BELLOWS FALLS-Canal Street Art Gallery, 23 Canal St., presents "Art as a Way of Life," an exhibit by Clare Adams and Alice Cheney, now on display through Aug. 10.
This show honors the two artists' late mentor, Kaji Aso (1936 to 2006), who came to the United States from Japan in 1967: first to New York City, then to Vermont, and settling in Boston in 1973.
"If you think of painting, then you are painting," is a saying by Aso which is well-remembered by Cheney and Adams.
They initially met while touring in Japan with Aso in 1985, where they discovered their similar aesthetic interests and their connection to Vermont and its rural landscape. They now share new artwork made four decades later, focusing on nature and using fused glass by Adams, and encaustic (hot wax medium) by Cheney.
"Mr. Aso saw 'nature' as an essential source for balance, contentment, and a different way of seeing." Adams and Cheney write in their dedication for the show.
Adams, based in Cambridgeport, presents her newest work using fused glass to recreate her well-developed imagery, which represents the artist's local landscape of rivers, mountains, trees, and villages throughout the seasons. Adams has developed this imagery through extensive use of block printing, monotype printing, and painting on glass with enamels.
Cheney, based in Warren, uses hot wax encaustic layered and carved with saturated pigments to paint the sounds and sights of the nature surrounding her. The permanence of the encaustic wax expounds on Cheney's background in wood carving, and in painting on paper with ink and watercolor.
Canal Street Art Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sundays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the third Friday of every month until 7 p.m. For more information, visit canalstreetartgallery.com, call Mike Noyes at 802-289-0104, or email [email protected].
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.