Gordon-Nash Library presenting ‘Shadowlands’ exhibit

NEW HAMPTON — The Gordon-Nash Library will present Chuck Rounds, and the show of his work "Shadowlands" in the Nash Gallery, in the lower level of the library in September.

An opening reception for will be held for Rounds on September 9 from 6 to 8 p.m. and for a gallery talk on his shamanic art process, on September 11 from 6 to 8 p.m. as well.

Rounds says "The Shadowlands portfolio is a continuation of a digital project that I have been working on for the past five years. This work is an attempt to visualize the territory I traverse during my shamanic journeys; it is created largely in a meditative state, induced by the work itself. It is part of my larger overall project to represent my understanding of the holiness of all landscapes.''

He says the current work was also inspired by the drawings and printmaking of artists who accompanied explorers prior to the invention of photography. ''The Shadowlands portfolio is meant to document the places I travelled to during my vision quest preparation last year; attempting to re-incorporate, to embrace the shadow aspects (in the Jungian sense) of myself and to retrieve parts of my soul that were torn from me during traumatic experiences, or willingly left behind at various points in my life.''

He says that he works in Photoshop distorting the original photographs, manipulating the variables in the program's algorithms, applying filters, and using various drawing and painting tools in the program. It is a very time intensive and layered process and it is all done digitally.

"The seed idea for this work was born from a trip to Khajuraho,India during my first semester of graduate school at Goddard in 2004. I was stunned by the friezes and statuary decorating the facades of towering 10th century C.E. temples (some of which are still active today). The artists depicted all aspects of their daily lives, culture, mythology and history, including a very complete kama sutra suite."

​Rounds is a technician of Ecstatic Arts, and creative director of Ground Rounds Shamanic Process-based Art-making and Textile Design Gallery, an Arts-based, Spirit-infused, and Eco-Driven human potential and community development organization.