FEATURING TALENTED LOCAL ARTISTS
Art is a Life Force — Hilary Cooper
It was a warm afternoon when I had a wonderful conversation with Hilary Cooper, a portrait artist who works across multiple mediums – painting, watercolor, and clay. Drawing together likenesses of people, each of her subjects carries a unique narrative.
As we walked around some sculpted heads in progress, I watched how they seemed to converse with one another – quietly keeping an eye on each other as they emerged from Cooper’s hands. It is an intimate practice: looking closely, talking about life, and, through […]
Where the Condor Once Roamed – John Paul Philippe & Elvin Rodriguez
On a warm afternoon I set off to chat with John Paul Philippe, originally from Oklahoma, and Elvin Rodriguez from the Dominican Republic, who now live and work in Sharon, CT. Their life is entwined with land – integrating with birds, wildlife, and native plants and coexisting and respecting the place where they collaborate on their art practice.
So, John Paul, you were in the UK for 20 years after growing up in Oklahoma. Were you painting then?
JP: Yes, in England, I was painting and […]
Walking Through Colour – Erick Johnson
Erick Johnson’s work narrates rich surface textures, layered chromatic decisions, and an intuitive approach to composition. He creates paintings that are simultaneously architectural and emotional, intimate and expansive. Johnson’s works are a study in contrasts: finely flat surfaces carry the memory of earlier paint layers pushed and pulled, while negative space winds a whispered line through overlapping color fields. Movement and light crossed the surface, much like looking out of a speeding train, where, at times, the image outside can blur when captured through a […]
To Dance with Paint – Bill Hardy
I first met Bill Hardy when he was working at Millbrook School; I approached him about life drawing classes, which were hard to find 18 years ago in this area. He generously helped us, a group of artists, and we had many delightful evening sessions quietly working alongside him. Hardy grew up in San Diego, where the colors were like Kodak wonderland with hard-edged shadows. After moving east, he became the beloved Head of the Millbrook School art department for nearly 30 years, building […]
