Levitation is Happening Now

The artist’s arrival is imminent; tonight in fact. You will get a chance to learn from Graziella Weber-Grassi the art of levitation. With this new mixed media series she once again demonstrates powerful insight through the use of nostalgic vignette. By peering into the oddly private world of the familiar, we quite unexpectedly catch some of the furniture in mid-air. In the great room we are also featuring Graziella’s large-scale acrylic on canvas works. Juxtaposed flashes of childhood and fragmented iconic imagery create a recognizable storyboard that defines our precarious confluence with the past.

Come to the gallery and be lifted up.

Alive and Levitating Into the Heat of the Night

Rosenquist’s female doppelganger, Graziella-Weber Grassi, has transformed the gallery into a stunning retro-surrealistic wonderland for the duration of summer. Floating furniture surrounds; the actual furniture I believe is slightly jealous. Walking through the gallery gives one the feeling of lifting off and peeling away of life’s burdens – this is how it should be in summer: We move easy, slowing a little, take more time to enjoy company, mingle with a cool drink, gaze at shorelines or dive into lakes, creeks and flowing rivers, collectively drift into dream states…all can be seen and done at Zone Three (and in the cool air conditioning).

Alive, Alive

It is spring and the gallery is in full swing. This month’s show, Atmospheres by Rachel Baird, is a minimalistic new mixed media journey through the just visible ether of our physical realm. In Atmospheres 1, a heavy humid summer night is captured, showing subtle geometric waveforms moving through mid-air. The series of images in Atmospheres 2 captures people and objects seen through this circular lens of water and midnight. In Cruising Blue at 38,000 Feet Elevation, following the sunrise over to Ireland, slight changes in the inverted blue horizon create a hypnotic passage.  

With her clear modernist talent for capturing in abstraction what is physically evident but always slightly hidden, Rachel peels away the obvious surface to take a look at the current that runs through all life. For the opening reception this Friday, June 14th – 5-7 p.m. (during the Middlebury Arts Walk), the gallery will be showing the companion film to Atmospheres,Nightlights will be playing continuously in the main gallery. In Nightlights – the same summer water orbs of pulsing colors beat in and out of a dark world – wrapped inside a soundtrack of ocean sounds from the filming location and otherworldly hearts of space beats, this film mesmerizes.

Wide Awake and Getting Ready to Dance Across the Creek

Just finished hanging the Train and Creek show in our Main Gallery….this work is soulful, moving – folks in the building just passing through were observed standing around studying and gazing into the depth of field of these extraordinary mixed media pieces. I heard several utterances of “wow.” Zone Three is truly elated to have M P Landis at the gallery. What an amazing addition his work is. You can feel the essence of this place, Middlebury, Vermont, Addison County, from where he pulled up meaning and laid it down on the page. Get ready for our opening reception, this coming Friday, May 10th from 5-7 p.m.

And to start the Arts Walk season off with a little flare – the skirl of the pipes will be heard at 5:00 p.m. – highland pipes in front of the Zone Three Gallery building (and heard throughout town as well, no doubt) to be followed by a Celtic Music Concert in the Gallery’s Great Room with Green Mountain Celts. I am putting my jig shoes on for this one.

Aftermath

The Opening Reception and Holiday Fete: Adding by hand, the people who came to the event, stared at the 4×6 foot “Archangel Michael on the Move,” listened to live Celtic harp music with harpist Bolton Price, saw all the manner of angels then went forth lighter (a considerable amount), the amount of chicken mole hand pies eaten (dozens), the number of Glam Raphael new mixed media works that flew out the door and how much glitter that entails (I cannot even fathom), the number of cupids you can squeeze into a sardine can (an undetermined many). The show continues through the end of this month and can be viewed in the main gallery from 8 a.m.–6 p.m. (Monday–Friday) and as always, in the great room and the rest of the gallery, by appointment.  Here’s wishing everyone a beautiful and artful Christmas.

Our Holiday Show: All Manner of Angels

Our Holiday show is fast approaching and angels are multiplying around the place… every shape and size…Just finishing the hundred eyes on “Archangel Michael” a 5×6 foot semi-abstract rendering in oil on canvas of my favorite of all the angels. It has been an interesting process, begun in Rome recently with images, some abstract and ethereal taken while running around Roma in search of angels, creating prints on art papers, then back in Vermont studying the references to each angel, retracing their stories and meditating on their essence before creating my interpretations in paint.

Graziella Weber-Grassi has been busy in her studio as well creating all forms of inventive euro-angel prints and collages, angels holding the planet up, cupids in a sardine can. Come and be amazed, you might even hear a wing or two in motion. Opening Reception, December 14th 5-7 – with Celtic harpist Bolton Price and a holiday fete befitting the angels.

Wide Awake and in honor of his Holiness, the Dalai Lama’s soon to be visit to Middlebury

Just finished hanging the installation for October at the gallery. Featuring two truly unique and talented felt artists this month.

The gallery is filled with “Vermont Prayers” – by Deborah Allen – what an amazing visual, textural and spiritual convergence – the humble gallery brimming with all these colorful prayers from the people of Vermont is a sight to truly behold and experience for one’s self – Deborah’s artistic vision has come to life in stunning silk on wool felt made in the colors of our Vermont autumn.

“God, Dogs and Fishes” by Christa Fisher is featured on the main gallery wall – a whimsical masterful piece of cold felting artistry – Christa truly captures the sheer unadulterated joy of dogs running in the surf– you can’t help but smile – their happiness is palpable.

I have also placed an antique prayer wheel on the table for use this month.  I hope you get a chance to come by – the gallery is open from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. – Monday through Friday and by appointment.  Feel free to come and spend some time with these soulful works of art.