September Happennings at the Dove

 

Our featured artists this month are Mary Eng, Bona Fiske Kidston, and Sholeh Regna

you will save %10 on the works of our September Artists of the Month.

Mary Eng

Mary Eng produces mugs and cheese plates, covered casseroles, and small pots in functional stoneware. Their soft colors are appealing, and they call out to be used. “My passion,” she explains, “is creating pots suitable for everyday use that are expressive and beautiful.” Drawn to pottery decades ago, Eng works at home in her basement and at Mudflat Studios in Somerville. She says that pottery has taught her patience, planning, and persistence, “and it is so much fun.” Working in a very different second medium, Eng also does paper collage, using paper from magazines and tissue paper, paint, pencil, leaves, straw, and similar materials. She offers her designs as note cards.

Bona Fiske Kidston

Lusciously warm mittens made from recycled wool sweaters that are lined with synthetic fleece are the creations of Bona Fiske Kidston. “I love to hunt for the materials and try to envision what I will make from a particular sweater,” she explains. “I have very little waste and use the small scraps to make Christmas wreaths and ornaments. I love the process of putting together the colors and patterns to create an item. I began making items from scraps and recycled materials at a very young age. My mother would give me pieces of material left over from her sewing projects, and I would create clothes for my dolls. My mother indirectly taught me to recycle when she made me a Halloween costume. She said that the material came from flour sacks from my grandparents’ bakery! While I was in college, I began making costumes for the Dance Department for concerts. Many times I would take old costumes and redesign them into “new” costumes, as our budget for such items was very tight. When our family moved to Florida my children attended a private school that was very involved in the performing arts. I began making costumes for their theater and dance productions and continue to do so to this day.”

Sholeh Regna

Sholeh Regna works in several mediums, including sculpture, painting, and Web design. As a sculptor, she feels completely free to move between all the mediums, traditional and new, to pursue an idea. She aims at evoking a sense of connectedness with, and reverence for the natural world. She exhibits her jewelry, ceramic bird sculptures, and bird monotypes at the Sign of the Dove. Regna’s porcelain jewelry designs are inspired by nature, including direct impressions of stones and driftwood from Newfoundland, Canada. The porcelain jewelry is fired to 2400 degrees to achieve hardness and durability. The precious metals—24-karat gold, and silver—are applied for the last firing to accent the pieces with a lustrous finish. All of her designs are original and one-of-a-kind. The birch earrings are little abstract paintings that she creates by marbling the birch wood with acrylic paint. These earrings are readily reversible.

The bird imagery in her ceramic sculpture and monotypes symbolizes freedom. The ceramic sculptures are wall reliefs. They are hollow, allowing a positive message to be nested inside, imbuing them with a wish or a good thought, making them a keepsake.

Announcement:

Our member, Susan Tornheim, has two mixed-media pieces in Newton Art Association show at Mother Brook Arts and Community Center in Dedham. The show, 9/10–11/17, has an opening reception and awards event on Sunday, 9/15, 2:00–4:00 p.m.