Newington Art League Art Show
Lucy Robbins Welles Library
Newington
October 8, 2024
It’s not often that I get two great experiences at one location, but I was fortunate to find that in addition to offering fascinating talks, the Lucy Robbins Welles Library has a gallery space where they display the creations of local artists.
That’s how I came across the Newington Art League’s art show, featuring the members of the league. The Newington Art League’s mission is to “advance the visual arts while fostering a community spirit.”
For a person who can barely draw a square, visual art has always been interesting to me. What inspires artists to visualize and create the work that they do? How does their own sense of self get expressed in representing a landscape or an object or even a different person?
Thanks to the local nature of the Art League (and a special thank you to Pat Tanger for helping me reach out to artists) I was able to ask them my questions and get some responses.
I enjoyed the above piece because it was a change from some of the recent artwork I’d viewed. I’m drawn to paintings of water, but often those paintings use abstract styles to represent water. The realism and attention to detail that Tanger brings to her painting make me feel as if I’m right there at the waterfront. For Tanger, it’s a sense of mystery that encourages her to paint.
“I am inspired by the changing landscape,” Tanger said. “I tend to be drawn to winding rivers and streams or winding country roads and pathways. It may have something to do with wondering what’s around the bend. I find painting landscapes helps bring me a sense of calm from the chaos of the here and now. I would hope it brings that to others as well.”
I was also drawn in by the realism of Nick Casciano’s “Steam Inspector”, which he created using graphite. I imagine that the man in the image is an engineer, flabbergasted at the latest failure of the steam locomotive that he’s been running for years. The old engine is on its last legs, but the engineer can’t let the train go, like it’s a member of the family. There are a dozen other things that could be happening in the image, and that’s exactly what Casciano was going for.
“The Steam Inspector work captures a pensive moment between the man and what is likely his interest as a hobbyist. Maybe?” he said. “There could be so many stories that lead to that point but that’s the beauty of it. In all my art I try to present an image where there are any number of storylines that evolved over time to create the point in which the image was made. No matter whether it’s animate or not, somewhere in there is a story and my goal is to present the one I see — a quiet peaceful moment, a thoughtful point in time, in an image that’s different than what you might expect.
“That’s as deep as it gets. I’m a lifelong artist and these days when I draw it’s a chance to disappear into that place and time and take a break from the world around us. It’s all about peace.”
That throughline of peace and calm is especially important. Art has the capacity to arouse and excite, but also, as Nick said, the ability to allow us to disappear, if only for a few moments. It’s a new perspective that I’ll carry forward with me into future art shows.
NEXTThe Newington Art League Art Show continues through the end of the month at the Lucy Robbins Welles Library.
Jamil heads to Old Wethersfield to check out some spooky decorations.
