September: A Two-Person Exhibit

Always Good To See You: Lena Amason & Drew Michael

The lives we lead, whether urban or rural, can be all-consuming, full of stresses and obligations that lead us away from our center—the core place that grounds us. In Stonington Gallery’s September exhibit, Always Good to See You, we feature art by two Alaskan artist friends, Lena Amason (Alutiiq) and Drew Michael (Yup’ik/Inupiaq), that brings us back to a place of calm.

Lena Amason’s most recent body of work bursts with vibrant energy. Rooted in her Port Lions, Alaska community, this body of work exudes motion and light and is inspired by the calm that comes from the familiar activity of painting.  With this collection, Amason intentionally let go of expectations and research and just let the process of painting take over.  Many will see sky, water, animals, or ocean, but Amason wants these paintings to just be what they are without the need to define them.  What they were to her while she was painting may not be what they are for anyone else, or even what they will mean for the artist in years to come. This collection is not to be defined, but instead serves to enable the viewer to also let go of the need to catalog and historicize, and just to see and feel and relate in whatever way is meaningful right now.

Drew Michael has been developing this most recent body of carved masks over the past two years, including this last year which was replete with anxiety and unknowns. He found continued inspiration through encounters with nature such as moths and hummingbirds that seemed to him transcendent messages from those close to him he has lost. This body of work served as spiritual healing and protection and is a reminder to respect the power of Mother Nature and her ability to communicate with us if we pay attention and are willing to receive her messages.

Exhibition Dates: