Events

OPEN STUDIOS AT PORTER MILL

Saturday, December 2, 12–6 PM
Sunday, December 3, 12–4 PM

A time to celebrate the joy of creative gift giving!

My studio (on the 4th floor) will be filled with art gift ideas for you. Pastel landscapes, large and small, still lifes, florals, expressive semi-abstract paintings, collages, and hand painted seasonal cards will be available for sale.

Give a one-of-a-kind gift for the one-of-a-kind person in your life.

Porter Mill Studios
95 Rantoul Street, Beverly, MA

portermillstudios.com

Michele Kenna - Open Studio at Porter Mill

Open Studios at Porter Mill, December 2 and 3, 2023

Solo Shows 2023

In the summer of 2023, I had the opportunity to have two solo shows on the North Shore.

“Sanctuary in Nature”

North Shore Arts Association, Gloucester, MA
July 2023

This show was dedicated to my life partner, Robert Benedict, who passed away in 2022.

Nature has always been a source of comfort and solace for me. Especially during these last two years with the loss of friends to Covid and the recent death of my beloved life partner and past North Shore Arts member, Robert Benedict.

Whether it is winter with its silent soft blanket or a vibrant autumn scene, I am lost in the beauty of the landscape and can escape the difficulties and challenges of life. My pastels, whether done in my studio or “en plein air,” reflect the feelings brought out in me by the light, mood and atmosphere of the landscape. There is great healing in making art while grieving.

“A Layered Life . . . Finding Meaning in Collage”

Marblehead Arts Association, Marblehead, MA

August–September 2023

This series of 40 collages is a new artistic departure for me. Creating these collages last winter offered me a respite from the grief of losing my life partner, Robert Benedict, in 2022. The creative process helped me lose all sense of time and the collages emerged as deeply personal expressions of loss and the unknown life ahead.

I discovered the endless varieties and textures of paper, used both watercolor and acrylic paint, added pieces of handwritten notes and letters from loved ones, old photos, maps, ripped remnants of old paintings and drawings.

When the collage was completed, a meaning or message began to appear.

The theme of memory and loss was expressed through this exhibit. The recurring image of a circle adds to the continuity of the series symbolizing the circle of life . . . birth to death, timelessness and eternity.