Markings Gallery, 50 Front St., Bath, ME, is pleased to present “Tracking Spirit,” an exhibit of shamanic fiber art by Nancy Marstaller, Susan Mills and Sara Palumbo for the months of October and November 2019. Their work is inspired by nature and the spirit world, and uniquely expressed through felted vessels, elementals, wall hangings and hand-painted fabric flag strings. Tracking Spirit opens on Monday, October 21st with an artist talk and reception on Friday, October 25th at 5:30pm.
Nancy, Susan and Sara stepped through a doorway into an unseen world of deeper meaning and imagination at a young age. Their fascination with nature has been woven through their lives and manifests in their artistic work today.
Their work is inspired by nature and the spirit world, and uniquely expressed through felted vessels, elementals, wall hangings and hand-painted fabric flag strings.
Nancy Marstaller grew up spending much time outdoors exploring the land and playing in the woods near her home. She recalls, “Creating villages of stick figures with twig homes, libraries full of bark books, stores filled with berries and acorns.” This explorative and creative spirit continues to inspire her work today. A few years ago she noticed that more and more people seemed to be taking in and often overwhelmed by negative news and ideas, even though there is so much good in the world. She started making flag strings inspired by images from nature: “ I imagine seeing these flag strings fluttering in the breeze and sending out positive energy- as a way to counteract the negativity.” Nancy works with watercolor, pencils, collage, printing, and fabric. Her prints on fabric are inspired by what she sees, dreams, and how she wants to dance in the world.
Susan Mills remembers, “One day when I was a little girl playing in the woods outside my home, I found three bird feathers and tied them onto a tree with some sticks and leaves. I stared at my installation for a while, transfixed by its beauty and the ritual I had performed to set it apart from nature.” She continues to live in that sense of ritual today. Her artistic work is her way of recording her inner journey and embodies her search for a new myth and metaphor. Susan believes that “in healing the split between our inner and outer worlds, our bodies and souls, we heal both ourselves and our planet.” Susan believes we are all individuals, yet all connected. And when one of us takes a journey, it affects us all. Her most current work represents the four worlds, Upper, Middle, Lower and Dream. She portrays the Upper World in blacks and whites, the Middle in browns and gold, the Lower in volcanic reds and greens and the Dream in blues.
Sara Palumbo grew up camping with her parents and would sit for hours communing with the salamanders, crafting imaginary villages in the moss and floating in the creek. “I was mentally collecting and cataloging nature’s treasures. I spoke with the spirit of each piece of nature I encountered, creating my own language and understanding that there is life in everything.” Sara spent much of her childhood living in this enchanted vibration filled with stories and glimpses of an otherworldliness that she could never express in words or through her hands until she found felting. Each of her felted pieces is a unique, one-of-a-kind wall hanging. They are abstract in nature, and Sara sees them as living beings in the world. Co-creating them is a heart-centered practice for her. She feels blessed to be able to express her personal shamanic experiences and teachings in these tangible forms.
Join us for a magical evening on Friday, October 25th at 5:30pm for a gallery talk and opening reception with Susan Mills, Nancy Marstaller and Sara Palumbo!
Admission is free, and refreshments will be served.
More information about these artists can be found at www.markingsgallery.com, www.susanmillsstudio.com and www.sarapalumbo.com.
Tracking Spirit opens on Monday, October 21 with an artist talk and reception on Friday, October 25 at 5:30pm. Admission is free, and refreshments will be served.
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