“Pot of October” by Jovana Sarver
The English poet, Gordon Sumner, queried, “Will you be my love upon the fields of barley? Many years have passed since those summer days…”
Over the course of Bob’s art blogs, it has become common knowledge that I have an unabashedly amorous affair with the month of October–the most beautiful of the year for those too enamored with autumn. It seems to be the most fleeting month as well, gone almost as soon as it arrives. October brings with it life-affirming themes, even though it is a season of transition from warm, golden days to those that change the landscape around us, blanketing the earth for the days ahead of winter.
“Water of Life” at St. Stephen’s Riverfront Gallery
“Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink…” Thus penned Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge in his epic poem, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” in 1798. Little did Coleridge know that, almost 225 years later, the world would be facing drastic climate change. Hurricanes, floods, apocalyptic rain and the list goes on prove that he was a soothsayer of circumspect consideration.
St. Stephen’s Riverfront Gallery’s current “Water of Life” exhibit touches upon those topics, among others, in a tightly juried show of 23 works from 14 artists. Not to dismiss global alarms, the gallery also pays notice to the roles, both sacred and secular, that water plays in the everyday world, adding a few cautionary tales to the mix.
The exhibit does an exemplary job of the artist’s dilemma in bridging sacred and secular worlds as often they appear to be in direct conflict. In religious terms, water is spiritually linked to purity and baptism, being born again in water resurfacing as a new child in faith, washed clean of sin. Unique works from photography to collage to paintings, water is the focus foregrounded in the viewer’s collective conscience. In this exhibit, less is truly more with each selection standing apart brilliantly.
The jurors awarded local artist Lori Sweet with “Best in Show” for her acrylic painting, “Baptism: The Blessing of Water,” which depicts “a woman holding a bowl of water flowing out into the world.” The woman is caught between the worlds of the seen and unseen, offering blessings to both.
Julie Riker, well-known plein air painter, embraces “alla prima,” which means completing the work in one session, which she feels “keeps the surface fresh.” Julie was honored for her painting, “The Color of Water,” given the jury’s “Award for Excellence.” It is an oil on canvas that features rushing blue and white water by a lakeside shore, shimmering to its very bottom where life is present in the everyday order of nature.
“The Color of Water” by Julie Riker (photo: Jana MacGinnes)
Jonathan Frazier’s “Susquehanna Light” is another representation of plein air painting at its best. Jonathan captures an “exquisite sense of colors that abound in our local landscapes as the light changes over the course of the day.”
“Susquehanna Light” by Jonathan Frazier (photo: Jana MacGinnes)
Craig Bomberger, local art teacher, takes a tongue-in-cheek approach with his acrylic on canvas, “Opening Up to the World,” with a “bright and vibrant” palette of colors capping off the body of water with a wide-eyed character, perhaps symbolizing that we are intertwined with nature. Both bubbly and buoyant, it lifts the spirits of onlookers.
Half of community-minded art couple of Vivi on Verbeke, photographer Jeb Boyd offers a grand scale black-and-white study entitled, “Viaduct Vista: Steamy Susquehanna,” a dramatic shot of the conduits of calibration, channeling the ebb and flow of the great river. Partner Vivian Sterste-Brandler’s painting, “Spiritual Retreat at Fuller Lake,” offers insight as to how water can restore and heal just by being near it.
Daniel Petruzzi mixed his loves for art history and philosophy, bringing an amalgamation of methods and meanings to the foreground in his work, “The Maintenance of Empire.” This multi-media work-on-paper won the “Cathedral Prize” and is a testament to the dualistic themes of control and surveillance.
“Water of Life” can be viewed at St. Stephens Riverfront Gallery through Nov. 20 on Sundays from 12 to 3 p.m. For a relatively small exhibit, “Water of Life” makes a powerful statement on many levels and may just surprise you like a wave at the beach that comes out of nowhere.
Artist Spotlight: Carrie Feidt
Artwork by Carrie Feidt
In a world that can appear constantly to be wearing a frown, it’s refreshing to see a smile turned upside down. Art can move us in many ways, connecting on levels with our inner child. There is art, pure and simple, that just makes us smile and warms our heart. More often than not today, that can be just what the doctor ordered. Carrie Feidt is such an artist who has honed her craft for over 10 years, and, in doing so, has brightened the homes of many local residents. She creates mood boards with her paintings, taking the viewer to a seaside landscape or down a dark, spooky alley with only a flicker of light. Other avenues feature frolicking kittens or holiday-themed vignettes. Black- and-white images in her photography offer local points of interest. Carrie’s works have been featured at the Ned Smith Nature Center, the Civic Club of Harrisburg, Millersburg Art Association and at regular plein air sessions she holds throughout the area. For many artists, “edgy” may be their focus, but for Carrie Feidt, sweet and innocent wins the day. As I’ve read, never underestimate the social awareness and sense of reality in a quiet person. They are some of the most observant, absorbent persons of all. Carrie’s fall events are:
~The SoMa Block Party (S. 3rd St., Harrisburg) on Thursday, Oct. 20 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
~3rd in the Burg in SoMa on Friday, Oct. 21, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Sip @17 (17 S. 3rd St.)
~Face painting at the Capital Area Intermediate Unit’s Fall Fest on Oct. 29 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
~Live painting at the Ned Smith Center for Nature
~Art’s Veteran’s Day Gala at the Country Club of Harrisburg from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
People who are interested in the paintings can reach Carrie by calling or texting 717-350-1072, or by emailing cmf8874@hawkmail.hacc.edu.
Post Script
There is great poetry in October. It’s evident everywhere you look, and the brisk weather takes the eye to the skyline as the trees shed their blanket of nature’s beauty. The magic of the month becomes ever elusive, capturing the joy of little faces on its very last day.
“I swear in the days left, we’ll walk in fields of gold.” ~Gordon Sumner, better known as Sting
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