New Art Talent featured at Carega Gallery in Center Sandwich

CENTER SANDWICH —  The Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery in Center Sandwich is currently featuring an exciting exhibition of bold landscapes and original interpretations of nature. Entitled “Eyes on New Talent,” the exhibition focuses on the recent work of nine fresh faces to the greater Lakes Region art world.

“Eyes on New Talent has generated a lot of interest and energy” remarked gallery owner, Patricia Carega. “The opening reception was exceptionally well attended, and many art works were purchased that same night.”

The exhibit showcases work by artists Christy Bensley, Meredith Gisness, Betty Webster and Travis Bullard from Center Sandwich; Rhetta Colon of Meredith; Wendy Wilson of Laconia; Pam Tarica and Shelley Holtzman from Center Harbor; and Pam Urda from Moultonborough.

Christy Bensley has had a lifelong interest in making art, specifically painting. A graduate of Connecticut College with a degree in Art History, supplemented with studio art classes, she worked for many years as a book designer, honing her skills in layout, composition, photography, art, and design. She continued to pursue painting by taking a variety of art classes, mostly in oil, at the Essex Art Center in Lawrence, learning from Artist Mark Hayden, a Copley Master; Tamara Krendel, and Caleb Stone. “My painting has evolved as a practice to capture subject matter that moves me, inspired by the juxtaposition of landscapes, natural lighting, and color,” she said. “My style is realism. I have been fortunate to travel to many destinations, some exotic, selecting deserving images to explore my growth as a painter. I always come back to Squam Lake as a location for my constant attention. Having summered at Squam all my life, a couple of weeks each year, I have returned here to Sandwich with my family to enjoy the perennial beauty of the region.” Bensley lives in Sandwich and in Andover, Massachusetts, with her husband and two grown sons.

Center Sandwich’s Travis Bullard has been sculpting for more than 30 years or, in his words, “as long as I can remember. I make art because I have to.” He has studied and obtained many degrees in the “School of Life.” On display are sculptures in wood including a whimsical figure made of spruce burls and feathers, a torso and a bust in curly chestnut, and a large plaque created of maple, redwood and butterfly joinery.

Meredith resident Rhetta Colon has been drawing and painting with watercolor since her retirement from teaching high school English. What began as an impulse has become a passion. She is amazed at how her involvement in drawing and painting has changed what she sees and how she sees it. "I keep a sketchbook with me for that unplanned moment when something strikes that I want to capture – anything alive or even dead in my garden, the lakes and mountains in all kinds of weather, even people sleeping in airports.” She studied extensively with Christine Hodecker and has exhibited locally. She recently has worked in pastels, intaglio printmaking, and mixed media.

Meredith Gisness has been a lifelong artist, studying in many mediums. She is currently working with collage, mono-print and mixed media. Her  fascination with technology has also led her to work with digital art. She incorporates her original works on canvas and paper into digital media. Gisness studied oil painting, drawing, and fiber arts at Skidmore College. She has recently studied painting with Jane Davies, Bernd Haussman, and Kathryn Field. “My artwork is about interpreting the world around me,” she explains. “I begin with my own photographs that have simple shape, color, textures, and light. I break down those elements and recreate them using marks, mono-printing, and collage. I build layers of color, shape and texture to abstract the original inspiration. The physical act of mono-printing holds a level of mystery and spontaneity. I never know exactly how the colors and paint will react each time the paper meets the paint. The addition of mark making and collage creates layers that I hope will draw in the viewer to look closer at my work.” She divides her time between homes in Center Sandwich and Massachusetts.

Shelley Holtzman explains that her passion for strong lines and vibrant colors comes from a background as a graphic designer. “Flowers were ideal subjects and each painting became an exploration on how to transform shape and color into a bold but graceful expression,” she explains. She is also enthusiastic about portraiture and has accepted commissions. “I’m drawn to the way color is reflected in the light and shadow of people’s faces,” she says. “I try to intensify this relationship on canvas while capturing the emotions and spirit of the individual personality.” Mostly recently, Holtzman has developed a deep appreciation for the landscape and enjoys painting scenes of everyday life. A graduate of the University of Michigan with a degree in art, she enjoyed a 13-year career in advertising as an art director for Brouillard Communications, a division of J. Walter Thompson in New York. She left that position to start a family and to pursue her study of fine arts. She lives in Center Harbor and New York.

Pam Tarica studied painting intermittently at NYU, The Art Students League, and Nassau Fine Arts Museum. She is currently studying with Steven Lampasona at The Artists Studio on Long Island, New York. Her work is vibrant with color, and she works primarily in oil and acrylics. She lives in Center Harbor and New York.

“I love being outside and believe Mother Nature is a genius. The textures, colors and shapes of animals, plants and water are tiny miracles every day,” says Pam Urda of her artistic inspiration. “With acrylic paint, texture medium, and a heavy dose of both curiosity and humor, I attempt to convey how I feel in my gardens, where bees clumsily bumble, or enjoying a rollicking walk along a rushing stream with my loyal dogs. My delight is to come as close as I am able to what Mother Nature has to offer, knowing that what I create will always be a humble second, at best.” Though not institutionally trained, Urda feels that “creativity has always been a partner... but my most influential teacher has been curiosity.” She enjoys experimenting, trying unusual mixtures of pigment, creating landscape foliage with pallet knives, or exploring new terrain with her dogs. “Following my curiosity has proven to be a true blessing in my life.” A resident of Moultonborough, Pam works most often in acrylics and mixed media, using bold color and heavy application of paint.

Center Sandwich artist Betsy Webster explains her reasons for painting: “I believe everything in the universe is connected. Making art is one of the limitless ways to open windows for connection. Color, light, open space, expanse, and depth are some of my loves I use to share my respect of our environment. My hope: Promotion of peace in my paintings; it’s a simple premise, but it works for me. We are all artists in our own individual and countless ways. And sometimes the universal light flashes in an instant of clarity to remind us of our oneness with everything. That’s why I paint. Sometimes it works.”

While pursuing her profession as a nurse midwife, Wendy Wilson began painting in northern Maine during the 1980s under the instruction of Evelyn Powers. In New Hampshire she studied with watercolorist Mary Lou John and has been influenced by Candis Dixon while working under her guidance in watercolor and bookmaking. Her most important mentor is Lakes Region Community College art professor Liz Wilson. Wilson received first place in mixed media in the 2017 Lakes Region Art Association Annual Show. She does figure work in charcoal, ink and watercolor and recently she has begun working with mixed media and oils. “I draw inspiration from nature, especially New Hampshire’s lakes, mountains and ocean. Recent travel to Nepal, Ireland, and Peru has inspired me to create travel sketchbooks.” Her artwork can be found in private collections in the United States and as far as Ireland and Spain, and in central New Hampshire galleries. She resides in Laconia with her husband, Rick, a retired physician.

“Eyes on New Talent” opened on Sept. 2 and continues through Sept. 16. It will be the gallery’s last show of the 2017 season. The Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery is located at 69 Maple St., Center Sandwich, and is open daily.

Shelley Holtzman, Center Harbor, “Sandwich,” acrylic on canvas

Pam Urda, Moultonborough, “Garden,” acrylic