From glass and beaded flowers to felt and mixed media pieces, each artist at The Long Island Craft Guild’s show “Primavera,” on display at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River through April 26, brings their own interpretation of what spring means to them.
The craft guild’s latest show features 21 artists, ranging in style and technique from glassmaking to clay sculpting, etching, and more.
“As a season of awakening, spring carries profound meaning—signifying renewal, transformation, and the promise of new beginnings,” the exhibit statement reads. “This exhibition invites you to explore works that honor the beauty of the natural world, reflect on environmental realities, and capture the quiet joy and optimism that Spring inspires.”
Hayley Ferber, the Brooklyn-based artist, educator, and curator, judged the show and provided advice to the artists this past week. Exhibit chair Bernadette Puleo selected the theme, which is fitting inside the Bayard Cutting Arboretum.
The springtime depictions of regrowth echo from the gallery halls out onto the surrounding property. Bright yellow, orange, red, and pink fused-glass flowers springing from wooden boxes, created by artist Jane Carins Irvine, adorn the gallery’s windowsills and overlook the real flowers beginning to bloom throughout the arboretum.
While Oksana Danziger’s felt piece “Butterfly” represents the rebirth of life, and “Lichen” provides a multi-textural artistic resemblance to tree bark.
Other pieces also explore multi-layered, textured depictions of the natural world, including Gayle Moss’s “Emergence,” a dish-like, porcelain-glazed clay sculpture featuring flowers at different stages.
Flowers are a common subject in the spring-themed exhibit, but each crafter brings their own expertise, distinguishing themselves from their peers.
Artists exploring floral themes include Gail Neuman and Rosemary Kurtz, who each crafted mixed-media pieces featuring beaded flowers.
Neuman’s piece “Seraphinianis” is a purple, red, and yellow fantastical flower of the same name, created with hand-sewn beads that hold the structure solely by their tightness.
Source: - Latest Stories
