Painting by Cathie Conrad MacArthur
A well-known candy that I grew up with comes in all sorts of colors and features animated characters in television ads espousing their reason for being. Colorful, plain or peanuts, M&M’s have only increased their PCP (pop culture popularity) over the years since originating in 1941.
An art exhibit doesn’t need to show 100 works to be a blockbuster. It can be just as powerful with merely a dozen. In a one-room, one-woman show, experimental painter and collage creator, Sue Marrazzo of Carlisle, the first M&M of this story, demonstrates less is more when every canvas counts.
The Map Room at Allenberry Resort in Boiling Springs provides the quintessential backdrop with its tonal expanse of stone wall, ideal for the neutral, heavily textured lines of demarcation running through her series of paintings. Laden with touchstones of black marks, squiggles and dots and dashes, one can almost hear the clickety-clack rhythmically tapping out Morse code. They guide one through the show building, a bridge from one painting to the next.
“Na Pali Coast” by Sue Marrazzo
Marrazzo works primarily in mixed media experimenting with acrylic here and there which adds a different layer to the mix. Her collage collection sparks conversation on a variety of topics as varied as the elements employed emote enlightenment. Her credentials speak to an artist of achievement with the appropriate ISAP, NCS and ISEA following her name. From her body of work, the Allenberry show highlights both new paintings and a few greatest hits featured in various Carlisle Arts Learning Center (CALC) juried exhibitions and other local art galleries. Marrazzo is influenced by fashion, interior design and art history. In her words, “Art is about learning to see.” She describes her art as “bold, colorful, experimental and individualistic.” From “The Soul in Reflection” to “Panache” and the alluring and mysterious bifurcated “Na Pali Coast,” which draws the viewer across the room for closer inspection.
Be sure to visit the Map Room at Allenberry by July 2 as this smartly styled show closes before the nation’s holiday. Sue will be showing her art at Gallo’ry on Market this fall. Upcoming classes take place on Saturdays, June 15 and July 30 in experimental mixed media at CALC. Contact Sue Marrazzo at [email protected].
The next M&M out of the bag is Cathie Conrad MacArthur who calls Midtown Harrisburg home and yet her heart belongs to the coastline beaches from Maine to Maryland and points in between. Her seaside studies demonstrate a defined palette reminiscent of sunrise and sunset shades alighting over the horizon morning and night. So serene one feels like they’re curled up on a towel watching the sun kiss the sea. Her floral works bring to mind Georgia O’Keeffe’s luminous paintings that formed her oeuvre. Their beauty lies in the true-to-life.
From early childhood, creating greeting cards and paper dolls, to studying art at York College has led MacArthur on a never-ending art journey. Her travels often take her to familial beach haunts like the lighthouse at Nubble Light in York, Maine. Summers were spent with her parents and siblings in Chincoteague, Maryland. MacArthur has studied with local artists and a select few in Maine. She shared her passion for painting as “inspired by the energy and color palette,” from the beautiful Susquehanna River to the ocean she loves. The artist works in pastels, acrylics and oils. Known for her landscapes, still life, floral and contemporary paintings can be found at Pure Gallery in Arcona. A standout is Himalayan Blue Poppy, a soft pastel that whispers the memory of Georgia O’Keeffe. For MacArthur, the joy she receives from painting is a means to the end. The act is a gift unto itself. There can be no purer pursuit. Find MacArthur’s work on Instagram @cathiemacarthur.
Art by Reina R76 Wooden
Meet the Artist: Reina R76 Wooden
When an “M” gets turned upside down, it becomes a “W,” as in the artist Wooden, Reina to be exact. There is a certain group that subscribes to the notion that, as far as “art” goes, Reina has often stood art on its head. Count us among this select group. Always a proponent of inducing alarms for advocacy regarding social change, she slyly pokes at history and the societal ills that have taken place. In her role as ‘thought provocateur,’ she shines a spotlight on racism. Reina marches to her own inner voice, depicting crowns fit for the kings and queens who were unjustly robbed of their humanity and sold as slaves.
Heather Ebersole’s Gallo’ry at 2010 Market St. in Camp Hill is proud to feature Reina’s paintings for the month of June. They are a fitting tribute to the Juneteenth celebration. Come out and meet the artist this Friday, June 7 at a reception that starts at 6 p.m.
Find work by Reina R76 Wooden, on her website.
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