Diane Carten Lynch is an artist from Stratford, Connecticut and Granite Point, Maine. Her work is part of a two-person show at Pop Up from November 2 – Dec 2 with an Artist Reception on Saturday, November 2 from 4-6 pm. Pop Up is part of Studios on Maine Art Hill at 5 Chase Hill Road in Kennebunk.

“As an artist and art therapist, my ceramic work is a meld of both form and function. While my work may be viewed as sculptural, it is also functional, inviting the artist and the observer to take a second look. A sculptural ‘vessel’ can be teasingly functional and a surprise to the observer. A ‘functional’ piece asserts itself as an unexpected art object. In this way, the work encourages a dialogue between artist and observer, often inviting a tactile interaction. I do not approach the clay with a preconceived idea. Rather, the clay reveals to me what form it wishes to assume. Clay is folded, torn, draped and textured with glazes applied in multiple layers to create depth. As a result, the pieces challenge the observer to consider their purpose and the objective of the clay. What is static and ‘who’ is fluid? Are the works Art or Function? As an artist, my challenge is to invite the viewer to engage in a visual and emotional exchange that is ever-changing.

What I create is a reflection of who I am. My creative journey has taken me down many paths… and what you see is an album of my travels.

I first visited Maine as a child in a family of skiers. I’ve always lived near the water and started summering at Granite Point in 1987 with my children. That continues even as my family has grown and moved. My wish now is to retire to the Coast I’ve always loved and which continues to give me such inspiration as an artist.”

Diane Carten Lynch’s work will be part of a two-person show at Pop Up from November 2 – December 2 with an Artist Reception on Saturday, November 2 from 4-6 pm. Pop Up is part of Studios on Maine Art Hill at 5 Chase Hill Road in Kennebunk. Please stop by and meet the artist and learn a bit more about her life and her work.

Featured Artist, Suzanne Anderson is back for the fall of 2019 as a guest artist for Pop-Up beginning Tuesday, September 24 through Monday, September 30. Read on to learn more about her inspiration, her process, and her work.

SEPTEMBER 24 to SEPTEMBER 30

I work in a wooded lakeside studio in Maine. It’s the perfect place to become immersed in creative exploration.  In the incredible beauty of my surroundings, I find myself powerfully drawn to the landscape. In 2016 I began a series of drawings at a micro scale. Closely examining and recording with drawings and photographs the tiny colorful lichen and fungus that abound in the forest and field. These drawings have been used in my enamel work, in my textile design work and in a further series of drawings that incorporate natural elements and sometimes humanoid characters. This continuing series is undertaken with an underlining response to worries over human rights and environmental issues. My work is a continuance of study along the lines of developing a symbolic language of expression that walks the line between abstract form and recognizable, though unusual, elements.

The drawing process is often started on an iPad with a stylus.  After roughing out, my work is completed on a larger screen and finally printed in small editions on high quality, acid-free, Epson Velvet paper. I work back into the prints with hand embroidered line, wool roving and sometimes found objects. The use of the sewn line introduces the hand back into a digital drawing and hearkens back to traditional “women’s work”.

While centered around lichen, mosses, and fungus, this work also explores the inner and outer landscape through the abstraction of the natural forms.  The tiny little arrangements and the incredible variety of these lifeforms offer lovely surprises to the senses. The life cycle through to decay creates endless fascination. These observations come back to me in my studio not only through my 2d work but also through the medium of jewelry.  My jewelry work has a natural, casual, organic feeling. It relates to color and form to the tiny worlds of nature that I am so captivated by.

The beautiful vitreous (hot glass) enamel colors and edges promote a feeling of transition, a going back to nature, a beautiful decay. In my jewelry, I use a variety of enameling techniques in the creation of my pieces. Sgraffito, sifting, painting, graphite drawing, and gold leaf are a few of the techniques I employ in my enamel work. I use hand formed and forged sterling silver, copper, and brass in my chain and findings. Each piece is finished on the edges. The non-enameled metals are either left with a satin finish or have a patina applied and are sealed with a museum quality protective wax.

To see more of Suzanne Anderson’s work, visit her webpage www.suzanneanderson.me

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