sticks and stones

Caroline Bagenal | Pamela Courtleigh | Mary Jane Sawyer | Martha Swanson

August 10 – September 10, 2017

‘Sticks and Stones’ through September 10th - an exhibition in which the elements of line and form so familiar to us on Cape Ann are interpreted by four local artists.

Caroline Bagenal- Has exhibited in Europe and America, is an Associate Professor at Montserrat College of Art, and a member of Boston Sculptors Gallery. She returns to Flatrocks Gallery with her continuing series of sculpture constructed of bamboo or marsh reeds. She describes the work as "drawings in space." The sculptures are delicate geometric forms, or patterns animating the space they inhabit, and leading the viewer through the exhibition.

Pamela Courtleigh- Has an eclectic past including stints as a puppeteer, a farmer, a taxi driver, a pastry chef, and an antiques dealer - and this varied career reflects in her assemblage sculpture. Collecting and combining odd, beautiful bits of life and nature, once meant for other purposes, her creations tell stories of the constant of change. Pam relishes in the journey!

Martha Swanson - has enjoyed a lifelong career in the arts, making her reputation here as the artistic director for the Rocky Neck Cultural Center. She is an award-winning painter as well, fueled by the natural beauty and cultural richness of the area. Her works in watercolor, with their precise focus on detail, are meditative studies inspired by the patterns and chaos in nature.

Mary Jane Sawyer- After a twenty-five year career as a food stylist, Mary Jane Sawyer has turned her abundant creative energy toward her painting. Her oils draw from her interest in “inadvertent art, born from weather and industry in this particular place, Cape Ann. Marks on stone, stains left by iron and drill, grout piles and erratic boulders balanced and askew.”