By:
M. Elaine Twichell
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: M. Elaine Twichell 989 224 2429
DATE: September 24, 2007
HEADLINE: News from the Depot “Comforting Contradictions”
BODY:Choo Choo’s Gallery will be hosting a new exhibit entitled “Comforting Contradictions”. This show will run From September 26th through November 3rd .Carol Basso from Grand Ledge is one of the invited artists. She has a gentle style that shows her passion for fine art.Her strength is in the old masters style with it’s dark values, warmth, intimacy, and romance. She is equally skilled in other mediums such as watercolor and pastel. She can be inspired by a delicate rose, a cow in a pasture, or a historic landscape. She has traveled abroad several times and captured her experiences on canvas so that we may travel with her. She says, “I always start with an emotion that stirs my heart and one that I deeply care about”. Her art is constantly evolving and developing as she studies with well known artists such as David Liffel, Robert Johnson, and Cheri Christian.
Douglas Thayer is an artist/blacksmith, that also looks to the past for his inspiration. He believes that we need to preserve the old methods, crafts, structures and machinery that helped get us where we are today. His art reflects this belief. Thayer said, “Old buildings in downtowns across this country are being destroyed to make way for glass towers. Old vehicles and machinery are rusting away in fields and barnyards. Old barns and farmsteads are being allowed to decay into oblivion, their owners not wanting to spend the money or time to keep them in shape. These structures and machinery must be preserved. And at the very least, be preserved by artists of all mediums” In his work as a blacksmith he tries, whenever possible, to re-use steel and other materials such as glass. He strives to learn and preserve the old ways and methods and to gather and preserve the old machinery that would have been used in a smith years ago. When you look at his work, maybe you will recognize a gear from days gone by being used as an integral part of the art.
“Comforting Contradictions” is just that! Both artists have a passion for the past, but one expresses it in soft gentle brushstrokes, and the other in rugged steel and glass. Please come and meet the artists at a reception held in their honor on Sunday October 7th from 1 – 3 pm. Refreshments will be served.
This exhibit is proudly sponsored by Firstbank. Thank you for your generosity.
Choo Choo’s is located at 211 N. Clinton Ave., next to St. Vincents. Regular Gallery hours are Wednesday through Friday from 10 am until 6pm, and Saturday from 10am until 2pm. For more information please call 989 224 2429. M. Elaine Twichell is the Creative Director of the Clinton County Arts Council and Project Manager of the Clinton Northern Railway Museum.
 "Ruby Oranges" by Carol Basso |