EarthWorks, An Exhibition at the Darien Nature Center

Featuring Artists Heidi Lewis Coleman, Lucy Krupenye and Nancy Woodward

By Carolee Ross

“EarthWorks” Opens on Sunday, April 22 at the Darien Nature Center

The opening reception will be held on Earth Day, Sunday, April 22 from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. in the Nature Center’s  Wetherstone Gallery at 120 Brookside Road, Darien, Connecticut.

              The Darien Nature Center, a small, Fairfield County oasis that houses live animals including rabbits, turtles, screech owls, reptiles and prairie dogs also features the work of select area artists. For Earth Day, Curator Ann Hart of Stamford-based “annart” has partnered with three local artists to present “EarthWorks,” a serene exhibit that borders on visual poetry in an era when society needs the calm and contemplative peacefulness of artworks that are meditative in nature.

            Hart explains in her curatorial statement, “EarthWorks is a celebration of nature’s simplicities and complexities through the eyes of three remarkably insightful artists; Heidi Lewis Coleman, Lucy Krupenye and Nancy Woodward. Each pays homage to the beauty of the current, the remnants of the past and the wonder of the unknown future.”

Heidi Lewis Coleman Explores Language in Art

"DOGWOOD"

2011

Cut Stainless Steel

 

In her artist’s statement Coleman writes, “My work reflects an ongoing exploration into the aesthetics of using language in art. While most conceptual artists incorporate text into their work as a means of analyzing popular culture or for making political and social commentary, I am more intrigued with developing text as a visual design element. I am particularly inspired by Asian art and have studied the intricate calligraphy used to decorate ancient scrolls and screens. The columns of simple, yet elegant characters may express specific meanings, but a viewer is not required to understand that meaning in order to appreciate the grace and integrity of the artwork.”

Coleman’s work focuses on developing text as a visual design element. Her mixed media assemblage pieces and steel sculptures incorporate her own abstract writing which is an invented, rhythmic language that she develops intuitively. Most of the artist’s assemblages are created using Thai papers which incorporate embedded bits of wood, leaves, petals and stems.

“For me, the languages have an ancient, almost mystical quality. I believe that because my artwork communicates in the abstract, individual viewers are not forced to translate it specifically, allowing them to “feel” the energy of each piece and to take away their own unique messages on a subconscious level, Coleman explains.

            Heidi Lewis Coleman studied at Parsons and the New York School of Design in New York City. She is a juried member of the National Association of Women Artists and the Silvermine Guild of Artists and is represented by Reynolds Fine Art in New Haven, Connecticut.

Lucy Krupenye Creates Wall Hanging Assemblages of Found Objects

Lucy at a former show at The Carriage Barn Arts Center with (from left)
"Ceremonial Totem", "Sea Creature", "Balance" and "Zen Shelter"

Krupenye believes that her sculptures are a reflection of her soul and she strives to create works of beauty, peace and tranquility in a world that is often surrounded by violence and hatred. Her work can be described as organic and Zen in feeling and are inspired by nature, music and the bits and pieces of the world around her, including stone, wood, metal and bone. She looks for treasures in the discarded pieces she finds in her Connecticut environment and searches for harmony in their creation.

Lucy Krupenye, who has her studio in Wilton, Connecticut, has been the featured artist in many magazines and newspapers, on the cable television program, Miggs B and her work was included in the book “The Art of the Birdhouse: Portraits of Artists and Their Creations. She has exhibited in galleries and museums in the Northeast including The Hammond Museum, The Stamford Museum, and The Silvermine Guild Arts Center and has won awards for her sculptures in juried exhibitions.

Nancy Woodward, A Photographic Artist Who Transforms Views of the Natural World

            Woodward's images result from her “hearing the calling to go further into the woods, to patiently wait for the sun and the clouds to illuminate the trees,” that she photographs, and then transforms into what she calls a “spiritual thank you.”

              She is a Norwalk native who works out of her Silvermine, New Canaan studio, where the digital darkroom, she says, "affords me the resources to coax out even the faintest of shadows and ethereal landscapes". Woodward is a regular exhibitor at Southport's "Rooms with a View." For the last six years, she has been an Artist in Residence at Silver Lake Conference Center in Sharon, Connecticut and is a member of the Ridgefield Guild of Artists.

EarthWorks, featuring artists Heidi Lewis Coleman, Lucy Krupenye and Nancy Woodward continues through June 8th.

Nature Center Hours:

Weekdays 9-4

Saturday 9-12

120 Brookside Road, Darien Ct 06820

203-655-7459

www.dariennaturecenter.org