The ‘gray hum’ of the Sharon landscape

Sharon painter Jeff Joyce has created a new limited-edition print, “Wandering, Dusk,” to benefit the Sharon Land Trust.

The print, which will debut at the Land Trust’s annual Cider Press Party on Sept. 19, captures the quiet atmosphere of the Northwest Corner at day’s end. Trees and clouds appear in translucent shades of gray against a pale gray ground, creating a shifting sense of space and perspective. Joyce describes the effect as a pictorial equivalent of a “gray hum,” an homage to the stillness of a winter evening as the sun disappears early.

Joyce, who has lived in Sharon since 2013, is a frequent visitor to the Sharon Land Trust’s trails. The landscape and history of Litchfield County have become central to his work, which has been exhibited nationally and locally, including at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art and the Carnegie Museum of Art.

“Since moving to Sharon 13 years ago, I’ve drawn most of my inspiration, ideas about painting, and the landscape, from the land in and around Sharon,” Joyce said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to support the mission of the Land Trust.”

Following the Cider Press Party, “Wandering, Dusk” will be on view at DUGAZON, 19 West Main St., Sharon, from Sept. 23 through Sept. 27. Proceeds from the sale of the print will support the Sharon Land Trust’s work conserving and stewarding more than 4,840 acres of open space, forests and farmland in Sharon.

Information about the Cider Press Party and tickets is available at tinyurl.com/2026Cider
Press.