MARION BELANGER

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE... | WEST GALLERY
MAY 11 - JUNE 17, 2017

Joseph Fucigna is a multi-media artist whose work is rooted in process, play and the innate qualities of the materials used. Through experimentation, play and innovation he creates sculptures, paintings and drawings that are known for their power to transform materials, inventiveness and odd but suggestive subject matter. The ultimate goal is to create an artwork that is a perfect balance between suggestive content and the formal qualities of the materials that allow both to be active participants. With his sculptures he enjoys taking modest industrial materials and transforming them into elegant yet provocative abstractions that speak about the inherent qualities of the material, process, and craft. At first the process creates the product. The inspiration for a series usually begins with the discovery of a common industrial material. It could be the soft bends and folds of recycled scrap steeI, the sensual shape of a sliced open rubber truck tire inner tube, the vibrant colors of plastic barrier fencing or soft dripping and flowing qualities of silicone putty that spark a series. Through play, trial and error, and vision Fucigna alters the materials into new and unexpected formal abstractions that speak about the materials intrinsic characteristics. As the work progresses and he gains a deeper understanding of a medium and its processes, Fucigna tries to move beyond the physical and formal characteristics. He does not want the sculptures to be just about the material, they also need to have an underlying theme or concept that carries it beyond the superficial. Creating an object of possibilities that balances suggestive content and the formal qualities of the material is the ultimate goal.

SARA CONKLIN

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE... | WEST GALLERY
MAY 11 - JUNE 17, 2017

The headwaters of the Naugatuck River originate in Northwest Connecticut, where the east and west branches converge to form the main river stem. For 39 miles the river flows south where it reaches a confluence with the larger Housatonic River in Derby. Having grown up in Naugatuck, I know this river well, and I remember when it was one of the most polluted rivers in the county. The Naugatuck's pristine natural state will never be known, but in recent years vitality has reasserted itself amidst the relics of its past degradation.

EMILIA DUBICKI

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE... | WEST GALLERY
MAY 11 - JUNE 17, 2017

For me painting is about asking questions, questions that can’t always be put into words and may not have immediate answers. Ultimately, the art has to be about seeking the truth. From empty canvases something emerges – another question, another painting. In the paintings there is calm and space to ruminate and other times more movement and energy. Each painting is a stop toward a greater destination and a negotiation between external and internal landscapes and visions. Sometimes the memory isn’t so clear as to what was or wasn’t there, what did or didn’t happen. In this current body of work, the paintings reference one another. I’m addressing what it is to be of a place that is real and imagined, a place whose weight is on the soul’s shoulders and can’t be shrugged off. The feeling is more gift than burden. The journey continues and leaving is returning. “I am always tying up and then deciding to depart.” Frank O’Hara, To the Harbormaster

DEREK SZTELIGA

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE... | WEST GALLERY
MAY 11 - JUNE 17, 2017

Charged Energy - Into the Blue: Artwork Series Statement The series Into the Blue continues my fascination with and reverence for what lies beyond my senses. The ocean surface is partially seen, yet partially submerged; thus, it provides an opportunity to re-examine positive and negative relationships within a space that reconciles and redefines the concepts of weight, tension, density, pressure and buoyancy. By exploring this mysterious visible/invisible world, I aim to reveal the unknown elements in life and nature; to capture the mixture of splendor and severity I observe in the world around me. The ocean, like the cosmos, presents a new frontier and challenges the limits of what we know (or what we think we know). It represents a great, untamed force - always in flux, - which challenges us by simultaneously informing and distorting our perceptions. The Into the Blue paintings explore the relationship between man, technology, and the awesome and unpredictable power of the sea. The enormity and sublimity of uncharted territories expose the limits of man’s capabilities, pursuits and aspirations. The feebleness of his technologies is made apparent as he attempts to tame or bridge uncontrollable natural forces. Through these works, I aim to show that despite the technological innovations available to him, man is no match for the harsh, destructive capabilities of iceberg, sea, or Nature in general.

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