Windham Fine Arts is very pleased to present a group exhibit featuring works in stone, works on paper, and works in metal. This show is all about the medium, the stuff with which an artist makes ideas come alive! One of the hallmarks of a true artist is love for the materials used to create the work. Interestingly enough, an exhibition relating to physically tangible mediums has grown to represent something more abstract as we explore the juxtapositions that arise within. Hard, resilient stone morphed, chip by painstaking chip, into something new, reborn to express a deeper feeling, idea, or sentiment more complex than its basic composition. Metal known for sturdiness and heaviness is bent into graceful, delicate forms through sweat, fire and effort. Fragile, thin sheets of paper are used as the base for images that express explorations and thoughts that will carry on long after the paper itself has flaked away. In some way, this exhibit is about time itself.

The artists of this show are as diverse as the mediums showcased and include Peter Diepenbrock, Lisbeth Firmin, Antonio Perez and Kevin VanHentenryck. This exhibition also introduces Kristine Corso Tolmie in her inaugural show at WFA. Kevin VanHentenryck, well known on the mountaintop for the life sized bluestone carving of Rip Van Winkle at the top of Hunter Mountain, exhibits his hand-carved sculptures in limestone, bluestone and granite. VanHentenryck became enamored with the medium while trolling the New York City streets in the early 1970s, where he marveled at the statuary of the surrounding buildings and sculptures. Regarding his passion for sculpting, VanHentenryck states, “Two things that interest me about sculpture are the material itself and its durability. Even a young stone, like our local bluestone, is 360 million year old – that’s a timescale humans don’t even have access to.” Lisbeth Firmin is a contemporary American realist known for her urban landscapes. For over three decades her work has been in hundreds of solo and group shows across the country and internationally. Her monotypes juxtapose her edgy urban imagery, oftentimes a solitary figure with the fragility of paper that needs to be protected under glass. This will also be the first show where WFA represents Kristine Corso Tolmie, an Albany printmaker who creates ethereal abstract works on paper in layered silkscreen and intaglio impressions. Peter Diepenbrock, a well-regarded Rhode Island artist who was commissioned to do the 9/11 RI State House Memorial, brings his metal sculpture pieces. Always experimenting with how the metal responds to manipulation and the elements, Diepenbrock works extensively with copper and steel, sometimes treating it to protect its metallic luster or allowing it to patina and rust, allowing the metal to morph and shift over time. Antonio Perez Melero is a Spanish-born, multi-media artist whose folded paper series in cast bronze are featured. These sculpture pieces tie two of our mediums together; the malleability and maneuverability of paper, represented in hard, unyielding metals.

Immediately after the opening reception on March 13, 6-9pm with a number of the artists in attendance, WFA hosts a free concert event featuring the Boston-based singer/songwriter bands “The Anymen” and “Mornin’ Old Sport”! These bands bring to our space a smorgasbord of musical styles, ranging from pop to punk and everything in between accompanied by biting, edgy lyrics that explore the workings of the human condition. These emerging musical artists are sure to bring us a great show!

“Rock, Paper, Scissors” will be up from March 13 to April 18, so be sure to stop by the gallery during the show to experience the work by these wonderful artists!

Marie and Jenny