If you are in Vermont this May and June, please stop by in Middlebury to visit my one-person show at the Jackson Gallery. It is the first time many of these pulp paintings have been shown.
Full Circle: Emerging Images Within Handmade Paper
May 20-July 2 2016
Opening Reception: Friday May 27th 5:00-7:00pm
The Jackson Gallery is pleased to present Full Circles: Emerging Images Within Handmade Paper, a solo exhibition by Deborah Sharpe-Lunstead opening May 20, 2016. This collection of pulp paintings made with hand made paper invites the viewer to travel through the seasons and the landscape, from fields, forests and farmland to waterways and the seaside.The process of creating a pulp painting begins with water and plants, which become paper and fibers in the paintings. The show explores the cycles of the seasons; the wonders of plants, which just keep giving; and water, which is necessary for plants and paper and all living things.
Harbor Pond
23×18
Mixed: natural and pigmented paper pulp w/ pastel
Fibers used: cotton, abaca, gampi, ginger, and banana
March is Mud Season in Vermont. The fields of scorched grass stand in striking contrast to the distant blue green mountains. Spring rains and melting snow turn the earth a deep muddy brown as it awakens from its winter slumber, and Spring begins its rebirth. The trees bud out, surrounded by gossamer halos of reds, mauves, and the new-green of early spring. There is a quickening energy as we come full circle to the yearly rebirth of the land.
Deborah invites the viewer to share her appreciation of nature’s cycle when she writes, “as I sweep and rake away the detritus of last summer’s plants to make room for the tender new spring growth, I gather some of the fibrous leaves and stems to use in making paper. I bring my paper and my paintings alive with these plants–each one producing a unique color and texture–and the paper imparts some of the beauty of the land back into my landscape pulp paintings.”
Jackson Whelan’s excellent ten-minute video (which you can see on this site) accompanies the exhibition. It features Deborah demonstrating her process of creating a pulp painting, from the gathering of plants to the final painting. Enjoy the journey as you learn about the process of creating a pulp painting, and enjoy the landscapes–coming Full Circle.
Deborah at work in her studio
The Jackson Gallery is located in the lower level of Town Hall Theater, a community and cultural venue located in the center of Middlebury. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday noon to five, and an hour before any public events in the building. For further information, call 802-382-9222 or consult the web site: www.townhalltheater.org.