Artists Cooperative Gallery of Westerly

Description

What:  “Sweet Summer Surrender”– Artists’ Final Toast to the Passing Season - the August show at the Artists’ Cooperative Gallery of Westerly (ACGOW)
When:  Wednesday, August 7 through Sun., Sept. 1
            Opening Reception: Wednesday, August 7th, from 5PM to 8PM
            Gallery hours are Wed. though Saturday 11AM-7PM, Sunday 1-5PM
Where: 7 Canal Street, Westerly, RI 02891   
Free and Open to All
Tax-Free Shopping
Contact information: www.westerlyarts.com  - Gallery 401-596-2221
Press Release For Immediate Release:
Artists Toast the Season in “Sweet Summer Surrender” at ACGOW
Vibrant blue-eyed daisies burst with color. A solitary tree pierces a stormy green sky on a summer afternoon.  In “Sweet Summer Surrender”- the new show at the Artist’s Cooperative Gallery of Westerly – artists interpret the quickly passing season in a variety of media. Visitors are invited to meet the artists at the show’s Opening Reception on Wednesday, August 7^th, from 5 to 8PM.
Featured artist Lora Cobden’s delicate watercolors allow her to capture the beauty of summer blossoms so they can be enjoyed well beyond the season’s end. “The beauty and essence of nature and its cycles of life resonate in my soul. Whether I paint crabs and oysters or shells and flowers, I am living in and with our treasured island home, earth,” says the artist. “When I travel, painting people of different cultures has the same effect. We are one, sharing one world, one home. We must do everything we can to protect and preserve it.” Ms. Cobden started painting eight years ago, in her mid-sixties, after receiving a Readers’ Digest beginner’s painting set as a Christmas gift from her mother. Believing that her mother saw in her an undiscovered talent, the artist began taking lessons two months later, and she’s been painting ever since. Eventually she discovered that the painting set had been intended for a great-grandchild. “But I was off and running,” says the artist, “The gift had been within me.” Ms. Cobden is also a hunter-gatherer and can often be found “foraging” in local ponds for seafood and in the bushes for berries.
Featured artist Nina Briggs creates stoneware and hollow porcelain pendants embellished with colorful glazes and lyrical images sculpted with precious metal clay. Daily walks in nature, especially in summer, inspire and energize the artist. Her “Sky is Green” stoneware pendant was inspired by the eerie darkness of a summer storm. Ms. Briggs’ work has been featured in juried shows and galleries all over the Northeast, and her memberships include the Providence Art Club. Also an expert on the dragonfly, which she studied partly because it is a summertime insect, the artist is currently illustrating “The Dragonflies and Damselflies of Rhode Island,” to be published by the RI Department of Environmental Management. She also pioneered using a hydraulic press and developed mold making for production of certain elements in jewelry design. Ms. Briggs teaches workshops to artists on technical and artistic use of precious metal clay in various applications.
Featured artist Ginnie Dugan creates colorful, geometric forms from knitted wool felt and 100% linen, often enhanced with embroidery and beading.  Early on in her process of discovery, when she couldn’t find out how to create what she envisioned, the artist had to rely on her own creativity.  “When you can’t find anyone to tell you how to do what you want to do, try to find a way yourself. Experiment with different techniques until you figure it out. It’s an ongoing process.”
"Sweet Summer Surrender" also features work by other member artists in paintings, pottery, photographs, glass, fabric and sculpture. And, as always at the Artists’ Cooperative, shopping is tax-free.
The Opening Night Reception is part of the monthly First Wednesday Night Art Stroll held in downtown Westerly and Pawcatuck, when shops, galleries and restaurants will be open. Refreshments will be served. 
The Artists’ Cooperative Gallery of Westerly is located at 7 Canal Street in downtown Westerly, RI. The Gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday 11AM to 7PM and Sunday, 1-5PM. Please call 401-596-2221 or visit www.westerlyarts.com or our FaceBook page for information about the show, ACGOW and its artists. 

Photos attached: 
1 Featured Artist Nina Briggs - "Sky is Green" – Stoneware Pendant
2 Featured Artist Lora Cobden - "Joie de Vivre" – Watercolor