annual arts festival sponsored by the Danbury-based Regional Hospice of Western Connecticut.
"Our love for the world of nature and the use of natural materials made us fast companions," Moore recalled. "Our work reflects our passion for capturing both the fragility and the strength of the planet's wonders."
Moore said that she and Taylor believe their current joint exhibition will enhance the appreciation and strengthen the impact of their works by emphasizing how completely they complement each other.
"Placing the pottery together with the paintings is like completing each other's artistic sentences," Moore said. "Our exhibition at Good News is the meeting of two pairs of hands with a like mind."
A former editor at Yale University Press, Moore has maintained a delicate balance between her dual professions as an editor and as an artist since the purchase of a box of crayons in 1998 inspired her to return to painting. She attempted her first pen-and-ink drawings and paintings more than two decades earlier as a college student under the guidance of art professor George Chaplin - but it took "a deluxe 96-pack of Crayolas" to reawaken her artistic passion.
"I opened the lid and the scent transported me to the cool green linoleum floor of my childhood playroom where I spent hours drawing," she remarked. "The smell and feel of those crayons, coupled with my reverence for nature, led me to paint my first chameleon. I titled it 'Self-Portrait,' because women in particular change their colors often to fill many different roles."
Through her paintings and the original words of prose she composes for many of her pieces, she said she seeks to "speak to the viewer about the fragility of both the natural environment and human relationships."
Among the favorite subjects of her paintings are the reptiles, birds, insects and other natural creatures that composed the "ever-shifting menagerie" featured in her recent yearlong solo exhibition at the Environmental Sciences Center, affiliated with the Peabody Museum at Yale University. Her paintings and giclee prints of the natural world have become part of private collections from California to Vermont.
Moore's artistic tools in painting include watercolor, crayon, colored pencil and graphite. "The crayons are applied within the barest pencil outline of a creature," she explained. "When the watercolor is laid on top, a wax relief or batik effect is created. Layers of crayon, paint and pencil are drawn and painted until a fabric of woven texture appears.
"In some cases," she said, "animal and background merge to become a kind of landscape. Although these creatures do exist - ever more fleetingly - in nature, I play fast and loose with color and authenticity. Playfulness is important here, and a willingness to look at what's underneath the surface."
Moore is a member of the Silvermine Guild of Artists and the Ridgefield Guild of Artists. She expects to continue an active schedule of exhibitions in 2008, with shows currently planned for the New Canaan Library gallery and the River Street Gallery in New Haven.
Taylor, a professional potter specializing in hand-built and thrown sculptural pieces reflecting themes inspired by nature, pursues her artistic work in ceramics at her studio in Newtown. Winner of Best of Show awards at the Regional Hospice Arts Festival for two consecutive years and featured artist at the 2007 festival, she shows widely at galleries across New England and has earned numerous honors at juried exhibitions.
She initially trained as a silversmith and enamellist, pursuing art studies at Syracuse and Hofstra universities, the Silvermine School of Art and the Brookfield Craft Center. "But after taking a pottery course just for fun, I fell in love with clay," she explained.
"The earth on my hands connects my imagination with the myriad magical creatures and plans I have discovered while kayaking or hiking - they come home in my mind and go on a pot," she observed. ""I am delighted when someone holds one of my pots, turns it around in their hands and smiles. I consider my creativity a gift and strive to remain forever grateful and teachable, remembering that my inspiration is only an interpretation of the already existing natural world."
Recently Taylor has collaborated with wood turner Chris Cushman in creation of a series of unique boxes displaying the handiwork of their crafts. The current exhibition features several of Cushman's elegant boxes turned from exotic woods, with Taylor's pottery providing the ceramic lids decorated with foliage, flowers or insects.
Taylor traces her artistic focus on the natural world to her childhood in northern New York State. "As a child, I explored the fields and woods for many hours, upending rocks, wading in streams and ponds, always amazed at the small wonders and hidden surprises of nature," she recalled. "That same love of the natural world has followed me into adulthood and been reflected in my lifestyle as well as my creative works."
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