Three Artists Out on a Limb
Eclipse Mill Gallery Shows Pendell, Sutro and Vera
By: Eclipse - Sep 12, 2017
The Eclipse Mill Gallery announces Out on a Limb, a three-person exhibition of new and in-process works by Eclipse Mill residents Debi Pendell, Sarah Sutro, and Betty Vera. The opening reception will be held on Saturday, September 30, from 6-8pm at the gallery in the Eclipse Mill Artist Lofts in North Adams.
Out on a Limb explores the creative process and how it engenders a final product. The exhibiting artists employ painting, collage, fiber art, and preliminary drawing to embody how new ideas push change.
Taking new risks in art making is like being “out on a limb.” The artists veer away from previous work, watch shoots emerge that change their path, and work underground on ideas that evolve into surprising new work. Entering the studio is a process of not knowing what will come next, and Out on a Limb bucks tradition by shining a spotlight on this process.
The artists vary in their techniques and materials—paint, paper, yarn, photography, ink—but they find common ground in approaches to layering and complex abstraction using materials, surface, and subject.
Debi Pendell employs a unique and complex collage technique in which elements including silhouettes derived from the natural world and alphabet letters are layered over fields of color. There is a sense of translucency as one looks at and through richly nuanced surfaces. The resultant images conflate abstraction and evocative imagery.
There are many currents and sources that course through the ever shifting and experimental work of Sarah Sutro. During many years in Asia she used natural dies and colors on a variety of supports. The scale of approaches ranges from large, gestural, abstract paintings to intimate works on paper. The current exhibition includes works inspired by nature. Sutro is also a published poet and art critic.
There is a sense of wonder and surprise in viewing the weavings of Betty Vera. They transfer photographs of seemingly mundane views of urban elements, a street, manhole covers, patterns of bricks into exotic, trompe l’oeil, pixilated renderings in tapestry.
The three artists have a commonality as teachers conducting workshops, seminars and courses at the collegiate level. There is a commitment of passing along process and techniques to new generations of creators.
More information about each artist can be found on her respective website: www.bettyvera.com, www.sarahsutro.com, and www.debipendell.com.
Out on a Limb will be on view from September 30-October 29, 2017. The gallery will be open Fridays through Sundays from 12pm to 5pm, and by appointment. Email gallery@eclipsemill.com for more information.