6 - 9 pm with new work in three different media
19C. Ceramic on glass mosaics
Absract acrylics on canvas
Contemporary art glass mosaics
Artist talk at 7.30 pm
First medium: the 19C. ceramic on glass is the reason behind
the name of the show, "frozen charlottes". Here is the story
(are you sitting comfortably?)...
Tiny 19C. porcelain dolls from Thuringia, Germany were
inspired by an American folk ballad that itself sprang from
a poem, "Young Charlotte" written by Seba Smith after he
read a true story in the New York Observer "A young woman
was frozen to death while riding to a ball on Jan 1, 1840"
The ballad tells the tale of a beautiful young woman who set
out in a sleigh with her lover, Charles, on a bitterly cold night
to attend a ball fifteen miles (24 kms) away. Charlotte's mother
warned her to wrap herself in a blanket to keep warm, but...
"No, no, no" fair Charlotte said
And she laughed like a gypsy queen
"To ride in blankets muffled up,
I never can be seen."
Charlotte froze to death that night.
From the mid-19th century, toy manufacturers in Thuringia, Germany produced ceramic dolls' heads and parts (as well as dolls' clothes) that became popular - they were more lifelike than wooden dolls and were cheaper than wax dolls. Although porcelain dolls were also made in France, Denmark and Sweden, the rich clay deposits in Thuringia ensured
that this region remained the centre of European doll making until the Second World War.
Marylee incorporates these petite, fragile remains as a three dimensional component, amongst other historic fragments that are set on glass in a steel frame.
Second medium: abstract acrylics on canvas. Although the word "abstract" is correct, inside this non-representational artist is an avid gardener, a lover of the outdoors, a year-round walker in the woods. See what you see. There are layers upon layers of paint, medium, wash and more paint in a quest to find out how this organic experiment will evolve.
Third medium: contemporary art glass mosaics. Best known for this last group, Ms. Laing brings new work in new shapes and sizes. Some are so thick as to be almost sculptural.
Show continues until Sunday, April 3rd 2011
