‘For the Love of Impression,” an exhibit at Two Villages Art Society’s gallery in Hopkinton, showcases the work of eight southern New Hampshire artists: Carol Schwartz, Elizabeth Cameron, Jane Grant Tentas, Julia Luteran, Katy O’Gorman Rhodebeck, Lori Sweeney, Martha Rives, and Sally Dion. Their work is on view and for sale at the gallery Feb. 11 to March 5.
“Printmaking is a time-honored artistic process in which images are transferred from a wooden, metal, or glass matrix onto another surface, such as paper or fabric,” said Alyssa McKeon, the society’s president. “Artists such as Rembrandt, Matisse, Picasso, and Warhol were prolific printmakers.”
The exhibiting artists are members of NH Printmakers, a group that connected under the guidance of Elizabeth Cameron, a printmaking instructor in the community education program at the New Hampshire Institute of Art (now known as the Institute of Art and Design at New England College).
According to Julia Luteran, a member of NH Printmakers, contemporary printmaking is grounded in ancient ingenuity. The printmaker’s art has progressed over time, beginning with the Sumerians in 3000 B.C., who made engraved designs on stone cylinders, which they rolled over soft clay tablets. The evolution of the art led from relief printing to today’s techniques, including woodcut, etching, engraving, and lithography. The artists featured in “For the Love of Impression” use traditional techniques and materials combined with contemporary aesthetics, new materials, and new technology.
NH Printmakers is a collection of kindred spirits who have worked together in the printmaking studio over the past 10 years, motivating, inspiring, and learning from each other, Katy O’Gorman Rhodebeck says. The exhibit brings these artists back together after an isolating time during the pandemic, and highlights the wide range of individual styles and techniques of the group.
“For the Love of Impression” is on display at the Bates Building, 846 Main Street, in the Hopkinton village of Contoocook. The gallery is open to the public Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 4 p.m. There will be an opening reception with the artists Feb. 12 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
For more information, visit twovillagesart.org.
Two Villages Art Society was founded in 2019 as an organization for artists, art lovers, art collectors, art educators, and all who value art as a crucial component of a vibrant, welcoming community. Its gallery on Main Street in Contoocook (part of the town of Hopkinton) offered events as “the House of Art” prior the founding of the nonprofit TVAS. In addition to exhibits and sales, TVAS provides artist meet-ups, educational programs, and cultural events. Membership is open to all, and admission to the gallery is free.