When Three Graces Fine Art & Furnishings owner Kim Ferreira puts an art exhibit together, she hopes to reach all audiences with an eclectic array of works. Typically, the back half of her gallery boasts a bevy of styles and mediums while the front half displays a featured exhibit. This month’s feature, “Warm Woolen Paintings,” most assuredly will help her accomplish the goal of variety.
Tiffany Torre is a Vermont painter who, as she puts it, has been “trying to find my identity.” Her search became deeply introspective when she left the Northeast for college in Tennessee. Surrounded by an unfamiliar culture and landscape, Torre drew comfort from her New England roots, which prompted her artistic relationship with wool. 

“We are covered eight to nine months out of the year,” Torre explained in a recent interview, and wool provides “the feeling of always being covered. I basically fell in love with the feel and texture of the wool.” Her initial experimentation came in the form of soft sculpture, a material primarily consisting of hand-dyed wool; however, further familiarization with the material opened Torre’s eyes to future possibilities.

Through experimentation, Torre’s work continued to evolve, eventually leading to the pieces we see today. She currently uses a firm yet soft cut of wool, much like what you would find on a men’s wool blazer, as her canvas, while finalizing her ultimate vision with oil paint. The majority of her works concentrate on animals, isolated from their natural setting.

“Snowbound,” for example, almost appears to be a portrait-style painting of a fox. The only sense of a natural environment stems from the fox’s paws being covered by a layer of snow. The lonesome animal carries a posture indicating self-awareness and control, yet the audience can’t help but notice the surrounding desolate environment.

Torre has been working with wool for almost 10 years now, and she believes the gentle medium lends itself perfectly to the soothing nature of the natural world. “I create an atmosphere for the subject matter that helps me convey a sense of its touch and its feel.”

During the opening reception on March 14, the images provoked curiosity among the gallery’s guests. The result, according to Ferreira, is that “people want to touch the paintings.”

Torre’s work is a collection of distinct images mixed with stark contrast, such as the “Snowbound” painting. Many of the animals appear to transmit a level of power, yet their survival still depends upon an arduous battle with disconsolate settings.

Of course, this is all done with a purpose. “I want the viewers to have their own emotions and feelings. I don’t want to force feed anything… They bring their own life into it,” Torre says. Consequently, the interpretation process can become deeply personal, resonating with the audience much longer than one might expect at first glance. Torre has become quite accustomed to viewers relating one of their life experiences to a piece of Torre’s work. Her most extensive series, featuring birds perched on taught lines, sparks recollection each time one looks up and sees a small bird resting on a power line. 

“Warm Woolen Paintings” will be on display through April 7. Three Graces Fine Art & Furnishings is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday hours are noon to 5 p.m. For further information, call the gallery at 603-436-1988 or visit www.threegracesgallery.com.