Fairfield, CT - The Kershner Gallery in the Fairfield Public Library invites the public to “Melange”, a reception for the artwork of Don Sexton, Sao and Karen Kent on Thursday, November 2 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. The artists will talk about their work at 6pm. The show can be seen from October 28 to December 9 during library hours. For questions, email bskgallery@gmail.com or call 203-246-9065. Fairfield Public Library, 1080 Old Post Road in Fairfield.
Don Sexton lives in New York City and his studio is in Goshen, Connecticut. He has a Ph.D. degree from the University of Chicago. For fifty years he was a full-time faculty member at Columbia University’s Business School.
Don studied painting, drawing, printmaking, and etching in Connecticut, New York, and in Paris. His paintings are either in oils or mixed media in which he combines oil pastels and inks. They have been exhibited in numerous solo and group shows in New York and Connecticut and he has won many awards. Don has served on the board of several galleries and is a member of several art groups. In addition, he performs Stand-Up Comedy in New York City, Los Angeles, and Northwest Connecticut.
Don says, “Through vibrant colors and thoughtful composition, I try to tell stories of daily life throughout the world... I have lived abroad and I have traveled extensively.... No matter where I am, I am drawn to specific - and yet universal – observations of people and places. I try to capture the spirit of a neighborhood and the people who populate it at that moment. My vivid hues often make intriguing what at first glance might seem to be a rather ordinary scene. When I work in the open air, people gather behind me to watch the colors light up my paintings as I employ the unique multi-media technique I have developed.”
Karen Kent graduated with honors from Lehigh University with a B.A.in Fine Arts and Architecture. She has continued her studies at the Silvermine Art Center as well as with many private teachers in oil, pastel, acrylic and mixed media.Karen’s work has been exhibited at The Greenwich Audubon, New Canaan Library, and the Bryam Schubert Library as solo shows and at Rowayton Arts Center, New Haven Paint and Clay Club, Ridgefield Guild of Artists, The Bryam Schubert Library and Westport Art Collective. Her work hangs in many private collections throughout the US.Karen states: “I use color to speak to movement, emotion and light in my work. Color being the focal point, I strive to make paintings that are intuitive, open to interpretation and above all, to express beauty through color, line and form. My yoga practice plays an important role in my work; welcoming in courage and creativity while remaining grounded.”
Sao has been an artist and designer for over 30 years. A native of Portugal, Sao studied art and design in Denmark before moving to America to pursue her career. Her paintings and textiles have been exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution's Renwick Gallery, The Textile Museum, the Corcoran Gallery in Washington D.C., the American Center for the Arts in Paris, the Gulbenkian Foundation, the American Embassy in Paris, the Amphitheater in Arles in France, Rhode Island School of Design's Museum of Art, the American Craft Museum, and Museum of the City of New York. She was represented by the Fendrick Gallery in Washington, D.C. and New York. Sao also received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and was awarded the Washington D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities Award and Women in Design International Award.
Sao says her Inner Landscapes in this show “is a collection of large-scale paintings on canvas that showcase my unique approach to creating meditative spaces. I use horizontal lines and gestures suggestive of landscapes, while layers of refined colors are applied to create luminous washes. Through this technique, I evoke a sense of depth and serenity within each work.”
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