West Brattleboro – A two-woman show of paintings and sculpture by April Judd and Bev Larson has recently been installed in the foyer and other gallery spaces at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church. While each artist was featured in group shows during college and in their respective home states, this first major gallery show for them both continues through June 30.
The Arts Committee at All Souls invites the public to meet the artists at an opening reception from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 12. This gathering gives viewers a chance to enjoy both savory and sweet refreshments while discussing the creative process with Judd and Larson, who regard this collection as a history of their 13-year journey together. Both emerging artists, they fell in love with the unique and beautiful light and landscapes of Guilford, Vt., where they live and work as the Home Gnomes.
April Judd, originally from Texas, holds a degree in painting from Texas Woman’s University. “Creating art has always been a way for me to express my deep spiritual connection with nature,” she shares. For her, the dramatic landscapes of Vermont provide endless inspiration and subject matter. “Birds and trees are often featured in my work. They are messengers and teachers that provide me so much wisdom and hope.” April’s acrylic on canvas paintings are vibrant color celebrations of these local landscapes. “I also enjoy using shape, line, and playing with perspective, to create a half abstract/half representative reality in my work.”
Bev Larson grew up in Connecticut and fell in love with Vermont while attending Saint Michael’s College in Colchester. A history buff, Bev chooses antiques or forgotten items from bygone decades for her found-object sculptures, exploring and recreating their connection to her views on our current world. Following similar conceptual ideals, Bev’s oil paintings are often inspired by the haunting yet beautiful pictures of dilapidated asylums, hospitals, and forgotten places like Chernobyl. “I enjoy representing the human body in this same way, too, exploring our fundamental similarities.” Bev also enjoys painting the landscapes of Vermont, which she finds deeply meditative.
All Souls Church is at 29 South St., across the way from the fire station and the village green in West Brattleboro, just over a mile west of Exit 2 off I-91. Take the wooded drive uphill to a large parking area. Handicap parking and ramps to the building are available along a paved lane to the right at the top of the hill. General gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 9 to 12, during Sunday worship or other public events in the building, and by appointment. For further information, call (802) 254-9377 weekday mornings.
