Karen and Ted Koskores Gallery

My work generates a conversation of confusion or acceptance. I paint because it is sometimes the only thing that makes sense. It describes both a mental and physical space. Layers of space and lines represented by forms of color that are geometric and organic, are represented on one surface. These layers create a space that becomes unlimited regardless of physical scale. The intention of my work serves two purposes. The paintings become the vehicle for my own personal experiences, through the exploration and understanding of my visual language. They strive to become an access point for an audience less likely to engage with “fine art”, yet are inclined to respond and engage through an invitation of color. 

Palmer is trained as a painter, but her work explores the intersections of painting, history, and color, allowing it to blur the lines of painting, sculpture, and installation. Her work investigates colonial American history as it relates to her own identity as [a Black woman]. Her paintings respond gesturally and the fabric works rely on materials to navigate conceptual ideas. While Palmer’s studio work is generated from personal histories, her public art is a reclamation of space.

In the past few years, hands have shown up in her work. They are literal and symbolic references to labor. Hands have been at the center of decision-making, wealth, slavery, motherhood, etc. Hands nurture and hand harm. “When I started using hands, I wanted to talk about greed. When reading about America’s beginning, so much of it was around greed. Claiming land, people, goods, and not for a purpose but to have. That resonated with me because nothing has changed. All of the hands . . . are genderless, ageless, and not grabbing any particular thing.”

Founded in 1959, the Massachusetts Camera Naturalists (MCN) is an informal organization dedicated to the appreciation of nature and the natural environment. Through its members, it seeks to promote: A closer fellowship among serious nature photographers and naturalists; a greater appreciation of nature through the exchange of ideas and techniques for nature photography and observation; and the development and education of the general public in nature photography, the appreciation of nature, and the conservation ethic.

You can find more information about the MCN at camnats.org.

Donna MacLure:
I have been painting in watercolor for the past 19 years, with table top still life being among my favorite subject matters. I have no formal training but have studied with numerous local and nationally known teachers. I have exhibited both locally and internationally. My work can be found in galleries throughout New England and several private collections worldwide.

I am a Signature Member of the New England Watercolor Society, North East Watercolor Society, and Rhode Island Watercolor Society as well as an artist member of the North Shore Arts Association and Attleboro Arts Museum. I paint daily in my home studio in the beautiful Sheldonville section of Wrentham.

Karole Nicholson:
My art practice combines my life experiences with my need to connect to nature and to the influences of daily life. Capturing the intimate landscape of the local environment, I interpret these scenes using pastels, acrylics, and collage. The evolution of my landscape work demonstrates my concern for the rapidly disappearing open space in our communities. By defining these “forgotten” sanctuaries, it is my hope the viewer will adopt a renewed appreciation and perspective for the remaining undeveloped land in Southern New England.

My art experiences are directly related to my life experiences. Significant relationships are at the center of my art: the unwavering support of my husband, my family, and my friends. Depicting scenes that will stimulate memory and create mood serves as a tool of communication and a source of challenge. What I create is not only a reflection of who I am today; it is the sum of many parts tethered by the struggle and the joy.

As artists, Emma and Carol draw great inspiration from all aspects of nature. In this exhibition, each artist will create works that show their individual perceptions.

Carol Abram: Carol approaches nature from the perspective of peacefulness and awe. Whether it is the majestic crashing of waves or the tiny ripples in a pond, water is the main fascination often portrayed in her works. The mediums change, but the passion for the outdoors, especially bodies of water, stays the same.

Emma Davidson: For Emma, it’s the act of being immersed in her surroundings, whether it’s on a trail high in the mountains or at sea on a sailboat. From these experiences, she is able to draw on memories of her journeys and dreams of future adventures that allow her to connect imagery in an interesting manner.

Creativity takes on many forms: from the view outside the window to your mind’s interpretation of that scene to realistic and abstracted lines on paper. As two artists with similar inspirations, it’s fun to share how they reimagine nature.

You can find more information about the artists at: carolabram.com and artandemma.com

Ellen Clancy: I am relatively late to the clay world as ceramics was not part of my studies at RISD or BU where I concentrated on graphic design and photography. Later, serendipity led me to study handbuilding at the Danforth Museum, where I fell totally in love with the claymaking that is now a necessary and important part of my life.

For many years I have been a studio member at The Potters Shop and School surrounded with wonderfully creative and supportive colleagues. And I am thankful also to be in year six as one of the claymakers represented at the Left Bank Gallery in Wellfleet.

I find it hard to describe my work because, for me, this clay journey is one of continual exploration, wanderings, experimentation, and, on occasion, epic failures. All of this brings me great joy.

If there are consistent creative threads in my work, they could include these: a nod to strong organic forms, never enough texture upon texture, a color palette based in nature, a love of dramatic contrasts, and a need for raw, patinated surfaces.

I have a tendency to use either a single glaze or a dozen on a piece. Or the surface of my work will be entirely dominated by texture or perfectly smooth so those dozen glazes can sing. Middle ground seems elusive. Because of these tendencies, most of my pieces are one of a kind.

Frequent travels also influence my work. Exposure to unusual landscapes, textiles, exotic forms, colorations, and new artists and their work feeds my creative process. My challenge is to be always forward-moving with trying new ideas and techniques. There is so much more to discover and learn and create.

Sarah Fuhro: When I step into the studio, I dance with excitement. A slab of wet clay is my canvas, my wall, where I will give form to a voice inside me. I try to say in line and contour and color what I cannot say in words.

Sometimes it is the feeling of the season, heat, cold, new life, or the death of the old forms. My inspiration comes from the natural world around me, the way leaves grow on a tree or a how a rabbit runs across the snow. Old stories come bubbling up from the Bible, from the myths of the Greeks and from the people who came before them.

Clay has a voice and sings to me in a thousand languages.

The Braintree Art Association has been participating in group exhibitions for more than 40 years, with a membership of over 200 amateur and professional South Shore artists. This exhibition - an annual Thayer event for more than 30 years - represents a broad scope of subject matters and various media and techniques.

An annual representative showing of artwork completed by students (grades 5-12) during the school year. Media and processes represented include painting, drawing, printmaking, pottery, photography, and graphic design.