There are two different versions of a postcard being sent out and hung around town to announce an upcoming Newtown Arts Festival event.workshops he led for children through RCN was an outdoor gathering at Shortt Farm in Sandy Hook. During that April 2014 workshop, children - wearing clothing that could get splattered with paint - collaborated on a 4- by 8-foot painting that was then divided into several smaller paintings, framed, and sold during RCN's "Evening Under the Stars" fundraising gala the following month.creating the letters to spell Strength In Community, the theme of RCN's 2016 gala. The artist invited members of the community to essentially create sculptures, each depicting one letter in the gala's theme. Those participating had creative license to sculpt in the style of their choice.An Exercise In Trust"Beautiful Consequences: The Art of Dave Brooker" will be presented Saturday, September 30, from 7 to 10 pm, at 16 Taunton Hill Road in Newtown. Admission is free, and reservations are not needed.

The front of one card features a splatter painting, while the other offers a look at white canvas with a piece of plaster cloth running horizontally across the canvas. Shadows created by unseen light sources from the right of the plaster cloth create additional texture to the nearly monotone piece.

Most people are familiar with the former work by Newtown resident and abstract painter Dave Brooker. The latter style is new for him, and will debut during a Newtown Arts Festival event planned for the final weekend of this month.

"Beautiful Consequences: The Art of Dave Brooker" will be presented Saturday, September 30, from 7 to 10 pm. It will be hosted by Yolie Moreno at 16 Taunton Hill Road.

The public event is one of a number of special offerings being presented by Newtown Cultural Arts Commission tied in to this year's arts festival, which opens September 15-17 with public events at Fairfield Hills.

Mr Brooker expects to have between 25 and 30 works on view for "Beautiful Consequences." All are new, and those that have been finished currently fill a number of rooms within the caretaker's residence at Holcombe Hill, where Mr Brooker resides. The artist has been serving as Newtown Forest Association's (NFA) caretaker for nearly four years.

"It's really nice to go from my kitchen to my studio," he said this week. Seated on a five-gallon bucket, a folded towel serving as a cushion, the artist talked about his current project. The walls, ceiling, and floor of the room he uses as his studio are all covered with canvas, a precaution so as not to ruin any of the NFA property.

With that safety net in place, Mr Brooker is free to paint - and splatter - at will. And he has, as evidenced by the paint splatters that cover much of the walls, floor and ceiling on the western side of his studio. Every shelf and knickknack, a small white fan, his work bench, even the chair he occasionally slows down long enough to sit in, are all covered with colorful splashes of paint, the aftereffect of Mr Brooker's application of paint to canvas.

Recent weeks have been the first time in a number of years he has set aside time to create art for himself.

Mr Brooker has been very involved with The Resiliency Center of Newtown (RCN) and, more recently, Ben's Bells Connecticut.

One of the first

Another project coordinated by Mr Brooker had members of the public

The end result was a display of letters done in random fashions that worked together, much like the individual residents of any community. Attendees of the April 2016 RCN gala were invited to sponsor the letter of their choice, but the completed collection was put on permanent display at the center's South Main Street offices.

Last year a collection of Kindness Coins were painted by Mr Brooker for Ben's Bells Connecticut. Funds raised through the sales of those small clay pieces all went to that organization.

The RCN projects and donations raised through sales of them benefited the groups Mr Brooker has worked with in recent years. There has been no financial gain for the artist.

Now, he said, it's time to do something for himself.

"The genesis of this collection was the realization that those projects were coming out because people perished," he said. The Resiliency Center of Newtown was formed in the wake of 12/14. It provides free workshops and services for Newtown residents, and relies on donations and fundraisers to continue to operate. The local Ben's Bells chapter was also organized as a result of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

"The art, and the reason for them, was all I thought about," he said. Earlier this year he decided to finish all outstanding commitments, not pick up anything new for the time being, and return to art for himself.

"I love collaboration," he said, "but at the same time, now it's nice to be doing this project because no one is suggesting anything. The result is a little less important."

The goodwill that has been put forth in recent years is returning to Mr Brooker. After giving so much of himself, others are now returning the favor.

Mr Brooker is both "terrified and exhilarated," he said this week. Putting together the "Beautiful Consequences" collection is a big exercise in delegating. The artist is being allowed to just work on his art, while others are taking care of wiring frames for hanging, cataloging the new works, handling publicity, even arranging for the beverages and catered food that will be served September 30.

He is brought to tears at the idea that friends - bartenders and others in the food service - have volunteered to help him plan and present the reception.

"People have been so generous," he said, his voice breaking. "To have friends who can make $400 or $500 on a Saturday night at their job say they would volunteer for me is just amazing. Others have also been generous with their time and resources. They keep telling me, 'Just be the artist.'"

The event is open to the public. He has also been handing out postcards and e-mailing dozens of people to let them know about the upcoming gathering.

"So far I've gotten a pretty overwhelming response," he said. "People have even told me they know what they'll be wearing, which I think is neat."

"Beautiful Consequences: The Art of Dave Brooker" will include a number of the splatter paintings the artist has become known for in recent years.

Guests will also be introduced to the plaster canvas works mentioned earlier, as well as a few paintings that have had sand incorporated into them, literally creating depth. On one wall of Mr Brooker's home is one of those large paintings, a predominantly red piece created using paint and sand.

The focus of that painting is a red heart, which is surrounded by a halo of gold, which are then surrounded by rays in shades of red and orange. Mr Brooker used sand to create texture in much of the work, including the heart, the halo, and part of the rays.

Nearby is a plaster canvas work. Most of these pieces are white; one or two have been fully painted a solid color. It is the plaster, not any additional color or designs, that gives life to each work, said the artist.

"The shadows tell the story with those," he said. Guests on September 30 will have the opportunity to bring a few of those works to life, he said, thanks to lighting that will be set up around a few of the plaster cloths pieces.

"I'm going to let people play with lights, and dimmers, and the resulting shadows," he said. "It's going to be an interactive piece."

The majority of pieces being hung for "Beautiful Consequences" will be available for purchase. A few have already been purchased, but the owners have agreed to allow the artist to show them that evening. Another work, a piece commissioned by Newtown Salt Spa owner Katherine Hansen, is expected to be completed by that evening and will also be shown. Crafted with paint and salt, it is a piece unlike any others in Mr Brooker's collection.

"I'm really excited," he said Monday morning, "that everything is my most current state of mind, my heart and soul. This is everybody's best chance to see what I've been up to."

Mr Brooker said a friend pointed out recently that much of his work can now be found in healing and higher consciousness spaces, and in homes and offices of those who purchased Mr Brooker's art through events that raised funds for such spaces.

His focused entry into the world of art began seven years ago. He was healing from a broken leg at the time.

"I needed to do something during my healing time," he said. "Then I was able to help those who needed healing. I love that this has come full circle.

"I'll get back to the charity stuff," he said. "Now it's just time to refill my cup."

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