Gallery on the Green presents the Member/Guest Show and solo exhibits by Janine Kearns and Mark Rich. Exhibits run from March 20th through April 19th and the galleries are open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5pm. The gallery is located near the intersection of Dowd Avenue and Route 44 at 5 Canton Green Road in Canton. Gallery admission is free.

The main floor of the gallery features new work by artist members and invited guest artists. Come enjoy the creativity and talent of diverse local artists in an intimate and historical exhibition space. On view are prints, drawings, paintings, photographs, mixed media, sculptures, fiber and ceramics.

In her solo exhibit “Treat the Earth Gently” Janine Kearns presents a selection of nature’s finest and gentlest offerings in photographs printed with pigmented inks on cotton rag media. This is Kearns first solo exhibit of selected photographs curated from a large, private collection taken over the past 30+ years and reflects her lifelong passion to ‘treat the earth gently’. The gifts of nature and her reverence for it can be seen in her photography. This collection includes macro views of nature’s most delicate expressions as well as some deeply personal moments when the air was filled with spirit. First introduced to black & white film photography and darkroom work at then Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey), Kearns continued her study at Rutgers University in what was strictly a private, creative endeavor until now.

Mark Rich’s solo show is titled “Seeing in the Dark”. Rich states that “After forty years at the easel the work continues to evolve. It doesn’t shout anymore, it speaks carefully”. His medium is wax and oil paints and sometimes his work is complex, sometimes not. Rich says “A painting can be an epiphany, it can protest, it can interrogate, and try to instigate change. Other times it can be a moment of repose, a simple pleasure, like stepping into shade on a hot day”.

Rich’s primary influence is his father, the painter, Harry Rich, followed by the NYS (New York School) abstract expressionists, post NYS neo abstract painters and the faculty at the School of Visual Arts in NY. Though his symbology stems from his NYC roots and the early 1980’s, Rich states “there are no rules except to reject the obvious, and embrace uncertainty”.

The opening reception for all three shows is Saturday, March 21st from 6:00-9:00 pm. The reception including refreshments is free, and the public is warmly invited.

The Gallery on the Green, established in 1960, is the longest running artists’ guild in Connecticut. It is housed in a schoolhouse (circa 1872). There are three galleries and an outdoor sculpture garden. The main floor gallery is handicapped accessible. Tel. 860-693-4102 / www.galleryonthegreen.org / e-mail: [email protected].