An inventor’s etching

“Hairy Hare” (zinc etching, mixed media), by Dan Welden, in his show “Dan Welden: Solo 100,” at Mitchell • Giddings Fine Arts, Brattleboro, Vt., through Jan. 14.

The gallery says the show celebrates “paintings and prints by artist Dan Welden, inventor of the solarplate etching process, with his milestone 100th solo exhibit. Also featured, ‘masterworks,’ hand pulled impressions of current and past masters collaborating with Welden, including Willem and Elaine de Kooning, Kiki Smith, Eric Fischl, Roy Nicholson and others.

The Brattleboro Retreat treats mental-health disorders and drug addiction. It was established as the Vermont Asylum for the Insane in 1834. New England has many private facilities dealing with mental illness and drug addition.

Photo by Beyond My Ken

'The ‘landscape’ of my mind'

“Hairy Hare” (zinc etching and mixed media), by Dan Weldon, in his show “Dan Weldon: Solo 100, Oct, 21-Jan. 14, at Mitchell- Giddings Fine Arts, Brattleboro, Vt.

He says:

“I am an experimenter, explorer and a seeker of beauty. When I set out to work, there is no image in mind, but the vision unfolds as the work evolves. It usually begins with simple forms and marks with broad areas. It then becomes more refined and delicate and knits itself together through line.

”I am a process person, interested in employing materials and techniques to the ‘landscape’ of my mind. My drawings, paintings and prints evolve from the idea of linear pathways echoing from the tracks of animals in nature, fissures in rock palisades and the patterns created by my hands becoming ‘playful’ with my tools.  

Learning to read a printing plate before inking, is like sensing the log before wielding the axe. So goes my act of creativity, being aware of what resonates in front of me and responding with marks, colors and textures. ‘‘

Downtown Brattleboro, as seen from a walking trail just across the Connecticut River, in New Hampshire, with the Green Mountains in the distance. There are many miles of scenic trails in and around the town, which has long been known as a arts center.

A carnival’s ‘childlike carefreeness’

“Traveling Circus’’ (oil on canvas), by Alexandra Rozenman, in Brickbottom Artists Association, Somerville, Mass., June 17-29

The gallery says:

‘‘There is a certain special kind of joy that takes place when the carnival comes to town. Nostalgia, excitement, and a childlike carefreeness that can be unshakeable for guests of all ages. The carnival can seem like a very intricate web of logistics but with the proper event planning team, you can put together a five-start carnival just about anywhere. Even your very own backyard.’’

See The New England Center for Circus Arts.

This 1945 Rodgers & Hammerstein Broadway musical is set on the Maine Coast. Rodgers said later it was his favorite of all his shows.

‘Restlessness and vulnerability’

From Hannah Morris’s show, “Moveable Objects,’’ at the Brattleboro (Vt.) Museum and Art Center, through April 30, 2024

Ms. Morris, who lives in Barre, Vt., writes:

“These recent works are a continued exploration of the contrast between ambiguity and specificity. The space between the two creates a stage for new visual narratives. Applying layers of paint over an initial collage, I cover, expose, and refashion to tell new stories. I use found imagery to ground myself in a moment in time, and from there, I develop a new narrative by combining old imagery with new. Using a visual language based on colors, tones, marks, and details, I create believable yet implausible scenes. The underlying restlessness and vulnerability of the people in these scenes is a reflection of a struggle to define ourselves.’’
# Hannah Morris #Barre# Brattleboro

Barre’s U.S. Post Office is one of many Barre buildings and sculptures made from stone from the famous local granite quarries.

Barre's Hope Cemetery is widely known for its elaborate granite headstones.

— Photo by Kenneth C. Zirkel

But a constitutional monarch

“King on Throne,’’ by Scot Borofsky, in his show “Gritty Streets to Green Mountains,’’ at the Bennington (Vermont) Museum through Dec. 31

The museum says:

”This exhibition illustrates the development of Borofsky's work over the last 40 years, ranging from early NYC street art, to his more recent paintings created in his Brattleboro (Vt.) studio, which incorporate an evolving language of complexly layered symbols and the gestural language of paint. ‘‘

The remarkably large museum for a small town like Bennington. See: https://benningtonmuseum.org/

The Bennington Battle Monument, which commemorates the Aug. 16, 1777 American victory there in the Revolutionary War

Downtown Brattleboro (where Mr. Borofsky has his studio) as seen from a walking trail across the Connecticut River, in New Hampshire. There are many miles of scenic trails in and around the town, where Rudyard Kipling lived for a time in the 1890s.

Before social distancing

“Dancing on Air” (acrylic), by Matthew Peake, in Galatea Fine Art’s online (pandemic) gallery. The explanatory text with this: “A bird's eye view of a stunning moment; this is an unusual view of a lively wedding dance. The energy is dizzying when looked upon from this point of view, but the joyous place in time is forever captured.’’

Matthew Peake, M.D., who lives in Rockingham, Vt., which is on the Connecticut River, was a primary-care physician in the Brattleboro, Vt., area for many years before becoming a full-time artist in 2006.

See:

www.mjpeake.com

and:

galateafineart.com

Pleasant Valley Grange Hall, next to the Rockingham Meeting House, in Rockingham, Vt.