As fall approaches, the days grow shorter, and the temperatures drop (we hope). For those of us fortunate enough to live in New England, nature unleashes its colorful magic: a unified sea of green leaves turn to firework like explosions of amazing reds, oranges, and golds. Get in tune with the season with “September’s Song,” where artists play to their inner maestro in works ranging from paintings, drawings and graphic arts to sculpture, ceramics, fiber/beadwork and photography, all created by members of the Canton Artists’ Guild.

Also on display is “Quintet,” bringing together five local artists/professors who share the bond of teaching in the First-year Foundation Program at the Hartford Art School/University of Hartford (HAS). The differences in their work illustrate the enormous variability in today’s evolving art making.

Hartford-based artist Matthew Best received his BFA in Painting from the Hartford Art School and his MFA in Painting from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. An abstract painter in a previous life, his current work explores identity and representation through an abstract and painterly lens.

Terry Donsen Feder does paintings and drawings, and she has had group and solo shows all over the country and in Ireland. Her work is part of many private, corporate and hospital collections and at the New Britain Museum of American Art.

Susan Bogle Finnegan received her B.A. from Smith College and her MFA in Painting from HAS. Finnegan’s work has been exhibited throughout New England, in Louisville, Kentucky and included in an international exhibition in Mainz, Germany. Finnegan was a visiting artist at the University of Louisville, Kentucky and a visiting professor at Trinity College. She has been at the HAS for over 20 years.

Val Lyons is a contemporary conceptual artist who uses both ready-made and appropriated materials to create sculptural pieces and installations. She received her MFA from Arizona State University and her BFA from the Hartford Art School.

Mark Snyder holds a BFA from Miami University and an MFA in Graphic Design from RISD. He is Associate Dean at HAS and owns object|resonance, a design firm specializing in work for non-profits in education and fine/performing arts. He has won numerous design awards and has been published nationally/internationally. His mixed media/collage/letterpress fine artwork has been exhibited nationally.

The reception for both shows is Saturday, September 10 from 6:00-8:00 pm. The reception including refreshments is free, and the public is warmly invited.

The Gallery on the Green, established in 1960, is the longest continuously operating artists’ guild in Connecticut. It is housed in a schoolhouse (circa 1872). There are three spacious galleries and an outdoor sculpture garden. 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.