LEO MAZZEO, SEAN MCCUSKER, AND ROSEMARY WESSEL EXHIBIT “INSPECTION AND INTROSPECTION II”
Leo Mazzeo, Sean McCusker, and Rosemary Wessel will exhibit together in Gallery 25, 25 Union Street, Pittsfield, MA in a show entitled “Inspection and Introspection II”. The show, the second in a series of two curated this season by Mazzeo as gallery manager and participating artist, showcases work exploring the self and its emotional environs. The show opens with an artists’ reception on Friday, September 16, 5-7PM and continues through October 16. Musical entertainment will be provided by Jared Polens of the popular folk trio Wintergreen.
For Mazzeo, a board member of the Housatonic Valley Art League and member of the Art On No artist collaborative located at 311 North Street in Pittsfield, “Inspection and Introspection II” is a vision some time in the making. A longtime fan of McCusker’s and Wessel’s work, Mazzeo had hoped for the right opportunity to put the three together in one show for quite a while. After being asked by Gallery 25 proprietor Mary McGinnis to manage the nuts and bolts operation of the gallery, Mazzeo happily seized the chance to make the vision happen.
As with the first “Inspection and Introspection” exhibit with Storefront Artist Project studio artist Lisa Merullo, Mazzeo will be showing his latest oil paintings from a figurative series begun during the depths of our most recent and difficult winter. For this show, though, the paintings are much larger and incorporate more figures within them to further flesh out Mazzeo’s themes. One piece, a diptych, is hinged to hang on adjoining walls and to allow the viewer to become a part of the story. Leo Mazzeo’s work may be viewed online at www.leomazzeo.com.
When Sean McCusker first started painting, he was spending most of his spare time at night walking through the lit streets of Amherst. The contrast of the bright yellow of the street lamps against the cold blue tones of night was comforting to him, as it meant the stresses of the day were over. Since then, McCusker’s work has reflected a feeling of the cool loneliness of the night, contrasted by the warmth and security of artificial illumination. Most of McCusker’s paintings center around a single figure set against a vast empty space. The scenes often depict the longing for something better that is often just over the horizon. The light illuminating the darkness is always just out of reach, but has a stronger presence in the dark. The figures struggle to reach the light, as they yearn for better things. So McCusker consistently plays with a sense of darkness, desire, and hope. The most frequent motifs in his work are the sun, moon, tree, hut, and a simplified hunched figure. Sean McCusker’s work may be viewed online at: www.sean-mccusker.com.
Rosemary Wessel, a resident of Cummington, MA, is a mixed-media painter as well as a professional graphic artist and photographer. In Wessel’s work, plaster casts of actual people are used to represent a physical state of being. The casts are embedded and surrounded by a sculpting material made of shredded paper, latex, and whatever other materials Wessel feels lend the desired texture. The colors in each piece relate to the energy and aura around the individual, sometimes reflecting those hues traditionally associated with the chakras, though tracing the effect of those energy centers in other locations as well. Wessel works with a broad base of models to provide her with a wide range of face/body shapes and sizes and leaves them relatively free of any cultural trappings to reinforce the idea that these spiritual interactions apply to everyone. Rosemary Wessel’s work may be viewed online at www.rosemarywessel.com.
As well as being a part of Wintergreen, Jared Polens also plays hammer dulcimer solo and with others throughout the Northeast. He was a member of the contra dance band, Southwind, and also sings with the acapella vocal quartet Northern Spy, which has opened for Maura O’Connell and Tom Paxton. Polens has recorded as a vocalist with Alouette Iselin of Nelson, NH and with Ed Kohn of Windsor, MA. More information about Jared Polens and Wintergreen may be found at: www.wintergreentrio.com.
Gallery 25 is located across the street from Barrington Stage, 25 Union Street, Pittsfield, MA. Hours are Thursday through Saturday, 12-5PM and one hour before every Barrington Stage show. “Inspection and Introspection II” is free and open to the public. Appointments with the artists may be arranged for by contacting Leo Mazzeo at 413-281-6665, l-mazzeo@hotmail.com; Sean McCusker at 413-822-6757, sean.jmccusker@gmail.com; and Rosemary Wessel at 413-634-5726, rose@threesalamanders.com.
