Wall Works: Art @ the Library

Landschap: 

Aimee LaPorte & Rhonda Ratray

         

 Bennington Mountains, July Meadow. Aimee LaPorte 2012

 The Land Bridge, Rhonda Ratray 2012

Nina. Aimee LaPorte 2012

October 6 – January 31, 2013

Opening reception: Saturday, October 6, 2012
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Bennington Free Library
101 Silver Street
Bennington, VT 05201
(802) 442-9051
http://benningtonfreelibrary.org


Aimee LaPorte
Landscape painting traces its name from the Dutch word “landschap” meaning a patch of cultivated ground. My landscape paintings reflect this history, highlighting the margins of nature and culture. These are depictions of the wild and the cultivated. The apple orchard of my youth and the farms I visit weekly have in part, become the subjects of my paintings. It is not my intention to idealize nature or depict idealized pastoral scenes. These paintings are about stopping and appreciating exactly where I am, the smell, the light, the air.  If I can breathe the air, I can visit and revisit these meditative spaces.

Ongoing Gratus Portrait Series. This portrait series borrows it’s name from the Latin word Gratus, meaning beloved, dear, pleasing or agreeable. The style of these miniatures is inspired by a series of colonial family portraits from the collection of the Bennington Museum.  My subjects are companion animals, some of which are my own family pets.  Intended to delight, these mementos humorously honor dear family members. I work from photographs and digital images. Please contact me if you would like a custom portrait. laporteorama@gmail.com

Rhonda Ratray
The Bridges, is an ongoing series begun in March 2011.  Bridges can be epic like the 1,000 mile long Bering Land Bridge that created a link between North America and Asia ushering humans to a new continent.  Bridges can be fantastic like the Flaming Rainbow Bridge of Norse mythology that connects the Earth to the realm of the gods. Bridges can be iconic like Vermont’s covered bridges that speak to history. These bridges serve to join two pieces of land and foster a connection through time. My series began with bridges in knots as a way to hold the connection tighter. The bridges have evolved from there.