Sandi Donnelly presents ‘Marking Changes’ at River Arts

River Arts presents Sandi Donnelly’s solo show “Marking Changes” in the River Room. “Marking Changes” is new work exploring the theme of impermanence using encaustic painting, oil monotypes and collage. This colorful and dynamic show runs Oct. 3 through 23, with an opening reception from 2 to 4 p.m. Oct. 5.

Donnelly received her BA in ceramic art from the University of Southern Maine. That same year she founded Mud Lark Studio and began a 20+year career as a ceramic artist. In 2016 after taking a workshop at R&F Encaustic Paint, Donnelly fell in love with the process of encaustic painting.

“Every summer for 34 years, my family and I move to an island in Casco Bay,” she says. “Returning to this special place each summer is filled with the expectation and possibilities a new season may hold. There is also a nostalgic, longing quality for the things that have changed; the beaches reordered; trees uprooted due to the fierce winter/spring storms; our children are grown, the house has aged and in need of some repair … there is a visceral sense of the impermanence. It is understanding this change as the natural order of things. All things are always in flux; tides ebb and flow, the sun rises and sets, seasons come and go and time passes. As I age, physical diminishment demands an acceptance of the fragility of life. The work in this show began with creating lots of monotypes and gelatin prints using the various detritus found from beaches, walking paths and woods. Working in an intuitive way, marks were added using an array of collected objects. The prints are layered, torn, collaged and mounted with encaustic medium. The instinctual rearranging of the pieces begins to find voice and a new structure and form emerges.”

River Arts is at 36 Elm St., Damariscotta. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, call 207-563-6868 or visit riverartsme.org.