“The SOUK”, Piermont’s indoor/winter market and artisan bazaar, returns for its 7th season on January 19th and will run every Sunday from 11am to 3pm through March 29th.  Check “The SOUK”facebook page for updates and join our mailing list for weekly specials, vendor lineups and giveaways.

Organic Abstractions: Ceramic Sculpture by Elaine Lorenz.  An exhibit of work from several of the artist’s series;  including new pieces and the full scale pattern used for the bronze casting of ‘Élan Vital’, that was commissioned for the Piermont Pier and donated to the village. Includes indoor, outdoor and wall pieces. Reception 10/06/2019; 2-5pm.  The OUTSIDE IN, Piermont NY.

Artist Statement 9/14/2019

I have always referenced nature in my sculpture, whether it be landforms of the American Southwest, the interaction of creatures, or various abstractions of vegetation. Sometimes I focus on the backbone of the earth – bedrock and it’s erosion into cliffs and canyons. I tend to use formally based ideas: my sculptures balance mass and space, creating gradients of light, points of intersection or interior spaces. I have a fascination with utilizing two or more forms that conform to or resist each other. The tensions created between the separate forms often transform into animal, bird and human body language and sometimes reflect social interaction.

At other times I am interested with more intimate observations on nature. The tenaciousness of life amazes me. Trees growing out of crevices in rocks, mushroom pushing through asphalt paths and plants growing up through cinders of a volcano are some of my observations. I keep returning to the uplifting and generative aspect of nature. As a gardener I see sprouting vegetation as an optimistic sign and it is my metaphor for life and relationships. Yet I cannot ignore reality – personal health issues, fragility of life, human destruction of our natural world, and the loss of habitats and shelters for man and animals alike.

I explored the somber beauty of dried, opened and empty seedpods. Had they merely given up their seeds for the season, or were they the last of their kind? In my mind the empty pods became metaphors for many things; species extinction, barren nests, hunger – the natural world’s loss in general. Recently I expanded into more abstracted and less specific forms, keeping and enlarging the textures as well as the soberness of the dried shells. I am fascinated by the incredible and intricate details created in natural forms of all sorts. Making art is very necessary activity for me – it keeps me centered and enables the expression of emotions and relationships. Exploring the natural world and tending my garden are integral to my art and emotional state.

ARTIST CV PDF

The OUTSIDE IN will be closed all weekend but join us at 95 Ferry Road near the pier on Sunday from 12pm-4pm for Rockland Arts Festival.  There will also be a special unveiling ceremony of a new public sculpture on the pier at 2pm.

Forest Story explores our relationship & responsibility to the forest community.  Reception 05/05/2019; 2-5pm. 

In Forest Story, Mitchell’s luminous, romantic oil paintings of natural places create a distressed contemporary response to accelerating deterioration in natural systems worldwide and the fundamental human need for connection to the natural world.

Surfaces are often sanded, scraped and scored, paint is splattered and dripped, and an indication of distress underlies subsequent layers of glazes. This process creates a depth and a mysterious quality that invites contemplation.  Words such as “meditative”, “hypnotic”, and “exquisite” have all been used in describing the work. One writer said that they “hum with premonition,” another referred to “jewel-like color” and a pull “between antiquity and Armageddon.”

 This series was created during the current period of increasing threats to our environment, a time when Armageddon can seem ever closer and premonition is in the air everywhere.

Artist Statement for ‘Forest Story’

We are so lucky to be living here in this little valley of the Sparkill Creek. I’ve been painting the creek, marshes and mountains in this area for many years, and frequently take long walks in our forested areas. In this series of paintings I am hoping to spark a greater appreciation of the forests that surround us and contribute so much to our well-being, and with it some commitment to their preservation. Many of the paintings may seem dark and full of premonition, but they exist to celebrate the forest as the dynamic creature it is filled with vitality – and even perhaps a touch of the sacred that ancient peoples perceived in the great forests of the past.

Our relationship with trees has been inspiring artists since man’s first markings. In paleolithic rock art recently studied in Utah and estimated to have been carved approximately 10-14,000 years ago, and in various representations found in ancient Egyptian, Roman and Chinese art, artists have created their own symbolic images of trees. More recently, in both European and American art trees have been depicted in a plethora of styles from extremely realistic to very abstract.

Across history, trees have been worshiped and valued for their beauty as well as their utility and considered symbolic and sacred in many cultures. Their similarities to the human form have not been missed and recent science tells us that they form “communities”, communicate with one another, share nutrients, have an early warning system set up to resist pests and disease, and release compounds into the air well documented as therapeutic to human health and well-being.  Shinrin-yoku or ‘forest bathing’ has been a part of the national health program in Japan since 1982 when the forest ministry coined the term “taking in the forest atmosphere” and it is a cornerstone of preventive health care and healing in Japanese medicine.

Forests are often called the “lungs” of the earth since they produce the oxygen that we breathe while absorbing significant amounts of the carbon emissions that contribute to climate change. Nevertheless, we have been destroying our forests at an alarming rate, cutting them down for lumber and to expand agriculture, grazing, mining and real estate development, while climate change itself now poses perhaps the greatest threat to their existence. The increasing temperatures, drought, insect infestations and invasive species resulting from disrupted climate are all threatening the forests that remain. We must stop and ask ourselves what happens when the forests are gone.

These paintings are not intended as depictions of specific places. They’re more about a general sense of things. I urge everyone to go out for a walk in the woods on a regular basis and experience that sense. We have so much to enjoy here – and to protect.

“In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught.”  — Baba Dioum, Senegalese forestry engineer.

Artist CV PDF

Gallery Notes for ‘Forest Story’

Pando Forest, estimated to be approx. 80,000 years old, is located in Utah’s Fishlake National Forest.  It is presently the world’s largest known organism and researched to be on the verge of collapse because of human mismanagement, (study link).  

Unsuccessful rescue efforts have led scientists to an unexpected deeper and critical interconnectedness within nature that is globally approaching a ‘point of no return’.

Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness

As a society we suffer from nature deficit disorder, but studies have shown that spending mindful, intentional time around trees–what the Japanese call shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing–can promote health and happiness. In this beautiful book–featuring more than 100 color photographs from forests around the world, including the forest therapy trails that criss-cross Japan–Dr. Qing Li, the world’s foremost expert in forest medicine, shows how forest bathing can reduce your stress levels and blood pressure, strengthen your immune and cardiovascular systems, boost your energy, mood, creativity, and concentration, and even help you lose weight and live longer.

“The SOUK” returns 9/23/2018 for its Harvest season at The OUTSIDE IN.  A foodie event focused on local prepared, take away foods, provisions and artisan goods.  Come visit favorite returning vendors and meet surprise guests every Sunday thru 11/18.  There will be occasional workshops, classes & live music (please email us with requests). Please join “The SOUK” email list for giveaways, specials and weekly updates.  Thanks to all our continued supporters and awesome vendors, lets make a great market.