ART WALL

The Hunt Library Artwall features up to nine exhibits annually including solo and group shows.  It exists to showcase local professional and emerging artists living in the Northwest Connecticut community and further afield.  A portion of all art sales benefit the library.  For information, please inquire with the library staff.

The David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village, CT will have a reception with refreshments on Saturday, September 21 from 4PM to 6PM for John Atchley’s fine photography exhibition, Tales from the Golden Age & Other Stories, featuring new works incorporating a gold leaf printing technique developed by the artist.  A selection of other works accompanies the new ones, tracing a path through Atchley’s interest in landscape and atmosphere, both external and internal.  The exhibition will be on display through October 19, 2019.  For more information, call the library at 860-824-7424 or visit huntlibrary.org.  63 Main Street, Falls Village, CT 06031. Hours: Tues & Thurs 10-5, Fri 3-7, Sat 10-1.  The artist’s work can be seen at johnatchleyphotography.com.

John Atchley creates his zen-drenched photographic images in a cottage studio located behind his house in Falls Village, steps away from the David M. Hunt Library.  After receiving a master’s degree in photography at Yale in 1972, Mr. Atchley pursued work in construction for 35 years before picking up his camera again in 2010 to focus on his love of nature.  Jettisoning a quest for absolute sharpness of image, he delved into more abstract shapes of varied subjects, both in still life and landscape.  With the advent of digital photography and the internet, Mr. Atchley found release from the isolation of darkroom work while benefiting from a growing social network to share his work and learn from others.  The photographs featured in his new exhibition were created through an intricate printing technique utilizing 24K gold leaf that brings a richness and mystery to his landscapes and floral still life evoking contemplation and an antiquarian otherworldliness.  Although the subjects are mostly local and recent, the effect recalls the work of Asian master artists through the centuries.

Born in 1947, John Atchley received a BA in Photography from Marlboro College in 1969 and an MFA in Photography from Yale in 1972.  After a career in construction, he returned to photography in 2010 and has since exhibited his work extensively in local galleries and exhibitions in Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts.  His work is in the private collection of Raymond Learsy, Kenneth Tyler, and Sam Posey, as well as The Polaroid Corporation Permanent Collection.  John lives in Falls Village, CT with his wife Linda and their yellow labs, Maizie and Laney.

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” –Anatole France

In October and November, The David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village (CT) will present the group exhibition Spirit Animals featuring 45 local artists from the tri-state area and an ark-full of feathered, furred, and finned beasts.  An opening reception with refreshments will take place on Saturday October 26, 4-6PM.  An art salon talk with Master Conservationist Ginny Apple will take place on Saturday, November 16 at 4PM.  The exhibit will remain on display through Saturday, November 30.  These events are free and open to the public.  For more information call the Library at 860-824-7424 or visit huntlibrary.org.  Hours: Tues & Thurs 10-5, Fri 3-7, Sat 10-1, Sun 11-2.  David M. Hunt Library, 63 Main Street, Falls Village, CT, 06031.

In a request to artists, curators Lilly Woodworth and Garth Kobal proposed the following, “Extract yourself from the quotidian for a couple of minutes and imagine blinking open your eyes to see yourself in the form of an animal.  What animal best describes your nature and/or spirit?  Does the very nature of these times, this season, your life experience or, daresay, personal moment, elicit a response in you?   Is there an animal spirit or form that leaps to mind or a slow realization of an alternative animal inside?”

The response from artists was strong and passionate, creating an exhibition of 45 artists, featuring a pack of wolves, a stampede of elephants, a murder of crows, bears, bunnies, goldfish, racoons, rhinos, deer, owls, seagulls, moths, a mouse, a panther, a wild boar, a dog named Turtle, and many more.

Artists featured in the exhibit include Jeanne Allen, Marsha Altemus, Lori Barker, Megan Berk, Pamela Berkelely, Louise Black, Allen Blagden, Janet Andre Block, John Brett, Jane Capellaro, Eileen Cooper, Erika Crofut, Patricia Decker, Lesley Ehlers, Louis Farkovitz, Zoe Fedorjazcenko, Sergei Fedorjaczenko, David Fertig, Emily Fuller, Richard Griggs, Lazlo Gyorsok, Shaari Horowitz, Michelle Iglesias, Joey Jablonski, Sallie Ketcham, Mark Liebergall, Tom Lotas, Danielle Mailer, Sarah Martinez, Kimburly McDowell, Roger McKee, Terri Moore, Patty Mullins, Ken Musselman, Catherine Noren, Randy Orzano, Robert Andrew Parker, Susan Rand, Bernie Re, Diane Shapira, Joel Shapira, Jude Streng, Carol Timolat, Justine Valla, and Lilly Woodworth.

Most of the artworks in Spirit Animals are priced under $500 and a portion of each sale benefits the David M. Hunt Library.