All Manner of Riches

Look at these two images. Can you see what they have in common?

They are both artworks on display as part of the Traveling Cover Art Exhibition of the Arts Council for the Northern Adirondacks.

I have previously observed that the North Country is fantastically rich in art of all kinds, and for proof (should proof be needed), I refer you to this show.

The two examples shown above only hint at the show's diversity.

On the left is "Navel Orange", a colored pencil piece by Matthew Paul (photographed by Mike Robbins). You may not be able to see it in this reduced image, but one of the navel oranges is ... well, expressing individuality! I urge you to take a look at the original if at all possible.

The image on the right is "Untitled" by Jodi Samuels Downs, executed in fused glass (also photographed by Mike Robbins). It appears abstract - quite different from Paul's almost photorealistic oranges. But it is every bit as charged with feeling, as potent a commentary on the world. The richness of color, the energy of line, excite wonderment. Again, you must see it in person to appreciate it.

And - good news! You can!

Go to the Cantwell Room of the Saranac Lake Free Library, a gallery and meeting space downstairs from the main reading room (and, with an elevator and a ramp, fully wheelchair accessible). Displayed on the walls there you will find not just these two works, but more than thirty.

These pieces were all submitted for consideration as cover art for the 2008 - 2009 ACNA Arts Directory & Cultural Events Calendar. Looking them over, I felt great sympathy for the judge(s) - each piece is so striking, each artist's voice so distinctive.

All media were accepted for consideration. From wood and stone, to pottery and weaving, to pastel, photography, and intaglio printing - creative vision spurts out in an astonishing number of ways.

How ingenious people are!

And how fortunate we of the North Country are, that ACNA gathered such an assortment of riches, and made them available for our delight.

If you cannot get the the Saranac Lake Free Library by Dec. 4, when the show closes there, its next stop will be at the Ticonderoga Historical Society in Ticonderoga, NY.