Credit: Courtesy of the Edgewood Gallery

“Holiday Hues,” at the Edgewood Gallery, showcases work by four artists who create in different media but are linked by a connection to nature. The exhibit’s portfolio sweeps from encaustic/mixed media paintings by Linda Bigness to wood vessels by Geoff Navias, from Susan Machamer’s jewelry to Marna Bell’s images of nature in Central New York, most notably Green Lakes State Park. 

First, the exhibition displays an array of Bigness’ predominantly abstract paintings. There’s “Summer’s Garden” with its blend of green and blue colors, a shape hinting at a wood post, and two small sticks placed on the canvas. 

And Bigness is comfortable with creating either larger pieces or smaller artworks. In “Vessels and Flowers,” she goes big, mixing flower forms with an orange pitcher and the top of a barrel. 

Other paintings point to a wide-open creative agenda. In one work, she references three trees. In “Captured Square,” she incorporates rough texture, red and pink colors, and many forms. This is the only painting at Edgewood in which Bigness used cold wax. In encaustics, her preferred medium, pigments are mixed with hot liquid wax. 

In addition, she’s done paintings that belong in their own niche. Her portrayal of a coral reef features a series of red, spike-shaped shapes evoking the organisms that live on a reef. And “Coastal Walk I” is an interesting painting with its own sensibility. 

The Edgewood exhibit is one of a long series of shows for Bigness. She’s shown her work at the Everson Museum, the Kirkland Art Center near Utica, the Nan Miller Gallery in Rochester, and the Sorelle Gallery in Westport, Connecticut, among other venues. 

Navias, meanwhile, creates his vessels from wood reclaimed from trees felled by local climate storms. In “Laughter,” he utilized walnut and birch woods. In a larger work, made with a centerpiece and ends which slope, the artist turned to three woods — cherry walnut, white pine, and walnut. 

He called his pieces “sacred vessels,” communicating his respect for the various woods and their source, fallen trees. In addition, several of his artworks convey a contradiction. They have both a heft associated with wood and a sense of softness. 

A third artist, Susan Machamer, says she’s definitely influenced by natural forms. In the current exhibit, she’s presenting necklaces, bracelets and other items, mixing sterling silver with varied gemstones. The pieces are from her “Floral Collection.”

Machamer’s career includes both making jewelry and instructing others about the process. She’s taught classes at Syracuse University and Cazenovia College, presented workshops at community centers and provided private instruction in her studio. 

Finally, Marna Bell, several years ago, spent a lot of time photographing scenes at Green Lakes. That led to a substantial body of work.

At Edgewood, a small selection of photos from that project depicts scenes by or near water: branches over the lake’s edge, an uprooted tree, two trees surviving in close proximity to each other. 

There are a couple of images taken elsewhere in Central New York. For example, “Sandy Pond II” portrays layers of pebbles, rocks and twigs, seemingly organized in a neat fashion by unseen hands. The reality is quite different; there’s no involvement of human design, just the rhythm of nature. 

Such photos make up one portion of Bell’s portfolio. She’s done a variety of other projects, including a series devoted to the Brighton Beach area in New York City. 

“Holiday Hues” is on display through January 5, 2024 at Edgewood, 216 Tecumseh Rd. The gallery is open from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays. For more information, call 315-445-8111. 

Carl Mellor covered visual arts for the Syracuse New Times through 1994 through 2016. He continues to write about exhibitions and artists in the Syracuse area. 

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Carl Mellor has done freelance writing for roughly 50 years. He contributed articles to the Syracuse New Times for many years and covered visual arts for that newspaper from 1994 thorugh 2019. He continues...