West Brattleboro, Vt. — The gallery at All Souls Church UU is showing a new series by local artist Kay Curtis through the end of June. The eight drypoint monoprints, with multiple layers of colored pencil and crayon, each have a specific theme in the series entitled “Queen Anne’s Lace: The Circle Comes Around.” A set of eight smaller experimental prints, created before the “Queen Anne’s Lace” series was launched, as well as a large jazz-themed painting, are also on display. The public is invited to an artist’s reception on Saturday, May 6, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., hosted by the All Souls Arts Committee.
Kay’s distinctive whimsical style is used in these works to tell the story of life, a rather grand undertaking whose inspiration came to her spontaneously. The artist believes that key events in her life are serendipitously aligned with the subject matter.
“In the beginning of this creative journey, as in real life,” she explains, “the work was laborious and filled with doubt and ambiguity. As I continued, I sensed more clarity but wanted to understand how to create a formula for satisfaction. I was tortured by a wish to revisit the beginning and remake the early work. In the last three plates, I gained mastery and freedom, while completion of the series gave me pleasure and joy. It became quite clear the making of the set became a metaphor for life itself.”
The series begins with “Entrance,” portraying all the uncertainty and hope that accompanies new beginnings. The stage about leaving home is titled “Away” and recounts a story about the artist as a child following a flock of birds down the sidewalk. Making friends revisits a circle of friends in “Together,” a Matisse-inspired theme. The current political climate reminded the artist of her time as a youth in the ’70s, when people came together to use their collective voice to “Resist.”
Next in the series is “Originate,” signifying falling in love with a muse, be it a person or a calling, followed by setting up home and creating children in “Sojourn.” The stage Curtis claims she inhabits now is “Being,” where wisdom and acceptance has been gained and there is a knowing that time is not forever. She struggled with naming the last work that portrays the unavoidable exit, but she was happy to discover it was “Yes.”
A flock of birds or Queen Anne’s Lace is present in each of the pieces, but gallery visitors will have more information to read about what Curtis asserts these metaphors bring to her portrait of the story of life. Sweet and savory refreshments will be offered during the opening reception on May 6. Otherwise gallery hours are Monday through Friday mornings 9:00 to noon, during Sunday worship, and when other events are happening in the building, as well as by appointment.
All Souls Church UU is in the West Village Meeting House at 29 South St., a little over a mile west of Exit 2 off the Interstate. Turn by the village green and go up the wooded driveway across the road from the fire station. There is a large parking area for visitors, and the building is handicap-accessible. Call the Church at 802-254-9377 for further information or arrange an appointment with the artist by calling 802-258-7470.
