‘New Hampshire Originals’ unveiled at the Lamont Gallery

The current exhibition at the Lamont Gallery at Philips Exeter Academy shows off New Hampshire’s diverse artistic population. The show is a refreshing medley of sculptures, paintings and furniture designs by artists who have been deemed “Lifetime Fellows” by the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts. In order to earn that title, an artist must have received at least three grants from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts since 1981, the year the award took shape. Five of the 10 Lifetime Fellows are exhibited in “New Hampshire Originals,” including James Aponovich, Carol Aronson-Shore, Jon Brooks, James Coates and Gary Haven Smith. The exhibition is a wonderful reflection of dedicated, talented artists living and working in our very own Granite State.

Since 2006, James Aponovich has been New Hampshire’s artist laureate, a position only three others have ever held. The UNH grad takes a realistic approach to his still life paintings of brightly colored flowers and fruits. He places his subjects upon a stone windowsill overlooking an Italian countryside, much like the composition of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa.” Aponovich’s paintings feature close, central placement of the still life and a sense of flatness achieved by using the sky as a backdrop.
 Painter Carol Aronson-Shore uses subjects that are close to home, such as Portsmouth’s Strawbery Banke and the Wentworth Coolidge Mansion, to explore extensive varieties of light in relation to color and atmosphere. While her painting style is representational, she focuses on the essential structure light lends to the sky, water and buildings during different times of day. She renders landscapes on Monhegan Island in Maine, where famous artists like George Bellows and Edward Hopper also found inspiration.

Sculptor Gary Haven Smith offers a new perspective on our state’s most common natural resource: granite. He manipulates the solid seemingly unyielding medium into shapes that appear as delicate as orange peels. The undulating, organic designs reflect the work of modern tools carving into ancient rock.  

Sculptor and furniture designer Jon Brooks uses wood to create pieces that people “can dance with.” His incredibly whimsical and “wiggly” artwork demonstrates expert craftsmanship and creativity, creating finished pieces that can “cooperate with chaos.”
James Coates takes a different approach to sculpture by pairing branches and wood with masses of handmade paper. He assembles materials to replicate the essence of human shelter. The earth-tone structures represent either single, primitive shelters or wider views of the environment as a shelter, including even the underbelly of the Earth’s surface.  

Curator Karen Burgess Smith, who also serves as a facilitator for the grant process, is especially proud to “live and work in a state where the arts are supported by the state.”  She is also very happy to have the show accessible to Philips Academy students, who can see the kinds of opportunities that are available to New Hampshire artists.

“New Hampshire Originals” will be on display until Saturday, May 10 at the Lamont Gallery, 11 Tan Lane, Exeter, 603-777-3461.