New Exhibit By Kerry St. Laurent And Abbie Wanamaker At Gallery A3

Source: Gallery A3

A new exhibit entitled “Reflex — At a Glimpse,” featuring the mixed media work of Kerry St. Laurent and the large-scale abstract paintings of Abbie Wanamaker, will open at Gallery A3, 28 Amity Street on October 7 and run through October 30. There will be an opening reception on Thursday, October 7 from 5 to  8 p.m. and an online art forum on Thursday, October 21 at 7:30 p.m. In the online  forum, St. Laurent and Wanamaker will discuss their works on display at the gallery. They will share their artistic process, especially in light of seeing, and sensing, their work as a response to a range of personal experiences. The public is advised to check the gallery’s website to confirm details and to register for the forum. The gallery is open from 3 to 7 p.m., Thursday through Sunday.  Check the website for possible expanded hours.

The Artists
In scale and in material, St. Laurent aims for intimacy. Using alcohol ink and some mixed media on Yupo paper, she works smaller than 12 by 12 inches to encourage viewers to come closer and appreciate the inherent detail of the medium. Her series on display at Gallery A3 was driven by her desire to “move away from introspective personal works and instead explore the creativity of various literary and audio artists and how their works could translate into visual format.” Two of her inspirations in this series are author B.R. Yeager of South Deerfield and musician Burial Grid of Sunderland. St. Laurent teaches visual arts at Western New England University.

Wanamaker’s large-scale abstract paintings are inspired by the small plein air drawings of Western Massachusetts’ forests, lakes, meadows, and mountains that she made on “endless walks” during the pandemic. She uses house paint and wood, noting, “This combination makes my paintings less precious and turns them into sturdy objects that can be hauled and schlepped.” Her painting practice becomes a type of meditation with color and form. “I move with instinct and often wrestle with the colors, making decisions and then feeling uneasy until I find a sense of order and balance.”

Wanamaker received her BFA from UMass- Amherst and MFA from the University of Southern California. After living in Boston for 15 years, she moved to Amherst two years ago and now lives in the woods with her husband, daughter, and five chickens. She works as an early childhood educator, while continuing to make art.