Brian Larkin and Joy Nordquist / Carol Strause FitzSimonds

Editor's note: The Providence Art Club provided source material to Resource Library Magazine for the following article or essay. If you have questions or comments regarding the source material, please contact the Providence Art Club directly through either this phone number or web address:

401-331-1114
http://www.providenceartclub.org/

MAXWELL MAYS GALLERY

Brian Larkin and Joy Nordquist. Two local Rhode Island artists find inspiration from far away places in their June exhibitions. Providence artist, Brian Larkin, divides his time as a painter and volunteer lighthouse keeper at the Race Point Lighthouse in Provincetown, MA. Using a hesitant, sketchy style, Larkins watercolors give life to a collection of innocent characters presented in a variety of obscure yet soothing environments. His landscapes use a combination of definitive lines and smooth washes to describe both natural and architectural settings.

Scituate artist, Joy Nordquist, sculpts in wood, letting the shape of the material suggest the essence of her subject. Her compositions are sometimes close to reality, sometimes whimsical, sometimes abstract, but unique in that she searches out the distinctive elements in both the grain and fibers of the organic material. Like Larkin, she allows her time spent in alternate environments fuel her creativity. The work of both artists can also be seen this season at the Galleria Raphaello in Provincetown.

DODGE HOUSE GALLERY

Carol Stause FitzSimonds. Portsmouth artist, Carol Strause FitzSimonds, will be exhibiting original hand printed/bound artist books accompanied by hand colored prints in a solo exhibition entitled Vision Revision. A printmaker, FitzSimonds constructs artist books from her original prints. "I wanted to make my art an even more personal experience for myself and for the viewer," states the artist. "The book, as an art form, begs to be touched. When opened, my prints become sculptural pieces, individually handcrafted elements of a larger whole." Both her books and her prints include compositions of structures and objects that have weathered the test of time and change, utilizing the techniques of both silicone intaglio monotype and aquatint printing. (left: Carol Strause FitzSimonds, original hand printed/bound artist book accompanied by hand colored prints in a solo exhibition entitled Vision Revision)

Selected for Who's Who in American Art in 1991, The Best of Printmaking, An International Collection in 1997, and the Biographical Encyclopedia of American Painters, Sculptors, and Engravers in 2002, Carol is a juried member of the Copley Society of Art in Boston, Society of American Graphic Artists, National Association of Women Artists and the American Artists Professional League in New York City. Her art is shown locally through the Donovan Gallery in Tiverton, Arnold Art and the Spring Bull Gallery in Newport.

Read more articles and essays concerning this institutional source by visiting the sub-index page for the Providence Art Club in Resource Library Magazine.

Search for more articles and essays on American art in Resource Library. See America's Distinguished Artists for biographical information on historic artists.

This page was originally published in 2003 in Resource Library Magazine. Please see Resource Library's Overview section for more information.