Connecticut artists offer unique world views in July exhibitions

chris DiPentima CBIA
“Great Sand Dune” by Alina B

As the summertime temperature heats up, what better way to escape from the swelter than within the invigorating realm of an art gallery? This month, several major galleries across Connecticut are offering a selection of local artists who share their distinctive views of the world.

Westport”™s Sorrelle Gallery is presenting “Kaleidoscope,” featuring new artwork by Kelly Rossetti and Alina B. The exhibition opens today and runs through July 29. In this presentation, Rossetti presents a shift in her paintings that transition from the layering of loose and intuitive brush strokes to structured compositions designed to explore more intentional mark-making, geometry and color, Alina B uses a mirror in place of traditional canvas while offering color palettes and themes that incorporate its exhibition environment through reflection.

“Lunch Break” by Ellen Ehli

The Westport Book Shop will be presenting Ellen Ehli as guest exhibitor in the venue”™s Drew Friedman Art Place for the month of July. A self-taught abstract artist, Ehli creates multimedia paintings on paper and canvas, and she describes her style as “retro inspired organic shapes combined with a harmonious palette.”

“The Joker” by Voltori

Gallery 53 in Meriden is presenting an exhibition of the artist who goes by the mononym Voltori starting today through the end of the month. His diverse portfolio includes portraits as well as abstract pieces, executed in oil paint, acrylics and multimedia. Voltori was profiled last year in the Fairfield County Business Journal when he launched his e-commerce site.

“Buck in Bushes” by Dave McCary

Gallery on the Green in Canton is presenting as “Wildlife Through the Lens” by Dave McCary that opens today and runs through Aug. 5. This photography exhibition showcases the majestic beauty of large animals and the delicate grace of smaller birds. According to McCary: “The goal of my photography is to capture the beauty around us that we often don”™t get a chance to stop and enjoy because of our busy schedules. Photography helps us completely stop, focus and appreciate nature”™s beauty. Nature amazes.”

The Art Gallery at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic is now presenting “Imagined Places, Inhabited Spaces” through Sept. 2, which showcases the work of four artists who question contemporary society with a visual mash-up of “reality” and interpretations of the spiritual/metaphysical world. Adrienne Chadwick, born in Toronto of Belizean ancestry, uses mixed media installations to resist the status quo from her BIPOC position; AdrienneRose Gionta, a self-designed “pop-culture consigliere,” analyzes identity and cultural assumptions about fatness, beauty standards, embodiment and fulfillment on and offline; Rod Faulds blends multiple digital images to create bold artworks that fuse figuration and abstraction; and Lydia Viscardi utilizes mixed media, oil and collage to create paintings that depict complicated layered scenes, challenging the viewer to discover what hides within their compositions.

“Maybe Here” by Lydia Viscardi