July 4-28, 2024
Artist Reception:
Saturday, July 6, 2024
3-5 pm
We are thrilled to present a captivating joint exhibit by Melissa Broersma and Maria Wickwire this July. These two extraordinary artists bring together their unique perspectives and creative journeys, offering viewers a rich and thought-provoking experience.
Melissa Broersma, a visual artist hailing from Washington State in the Pacific Northwest, primarily works with oil on canvas and paper. Her figurative works, often enriched by mixed media elements such as markers, wax, and acrylics, invite viewers into a world of whimsy and dreams. Melissa's current series, "Dreamland," takes us on a personal voyage through her own rediscovery of innocence and wonder. Within the backdrop of the Pacific Northwest, her paintings weave together still-life compositions, figure studies, and landscapes, each bearing the distinct hallmark of Melissa's loose and erratic brushwork. As we explore her familiar yet surreal realms, we are urged to contemplate the boundaries between reality and imagination and tap into the childlike wonder that resides within us all.
Maria Wickwire, on the other hand, invites us into the realm of sculpture, delving deep into the evocation of memory, emotion, and storytelling. Working with clay, the oldest expressive material known to human beings, Maria's sculptures encapsulate the human form in all its gesture and mood. In her series "Once Upon a Time When Women Were Birds," Maria carves intuitively, crafting women intertwined with their bird souls. This imagery is inspired by a poem that speaks to the powerful healing capacity of joy and celebration. With exaggerated hands symbolizing our ability to caress, connect, protect, and let go, and wings representing our physical and spiritual power to rise and thrive, Maria's sculptures capture the essence of the female spirit and its profound connection to the world around us.
In this exhibit, Melissa Broersma and Maria Wickwire invite us on a journey of exploration and introspection. Through their respective mediums of painting and sculpture, they encourage us to reflect on the limitless possibilities of our own imagination, the enduring presence of childhood wonder, and the stories that bring meaning to our lives. We invite you to immerse yourself in the textures, colors, and forms of this exhibit and to engage with these compelling works of art as they spark your own interpretations and connections.
