“Collections of Kevin Rita: Connections From a Life in Art” is The Annual Maxwell Shepherd Memorial Invitational Exhibition. Mr. Rita, the current director and owner of Brick Walk Fine Arts and Book Shop in West Hartford, spent decades collecting and exhibiting fine art, rare books and antiques. He formerly owned and operated Paesaggio Gallery in Hartford and a gallery in Canton. Mr. Rita sought out artists and writers to collaborate on limited edition books that he produced using the letterpress printing technique. These were not ordinary manufactured books but true works of art. The exhibit includes drawings, paintings, books, folk art and antiques. Mr. Rita will give two gallery talks: “The Responsive Eye: An Exploration of Visual Art” on Saturday, April 23 at 5:00 and “Polished Lines: A Journey Through Poetry and Prose” on Sunday, May 15 at 3:00.
In “Forgotten Faces,” Anna Murfin bases her paintings on old sepia portrait photographs, lost to the original owners, but are given new meaning in her imagination. She paints with egg tempera, on-glaze china paint and acrylic. Murfin has exhibited her work in England, where she also received her arts education She moved to the US in 2011 and has since taught and exhibited painting and ceramics in a wide variety of locations in Connecticut. Her multiplicity of talents include making jewelry and creating “sound art” exhibited at the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington.
“Connecticut Scissorhands” consists of the fiber art of eighteen members of the Connecticut Chapter of the Surface Design Association. The exhibit demonstrates the richness and diversity of contemporary fiber art and is curated by Peggy Dembicer and Anita Balkun.
The Canton Artists’ Guild at the Gallery on the Green, the longest continuously-running artist guild in the state, has 3 separate galleries and hosts month-long exhibitions nine times a year. The gallery is located near the intersection of Dowd Avenue and Route 44 at 5 Canton Green Road in Canton. Hours are Friday – Sunday, 1-5 pm. The main floor gallery is handicapped accessible.