River Arts on Water Gallery is proud to announce two brand new artists, Connie Morrison and Carol Naughton. Both are local artists who have incredible experience making art and showing across the country. Please join us in welcoming them to the gallery, and stop by the opening reception on July 15 to meet them both and see their great work!

Connie Morrison: My work is combination of painting and collage. I piece together separate parts – various papers that I paint, cut into shapes and adhere to gessoed birch panel with gel medium and small nails. I add more cut paper pieces and painting to that surface and seal each piece with satin varnish for protection. I intend for each piece to have a graphic power from a distance and an engaging, delicate quality up close. My influences include folk art traditions from textiles and quilts to Mexican Retablos.

Carol Naughton: I am a potter who creates wheel thrown and hand built, one of a kind, functional pottery. The forms reflect my love of fine cooking, gardening, and nature. The strong visual aesthetic of my ceramics is reflective of my environmental graphic design and exhibit design background.
The ceramic pieces are made from porcelain and stoneware clays. The clay is fired using a gas kiln that is capable of achieving a wide range of glaze surfaces and colors. Many of my glazes reference historic Japanese glazes. Many of the pieces have drawings and sculptural additions or alterations to the base form.
My studio is located in a remodeled 1876 stone granary on a beautiful farm in the driftless region of southwestern Wisconsin. The historic limestone construction and colors of the granary are reflected in the clays and glaze choices in my work.