NEWFANE — For the month of September, Nancy Calicchio returns to the Crowell Gallery, 23 West St., with her new collection of 24 paintings appropriately titled "Reflection."
"This timely body of work seeks to evoke introspection and appreciation for the delicate balance between Vermont's changing landscapes and the timeless beauty of nature's reflections," say organizers. While there are paintings of hills, and fields, Vermont rivers dominate the canvas.
Calicchio says she starts her paintings plein air; "I'm drawn to the illusive quality of reflected light on streams and ponds. I believe the greatest challenge for a landscape artist is to capture the ineffable beauty of our natural world in flux, for me rivers offer the greatest challenge."
Four of the paintings feature the site of the old mill in the center of Putney village. "It is easy to imagine this same mill pond when it was the vibrant center of a community," she said. "Reflecting on change over time leads me to consider a future landscape which can provoke a strange 'future' nostalgia for the natural world we now enjoy in Vermont."
Calicchio moved to Vermont in 1963. She enjoyed work as an independent school educator until she retired and embraced painting as a second career. Calicchio is primarily a self-taught artist who began to paint in workshops with Diane Rath at the Putney Village Arts in 2007. Following her work with Rath, she continued to participate in workshops, most recently with George Van Hook in 2023 at the Bryan Gallery in Jeffersonville, Vermont.
A public reception with Calicchio will take place Saturday, Sept. 9, from 4 to 6 p.m. The gallery is located within the Moore Free Library and is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 1 to 5 p.m., Thursdays 1 to 6 p.m., and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This The Arts item was submitted to The Commons.