SHARON ARTS PRESENTS "WORKS IN COLORED PENCIL: A JURIED EXHIBIT" JULY 6-AUG 7

Sharon Arts Center will present an exhibit titled “Works in Colored Pencil: A Juried Exhibition” from July 6 to August 7 in their downtown Exhibition Gallery, 30 Grove St., Peterborough.

The exhibit, which will feature both national and regional works from newcomer and veteran artists, is sponsored in conjunction with the Colored Pencil Society of America (CPSA) New England chapter 112 and made possible through the generosity of People’s United Bank. An opening reception, free and open to the public, will be held July 6 from 5 to 7 pm.

Juror for the exhibit is Kimberly Kersey Asbury, a painter and mixed media artist who holds a BFA from Kansas City Art Institute and an MFA from Boston University. She is a Fulbright grant recipient in the arts and is Assistant Professor of Art and Design at Saint Anselm College in NH.

“Many of us remember colored pencil from our childhood days – our first foray into fine art,” said Asbury. “We began there because the materials were easy to use, it seemed, affordable for schools, and not too messy. Some of us fell in love with that handful of color and others have forgotten it, moved onto other mediums, and not stuck around to see what can be done with these nifty materials.

“In fact, for those die hard colored pencil fans there’s a whole other category of colored pencil out there packed with saturated artist grade pigments and the artists in this exhibition show all of us just how far one can take this material.”

The CPSA was established in 1990 with its sole focus set on colored pencils. Established in 16 countries and with over 1,600 members, the CPSA provides services such as international exhibitions, workshops, newsletters, and product research as well as a networking directory and chapters for members throughout the continental U.S.

Artists selected to participate in the exhibit are Laurie Biebeck, Paul Bongiovanni, Kasey Micheal Child, Roland Coates, Lee Dunholter, Jenn Falcon, Kendra Ferreir, Debbi Friedman, Marilyn Kusela, Liz Winchester-Larson, Elly Miles, Elizabeth Patterson, Sheli Petersen, Catherine Palmer, Martine Villalard-Bohnsack, and Anne Ward.

Highlights of the exhibit include work by Elizabeth Patterson of Maine, who has won recognition in competitions such as The Artist’s Magazine and had works featured in both regional and international CPSA exhibitions. Her “O.J. and Blues,” a studied formalist approach to still-life, results in a composition that, according to juror Asbury, “vibrates with the play of light and shadow, texture and vibrant color.”

Artist Kendra Bidwell Ferreira, too, has a history with colored pencils. A graduate from the Massachusetts College of Art, Ferreira holds a signature membership of the CPSA in two areas, one of which is in the exploration of using alternative mediums and surfaces with colored pencil. Impressive examples of her experiments with materials on display include “Joyous Spirits” and “Splendor.”

“While there is a strong theme of naturalist realism running through the many entries for the exhibition,” Asbury says, “a few artists take their inspiration from elsewhere.” Such is the case, she said, with Liz Winchester-Larson’s “One Red Spot” in which inspiration comes from the motifs and compositional arrangements found in theorem paintings she once saw demonstrated at Old Sturbridge Village. “A play between volume and flatness, realism and the decorative continuously hold the viewer’s gaze in these drawings,” Asbury says, adding that she hopes area residents will view the exhibit “to see masters of this difficult, sometimes overlooked medium that blurs the colorful boundaries between drawing, illustration, design, and painting.”

First, second, and third place awards will be announced at the opening reception.

For more information call (603) 924-7676