Trinidad Art Gallery will feature the work of painter Mara Friedman and mask maker Donvieve during the month of November.
Mara Friedman has been an evolving painter for 40 years. Her imagery celebrates the world of women and the Beauty of nature. Her style is visionary and often whimsical, reflecting an inner world of myth, magic and mystery and she loves to create visual music using patterns, symbols, dots and texture to create a sense of movement. “My recent paintings began in the spring and developed over three seasons,” she says. “Only when they were all complete could I fully see the repeating elements and overarching themes of this series. Flames, clouds, stars, ravens, whales, elk and more have been dancing in my waking dreams, while these questions have been whispering in my heart… Where do we seek refuge in times of chaos? What practices cultivate our taproot of Truth? How does Nature nourish and heal us?”
For Donvieve, art-making is a lifelong practice of staying focused and in the present, opening opportunity for creativity to blossom. In her workshops and classes, Donvieve encourages students not only to explore a creative outlet, but to offer an inspiration to learn more about themselves. “One possibility is that we may not be who our thoughts define or describe us to be. The mask we wear is a letting-go of that dream of thinking about what we do and how we look, to see our authentic self as energy, powerfully connecting us to all life, death, and in-between, so that all beings may benefit.” When working with her students, Donvieve says, “we enter into our stories together. The relationship with each mask character opens up possibilities with wonder and curiosities, storytelling and character development for myself as well as my students. These components build trust in relationships between mask-makers and inspire the art-making process.”
Trinidad Art Gallery is a cooperative of 25 local artists, located in the historic 1900 Riecke House at 490 Trinity St., one of only five houses of this era in Trinidad town. It is open daily from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., when one of the artists will always be available to answer questions and share information about the work.