Currently Exhibiting at Axel's Gallery
ROCK - PAPER - SCISSORS
Neha Shukla & Nora McDonough
July 20 - Aug 06, 2022
Rock - Paper - Scissors is a literal description of the subject, material, and processes of the work by two emerging Vermont artists: Neha Shukla and Nora McDonough.
Visual cues are gathered from the artists’ natural surroundings and transcribed onto paper using layers either within the composition or quite literally with collage.
Neha Shukla uses tissue paper and mark making to create mixed media collages that are inspired by the expansiveness of nature and also by the intricacy of its tiniest details. The multiple layers of tissue paper within Shukla’s work demonstrate not only careful execution but the patient observance of her surroundings. Semi-transparent shapes are softly colored and playfully arranged creating a symbiotic composition. Shukla finds visual treasures everywhere- in the patterns of wasp nests, sapsucker holes, spore prints, barnacles- the beauty in what is left behind. Shukla’s home and family are nestled in a valley alongside a river and surrounded by the fields, forests and mountains of Worcester, Vermont.
Nora McDonough’s stable and strong rock cairn compositions look like a mindful practice at creating and maintaining balance - possibly a daily mediation, carefully rendered in watercolor. Memories of landscapes are translated into pure form and color then stacked upon each other creating what looks like equaly important ingredients for a perfect mountain view. McDonough has taught art in public schools since 2006 in Waterbury and the Mad River Valley. She embraces the joy filled challenge of helping young artists discover their creative strengths and build a lifelong love and appreciation for art in its many forms.
Artist Reception: Meet these emerging artists, learn about their process and be inspired on Friday, July 22nd from 6-8pm at Axel’s Gallery in historic downtown Waterbury. This event is free and open to the public.
Upcoming Exhibitions
Duo Exhibition: Matt Larson & Ashley Roark
Aug 10 - Sept 03, 2022
Working towards similar ends through a variety of media and processes, Larson and Roark each present unique bodies of work within their own respective practices. Each finds inspiration in mark making, color blocking, graphic elements, and producing work in experimental series. While Larson employs vibrant colors to capture connections between ourselves and the local landscape through memories, Roark’s approach seeks to capture a metaphorical snapshot of a fragmented moment using a palette more reminiscent of low light film. This show presents these two individual approaches towards setting the scene.
Duo Exhibition: Kate Smith & Elizabeth Nelson
Sept 07 - Oct 08, 2022
More information to come!
2022 Annual Photography Shoot-Out
Oct 12 - Oct 22, 2022
The theme for this year's competition is Reflections. For rules and entry requirements, follow this link!
Recent Work by Sam Colt
Oct 26 - Nov 19, 2022
More information to come!
Celebrating the Smalls - An Annual Group Show
Nov 26 - Dec 24, 2022
More information to come!
PAST Exhibitions
Elemental Reduction: Shape/Color
CURATED BY CHRIS COPLEY
June 22 - July 16, 2022
Drawing from the creative talent he has worked with developing high-demand, style forward products or have met on his journey of developing of his personal art collection, Chris Copley has curated a group show of four artists with roots from the Green Mountain State.
“Elemental Reduction” of shape and color highlights diverse style and the opportunity to appreciate work with uncluttered fields and visual simplicity.
Jim Bruce, Tally Groves, Maurizio Molin, and Michael Montanaro use limited color palettes and simple subject matters while drawing inspiration from their surrounding landscapes. Their diverse styles converge and are on exhibition at Axel’s Gallery from June 22 until July 17, 2022.
Jim Bruce is an artist and maker exploring emotion through color, texture and imagery. His realistic oil paintings of flowers float upon gilded canvas stages.
Desperate to add color to her life, Tally Groves uses layers of oil paints and sticks to rocket her folk-style barn paintings to the moon.
Maurizio Molin’s vibrantly colored geometric abstractions are exciting compositions highlighting how moving simple color and shapes can be.
Michael Montanaro presents a series of predominately black and white paintings that are meditations on a more tranquil and serene environment. The Zen-like landscapes are an ode to the artist's idea of a perfect harmony and balance with nature.
Artist Reception: Meet the artists, learn about their Vermont roots and be inspired on Saturday, June 25th from noon-2pm at Axel’s Gallery in historic downtown Waterbury. This event is free and open to the public.
Fool's Spring: Abstract Landscapes by Kasey Loyer
May 11 - June 18, 2022
As Vermonters we know- there are more than just four seasons in our little state.
Fool’s Spring is an ode to all those in between seasons.
This series is an exploration of abstract paintings by the South Burlington-based and on exhibit at Axel’s Gallery and Frame Shop through June 18, 2022.
Kasey Loyer is influenced by the shifting seasons and the way in which they transform the landscape of Vermont.
Her paintings express the mood and contrast between sky and earth with a focus on color and composition. Kasey studied painting at Naropa University in Boulder CO where she received a BA in Visual Art with a minor in Art Therapy &Traditional Eastern Art.
Kasey’s work is inspired by her deep connection to nature. Her paintings are atmospheric color fields with a focus on compositions and textures found in the natural landscape.
Artist Reception: Meet the artist and be inspired on Friday, June 17th from 6-8pm at Axel’s Gallery in historic downtown Waterbury. This event is free and open to the public.
ART SWAP!
May 04 - May 07, 2022
Love art but feel like you can’t afford it?
Come to the ART SWAP!
This is your opportunity to score an affordable, second-hand gem to add to or kick start your blossoming art collection! All items are priced at $200 or less - many will be under $100.
Get there early as the good pieces go fast.
Interested in selling your artwork at the swap? Follow this link!
"Transitions"
Work by 17 Vermont Surface Design Association members
April 06 - April 30, 2022
Transitions surround us, create us, define us. There are transitions we see and feel as we move from winter to spring, from land to water, from illness to health, from isolation to community, from youth to old age. Others reflect emotional and intellectual states as we move from beginner to expert, from naiveté to wisdom, from ignorance to knowledge. The artists in this exhibition use transitions of color, shape, and material to reflect on conceptions of transition.
The Surface Design Association is an international organization focused on inspiring creativity, encouraging innovation, and advocating for artistic excellence as the global leader in textile-inspired art and design.
Ellen Langtree: A Retrospective
A unique mix of past and present work by Ellen Langtree on display at Axel’s Gallery from March 9 until April 2, 2022
The last time Ellen Langtree’s paintings were publicly shown was in the 1990’s.
And it makes sense.
While Langtree was providing for her new family and navigating life’s changes, she took a hiatus from making art. That is, she stopped making art for herself. This hiatus turned out to be 18 years long during which she not only raised her children but taught hundreds of others as well. As an arts educator, her focus was on others. It wasn’t until recently, pre-pandemic, that Langtree returned to the studio. And this time her medium is clay.
As you stand in Axel’s Gallery you can see the difference between the then and now of Langtree’s work.
The primitive and expressive lines in her earlier work peppers the subject matter with life and exuberance. She captured moments in time with thick strokes and little care for the details. The simple life she lived in the hills with her new family is depicted joyously, filled with pleasure and unabashed sensuality. She was newly married. In love. Equal.
Nowadays, with electricity, running water, living single in a house filled with solitude instead of children, Langtree’s art has taken a different form. Literally. No longer does she depict the vulnerably personal portraits amidst simple rural environments. These clay figures are of imaginary women and mothers, many still unabashedly sensual. And it’s hard not to notice the mantra scrawled across some of their bodies: “Fate whispers to the warrior, 'You can not withstand the storm. ' The warrior whispers back, 'I am the storm.” The strength in these pieces takes many forms - consider the Quigong Warrior Pose or Cloud Hands married with the physical rigidity of the medium. These femme fatales are filled with confidence and poise, even while stripped from the cozy environments their painterly companions have.
When asked what’s next, Langtree laughs and explains her desire to get back to painting but in a less personal way. She’d like to learn how to show emotion within a landscape. And we can’t wait.
A casual Q&A with the artist is for Saturday, April 2nd at 4pm. Join us and be inspired!
Nature's Images Reimagined
A collection of nature photographs by Paul Haverstick*
Feb 09 - Mar 05, 2022
Using computer technology Paul Haverstick has reinvented ordinary photographs into spectacular color and shape fields - finding endless possibility with his creativity.
Through the alteration of photographs of our natural world, this Waterbury resident hopes to provide a moment of wonder. He has transformed natures abundance into something fantastical yet familiar by simply applying a different color, vibrancy, brightness or contrast.
In this exhibit, Paul has used photographs of the elements stone, water, and plants and reimagined them into a collection of new images—sometimes highlighting subtle elements to elevate nature’s beauty, and other times altering them enough to make you question what the original image was!
*Paul Haverstick was the winner of the 2021 Axel’s Gallery Annual Photography Shoot-Out. Stay tuned for the announcement of this year’s Shoot-Out theme!
Musings from the Nurses Room
Current Work by Heather Guptill
Jan 05 - Feb 05, 2022
Artist Reception: Thursday, Jan 27, 2022 6-8pm
Working from a small studio, once the Nurses Room, in a converted school in Kittery, Maine, Heather Guptill lets her instincts guide her artwork. The results are raw, deeply visceral, abstract, mostly non-representational, and full of emotion and color.
On view at Axel's are large-scale original acrylic works on ram board - a material choice that supports the artists intention of exploration and spontaneity without the restriction or seriousness of the typical and expected.
“My paintings come from deep within me. Much of my process lacks any formal or conscious decision making. My creation of color and line comes from what feels “right”. It isn’t until I have paused, to really look at my work, that I can reflect in a more formal art-sense on the balance and tension of the painting. I continue to be amazed at what the subconscious can create.”
Meet the artist and be inspired Thursday, January 27th, 2022 from 6-8pm.
Celebrating the Small - A Group Show
Nov 24 - Dec 24, 2021
We are closing out the 2021 exhibition season at Axel's Gallery by celebrating the Small in Small Businesses. Small Business Saturday, November 27th, is the grand opening of this group show and it will run until the holiday closure for Christmas.
All pieces are 10" x 10" or smaller and priced at or under $100.
2021 Photography Shoot-Out
Nov 10 - Nov 20, 2021
It's time to cast your vote!
Stop into Axel's by 5pm on Friday, November 19th to cast your vote for the best entry.
The theme, set by last year’s Shoot-Out winner, Orah Moore, is SHADOWS.
What's at stake? Bragging rights to start, including:
First Prize: A solo Exhibition at Axel's in 2022
Second Prize: $100 Gift Certificate to Axel's
People's Choice: $50 in fine art printing services by Ward Rice
Join us for the winner announcement at 6pm on Friday, Nov 19th, 2021.
Compositions in Wood by Philip Herbison
Sept 29 - Nov 06, 2021
"The reason I make art is to explore the mysterious realm of new aesthetic possibilities with materials at hand. I’ve rarely made art as a means of self expression, but rather more like an inventor of shapes and substance - associations that, when put together in a certain way, becomes an object that is new, yet somehow familiar to the psyche of the viewer. Working with piles of re-cycled wood scraps as a medium brings with it a lot intuitive play. Recognizing happy accidents when they happen leads to discovery of new aesthetic statements."
-Philip Herbison
Shadows by Orah Moore
TX by Philip Herbison
After Irene - The Floodgates Art Project, Revisited
August 18 - September 25 2021
After Irene – The Floodgates Art Project went on exhibit in 2012, a year after Tropical Storm Irene devastated the Waterbury community. The exhibit was a display of Waterbury’s resilience as a community when faced with tragedy and a testament to the healing power of art.
Spearheaded by Waterbury’s own Sarah-Lee Terrat, Mame McKee and MK Monley, The Floodgates Art Project featured art from community members of all ages and artistic abilities. Over 250 participants contributed artwork to the exhibit making it a one-of-a-kind display showing the ability to overcome adversity through art.
Please join us in welcoming back After Irene – The Floodgates Art Project, Revisited as Waterbury marks the 10 year anniversary of our recovery as a community from Tropical Storm Irene.
Join us in commemorating a life-changing event on Friday, August 20 from 6-8 pm at Axel’s Gallery, 5 Stowe Street Waterbury. This event is free and open to the public - however MASKS WILL BE REQUIRED.
The Way Light Answers
Cold Wax and Oil work by Jan Sandman
July 07 - August 14 2021
The paintings in this show, cold wax and oil, have primarily been created during the time of the pandemic. Many of them have been created with the discipline of a limited palette. As we have been held in certain ways during this past year, Jan utilized that restraint by limiting her choice of colors to both deepen her relationship with them, and with what is possible within a boundary. In relationship to deep questions, Jan consults and meditates with the vibration of Light itself. The theme of the whole body of work is “The Way Light Answers”.
Jan paints in relationship to an inner question most frequently about the state of something she is perceiving in the collective and universal realms. She paints connected with something she is in a meditative prayer with.
As light is vibration, Jan Sandman's paintings extend into a world where she is capturing the answer of the light offering itself in response to her inner meditation or prayer. It is a conversation.
As such, sometimes the paintings are landscapes, sometimes more abstract depending on the dimension of where the answer lies.
An artist reception is planned for Friday, July 9th from 6-8pm. This event is free and open to the public - please join us!
Breathing Light by Jan Sandman
Work and Play, Round and Round
An exhibition of paintings by Kathy Black
May 26 - July 03 2021
Axel’s Gallery & Frame Shop continues its 2021 spring exhibition schedule presenting paintings by Kathy Black. In a year of so much change, this exhibition of paintings looks at changing lives and our changing place in the world. In a circle of generations, mothers and daughters working, and playing, what experiences span across generations and what has really changed. “It can be hard to know. These questions are my source of contemplation,” says Kathy Black. “How can we depict female power? Can we think about it without crashing into expectations of motherhood and femininity? In an ever expanding universe, what are the things that matter?”
“Consuming the Goddess” paintings were inspired by a horoscope encouraging self-empowerment, ”seek the goddess, embrace the goddess, consume the goddess.” These reimagined women from art history are ready to consume an object of love. A woman devouring her beloved is horrifying if it is a child and perplexing if it is a pet or plant. Cartoon anatomy merges the actor and the object of devotion in a loving way but is the act of consuming your child or your pet terrible and without room to be a metaphor for seeking or desire? Do our expectations of women always conflict with a sense of appetite, or can desire also be empowerment?
In other paintings, play is a pleasurable exploration. Maps help us see the scope of the universe. Toys on a star map change the scale and shrink the universe. The toys grow, too, so the circle of the heavens becomes a pond or the image of the earth, an island. Finger puppets on a galaxy make room for wondering about our size and significance relative to the breadth of what is out there.
“This exhibit is a selection of work from my exploration of women at different points in life, in work and in play, imagining what’s possible, trying to name what has changed. It also looks at how I, we, use play to look at the world and think about our place in it,” says Black. It’s an investigation that may bring to life the monumental generational shifts and the odd, the ordinary and the surprising connections over time.
Consuming the Goddess by Kathy Black
Small Works at Small Prices
by Axel Stohlberg
April 07 - May 15 2021
Our namesake of the gallery, Axel Stohlberg, is looking to move his inventory of work and is offering major discounts on original works of art.
This show is a mix of collage, paintings and drawings of abstract landscapes. Some are framed but many are merely mounted and matted - ready to be framed.
Blue by Kate Fetherston
Rarest color in flora and fauna, once in a blue moon is an occasion of omen or of celebration. Blue skies, blue waters foster feelings of hope, freedom, possibility. Happiness is symbolized as a bluebird. Then again, a blue mood might be sad, lonely, wistful or pensive. Blue’s the color of shadows, of twilight, of changing light. This show is an homage to blue’s power to evoke a range of expression perhaps unequaled in the rainbow.
The Artist Statement can be found here.
"Elysium" by Kate Fetherston
"Barely Touching"
“Barely Touching” is a collaborative project between Kelly Holt and Susan Calza with one basic premise: the work reflects their personal reactions to the societal challenges that erupted during the year 2020. While video is a main component of the exhibition, the show also features scultpture and mixed media pieces. The work addresses a deep sense of longing and the tension between connection and disconnection in relationship, ie. human, environmental and societal.
Kelly Holt’s work references distance and the ethereal and Susan Calza’s video tends to be close up and visceral while her sculptures are multilayered and specifically address issues of race.
Their work seems to leave us asking: “Where are we headed?”
“Barely Touching” is also an ongoing collaborative community project. The artists are asking community members to tell their 2020 stories which will be filmed and included in a video narrative. The completed video documentary will be exhibited at Axel’s Gallery in the fall of 2021.
"Barely Touching 13" by Kelly Holt
A Call to Artists
Gain exposure, sell your work and showcase your talent.
We represent art that intersect the worlds of design, art, and craft. The work demonstrates a high level of craftsmanship and special attential to detail, finish, and presentation.
In between the 3 month long group shows there are month long solo shows-keeping things interesting. Want to show your work? Let's talk!
