The South Burlington Public Art Gallery is pleased to announce a new exhibition of paintings, “Let The Light In,” curated by Xandra Ford, who is a student at Essex High School (Class of 2024) and was the South Burlington Public Art Gallery intern in the spring of 2023. The exhibition features the work of four Vermont artists, Liz Hawkes deNiord, Joy Huckins-Noss, Jill Madden, and Julia Purinton.
“Let The Light In” explores the effect of light in art. Some of these artists utilize the absence of light, through its shadow or obscurity, to showcase complex emotional themes, while others use the presence of light, through its colors or patterns, to show similar complexity from a different perspective. All of the artists exhibit light in such a way that it’s brought to the forefront of the viewing experience. You are drawn in by the details, in the way light bursts through a tree line or radiates from a building before it’s engulfed by the black night sky above it. In some works, light is merely a suggestion through an abstract change in color, while in others the patterns are explicit. The power of light is shown in both circumstances because you can recognize it and be changed by it even with a simple suggestion. These artists show how light can reflect feelings of joy, nostalgia, or comfort, and it makes us see the world in a more forgiving way. They also show how darkness can be despair, fear, or melancholia, making us see the world through a more oppressive lens. This collection of four Vermont artists invites the viewer to question how light changes our perception of emotion and the world around us.
Liz Hawkes deNiord’s artwork addresses the distillation of dreams, emotions, and the ‘present’ in a visual language that marks the ordinary as extraordinary or the smallest things as notable. The artist looks to the natural world and the beauty and mess of daily living for inspiration, absorbing as much as possible from being present to all the things that surround her. Her multilayered paintings then emerge as luminous abstractions that recalibrate the world through the effects of light and color and with awe.
Joy Huckins-Noss creates a uniquely textured surface of light and color through a process of layering colors on top of each other repeatedly. Her paintings show her deep relationships with every aspect of nature, and she draws the viewer into this relationship with her. She wants to bring the feeling of being outdoors to life with her work.
Jill Madden finds challenge, inspiration, and renewal through the changing seasons, light, and temperature. Her studio is the outside world, where she reflects on our interconnectedness with wilderness and the changes brought by humans and climate change.
Julia Purinton seeks connection and commonality through her depiction of landscapes. Her use of color and light evokes a feeling of familiarity as well as mystery. Through her art, Purinton explores feelings of joy, loss, growth, and regret and hopes that viewers will find a sense of recognition in her work.
The Gallery, located at 180 Market Street, is free and available to the public whenever the Public Library, City Hall, or Senior Center are open: Monday–Thursday, 8 a.m.–7 p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.; and Saturday, 9 a.m.–3 p.m (closed Sundays). The exhibition will run through October 19, 2023.
For more information, please contact gallery@southburlingtonvt.gov.