Join us for our 4th annual “Great Escape” exhibit featuring artistic depictions of exotic places experienced here on earth and in the minds and hearts of members of Canton Artists’ Guild!  Take a break from your everyday world and explore the many paintings, drawings, graphic arts, sculpture, ceramics, fiber/beadwork and photography that will be on display.

Upstairs are two other shows:
“Terra Firma.” consists of paintings and sculptures by David Holzman. His paintings are flashe on panel and are of imagery derived from automatic drawing. The sculptures are based on the medieval form of the Reliquary. Holzman teaches Design at CCSU, having studied at Hartford Art School and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His studio practice integrates painting, printmaking and sculpture and he began to make wood relief carvings 30 years ago, while continuing his involvement with the woodcut novel format. His work has been published in Art Spiegelman’s RAW comics anthology as well as Zero Zero from Seattle and he was a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. His work is in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Dayton Art Institute and the Racine Art Museum.  In his current work of the last ten years known as The Book of Umm, Holzman seeks to revitalize the surrealist practice of automatic drawing as a wellspring of visual energy in a series of gouache paintings. Simultaneously, he has imagined a monumental approach to carved relief sculpture that deploys the automatic process to the spontaneous fabrication of imagery in architectural settings.

The second exhibit upstairs, “Flora and Fauna” features recent pastel paintings by Karen Israel. Israel’s pastels are defined by their dynamic compositions and unique viewpoints. She is influenced by the light and mood of the subject and lets those elements dictate her approach. Rendered with a strong appreciation for the rigors of formal design coupled with a fearless array of color choices, these paintings are rich and vibrant. Among her many awards, Israel’s work placed Fourth in Pastel Journal Magazine’s top 100 juried competition in 2020. She has achieved Signature status with the American Artists Professional League and earned Master Pastelist with the Pastel Society of America as well as Master Circle with the International Association of Pastel Societies. Locally, Israel’s work is frequently displayed here at the Gallery on the Green, and at the Lyme Art Association, as well as her home studio in West Hartford. Her work can be found in a public collection with the New Haven Paint and Clay Club and in private collections throughout the United States. 
The opening reception for all three shows is Saturday, May 25th from 6:00-8:00 pm.  The reception including refreshments is free, and the public is warmly invited.