Works by Alan Horwitz and Mary Mayer

September 30 - October 24, 2022

Alan Horwitz: Natural elements assemblage

Mary Mayer: Mostly monotypes

ALAN HORWITZ: ARTIST’S STATEMENT

The experience of nature has always been, for me, miraculous and profound. As a child inspired by Anne Lindbergh’s book, Gifts from the Sea, I began collecting shells. As my experiences in natural settings expanded, so too did the range of materials I collected- wood, rocks, feathers, and bones. In recent years I began to work with these materials using the skills I learned in my much loved high school wood and metal shop.

My work begins with a perception of something in a found object: a bird, a fish, a face. At my studio (or the “gypsy camp” as my wife calls it), I work to enhance this original image.

Creating my art is an evolutionary process fed by the energy of the earth materials with which I work. During this process, I am reminded of the origin of the materials that I use and of my personal experiences associated with them. I have found materials that have inspired me at locations as local as Stony Creek’s Trolley Trail and Guilford’s Westwoods;  beyond to Provincetown’s National Seashore and the Berkshire’s Appalachian Trail and as far as Mexico, France, and most recently, Israel and the West Bank.

Faced with the ethical dilemma of removing these gifts of the earth from their original locations, I created a code which I strive to live by- “The Covenant of the Tree”:

-Take no living thing.

-Take only materials that are plentiful (for example, driftwood from locations where it is so readily available, it is used for firewood).

-Remove trash found along the way especially those items that could harm the environment.

-Express gratitude to the plant or animal for its gifts.

Working with these objects of the earth both consumes me and replenishes my soul. It is my hope that in turn, my work brings the replenishing spirit of these objects into the lives of those who view them.

Mary Mayer: Dreaming Japanese

Mary Mayer: Full Moon Rising

Mary Mayer: Journey’s End