Collage artist Jane Davies leads demo at Middlebury gallery
Edgewater Gallery at the Falls in Middlebury will host a lively demonstration on Saturday, Feb. 3, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. with abstract artist Jane Davies. The event is free and open to the public, and an opportunity for viewers to observe Davies’ dynamic artistic process as she creates her colorful mixed media compositions.
“My process involves a back-and-forth play between spontaneous, intuitive mark-making, and careful deliberation and intention,” Davies said. “I think of it as letting things happen, and making things happen. I make a move, and then the painting reveals something new to respond to.  Each move changes the whole piece and sets up a new set of challenges.  It takes practice and continued effort to stay present to this dialog and not get carried away by the desire for a quick result or an easy resolution.  It requires trust in my own intuitive responses, and a willingness to not-know, to not have the route laid out like a road map.”
Davies said she usually starts a piece by either laying color down on the surface and then adding collage elements, or the other way around: starting with collage and then adding paint.
“I generally build layers of collage and paint this way until the piece is almost finished,” Davies explained. “Then I put it aside for at least a day in order to look again with fresh eyes and see what it needs.”
A former potter and designer of textiles and paper goods, Davies is a full-time artist, teacher, and writer, now working in collage, paint and encaustic. She maintains a studio in Rupert and teaches workshops there and nationwide. Edgewater Gallery at the Falls has a permanent collection of Davies work on display and for sale. Don’t miss her demo this Saturday.
For more info call the gallery at (802) 458-0098, email [email protected], or visit edgewatergallery.co.