Art, nature in show at Indian Mountain School

LAKEVILLE, Conn. — The second annual art show at the expanded arts center at Indian Mountain School opens to the public on Jan. 30. It is a celebration of the arts center, of the abundance of talented artists in the Northwest Corner and of the exquisite landscape here that offers inspiration to artists, hikers and everyone else who lives in the area. Sam Posey of Sharon is in charge of this year’s show, and said the theme is Connecticut Open Spaces. The invited artists, from A to Z, are Judy Albright, Leora Armstrong, John Atchley, Ira Barkoff, Debra Bilow, Mita Bland, Tina Chandler, Anne Day, Brad Faus, Eric Forstmann, Mary Harvey, Tony Henneberg, Pieter Lefferts, Charlie Noyes, Harry Orlyck, Susan Rand, George Shattuck, Louise Wales and Scott Zuckerman. Their works will be judged, and three cash prizes starting at $5,000 for the top finalist will be awarded. The judging will be on Jan. 28, and there will be an invitation-only showing on Jan. 29. The show is open to the public from Jan. 30.The pieces included in the show are in a wide variety of media. Anne Day’s depicts Long Pond at sunset in a large-scale photo (20 by 40 inches, not including the frame). Painter Ira Barkoff is also working in a large scale, with a 6-foot painting.Photographer George Shattuck said, “The image I have chosen to submit is one that I captured late one July evening during last summer’s most oppressive heat wave. It was the height of summer with the corn tassels topping a verdant green field. The air was thick with humidity, which cast a familiar blue haze across the disappearing horizon. It was evening, and even at that hour, the breeze was neither cooling nor refreshing.“With luck, the image will convey the feeling of that moment to the viewer — perhaps triggering a memory of their own experiences. The height of summer in our beautiful area; the hot, humid and oppressive air wafting above a mature corn field, tall and flowering; and the repeating rolling hills vanishing into the blue haze of a late summer’s eve.”Painter and art teacher Pieter Lefferts of the Northlight Art Center, said, “My entry into the show is titled, ‘Fields & Sky, Hiddenhurst Farm.’ The 24-by -48-inch oil painting expresses the relationship between the life-giving light and water of the sky with the fertile ground below. On the horizon rise the barns and silos of the farm as a focal point to the composition, although nature dominates the pastoral landscape.”And Brad Faus, an artist and a teacher at The Hotchkiss School, said, “My piece will be an installation of sorts, wall mounted with relief, mixed media and 3D components. The subject matter will relate to the landscape and the idea of place in the Northwest Corner.”