SAXTONS RIVER — Art in black and white is the focus of a show in the Main Street Arts gallery that opened Aug. 20 and continues through Sept. 24.
An opening reception with the artists will be held Thursday, Aug. 29, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., with piano music by Karen Engdahl.
The husband-and-wife team of Charmaine Wesley-Hartman and Terry Hartman of Chester will share their paintings, original prints, drawings, prose, photographs, computer art, calligraphy, and quilts as they explore how “black and white are opposites that attract each other's company, with multiple shades of gray and splashes of color intruding,” according to a news release.
“The language of the visual arts is universal,” Terry Hartman said in the release. “It can speak to the social, economic, political, ethnic, and cultural issues of the past, present, and future of humanity.”
A former graphics specialist with the U.S. Air Force, he studied art, design, and media at San Jose State University.
Charmaine Wesley-Hartman adds: “I am a semi-retired psychologist who has always appreciated abstract, contemporary, and non-objective art. I particularly like working with black and white acrylics and oil as a method of expressing my emotions and dreams.”
She says even her hand-sewn and machine top-stitched quilts represent her need to create using black and white.
“Of course, occasionally, a color or two will find their way onto my canvas and fabric, but I always seem to return to the distinct black lines and white spaces where grays can be found, just as in life.”
In addition to the opening reception, the gallery will be open during regular business hours and during special events at the community arts center.
To learn more, visit www.mainstreetarts.org or Facebook, or contact MSA at [email protected] or 802-869-2960.