FOR 7/11

MORGAN LEHMAN GALLERY MARY CHATHAM, KATIA READ AND WENDY SMALL

ak/gs set 7/2 #744623

LAKEVILLE, CONN. — “Consummately Aesthetic” takes its inspiration from the enthusiasm of the Nineteenth Century followers of the Aesthetic Movement who sought a life filled with beauty and the sublime. At the Morgan Lehman Gallery, July 12–August 16, three very different bodies of work, by three very different artists, Mary Chatham, Katia Read and Wendy Small, explore the beauty of nature and the organic in very distinctly personal ways.

They all share a willingness to embrace the validity of craft, unabashedly creating decorative and beautiful artworks. Included in the show are Chatham’s porcelain sculptures, Read’s mixed media paper constructions and Small’s color photograms.

Chatham’s porcelain sculptures appear fragile, belying the inherent strength of porcelain; some works are functional vases, other simply stacked branch-like structures that look like underwater coral.

Read uses colored paper and gouache in her work, creating densely layered circular forms that hover between painting and sculpture. The curled forms of the paper simultaneously explore a surface filled with rich color and patterning and the more personal inner life of an artist.

Constructing her photographs in the darkroom with objects placed on the photographic paper and exposed to light, Small consciously seeks beauty in her images. The current series of bird photographs holds an interesting duality by exploring nature and birds in flight with artificially created environments and fake birds and fauna.

The gallery is at 24 Sharon Road, Route 41. For information, 860-435-0898 or www.morganlehmangallery.com