HARDWICK – Mary Young is showing her paintings in a show called “Arisings” at the Third Floor Gallery in the Hardwick Inn, now through June.
photo by Vanessa Fournier
Mary E. Young of Greensboro stands with some of her 75 works of art displayed at the Hardwick Inn Third Floor Gallery. The exhibition, “Arisings” will run through the end of June.
Her works represent a lifetime of appreciation for the exuberance of the natural world. Stems, leaves, blossoms and more find their way into her compositions. Swirls of color and form remind one of images seen in the mind’s eye: landscapes of wild flowers, or moonrise over a glen.
There’s something mysterious next to something simple. One painting called “Hidden Doors” is a collaboration between Mary and her granddaughter. They share an aesthetic that transports this viewer into a secret garden filled with flowers and petals and weeds, just beyond the hidden doors.
Young presents a whole series of watercolors mixed with pastels that could be said to reflect on fertilized eggs: a moment of conception portrayed with a vitality that bursts with potential life. She inscribed one with the words “Born. Fed. Heaven and Earth. Pulling, feeding, nourishing all. She is one.”
Young’s love of gardening floods the canvas. A lifetime of growing things, including children, informs her work. A lifetime of paying attention to people as well shows up in a series of black and white charcoal figure drawings.
The crowning piece in this show is a large, quiet watercolor called “Long Pond Ripples.” Light and shadow, reeds reflecting in the depths of the water, a light breeze just enough to disturb the surface.
For the collectors among us it is unfortunately not for sale.
The Third Floor Gallery is open during regular business hours. It is accessible to all, with the only elevator in all of downtown Hardwick.
Young can be reached through her website, maryyoungart.com.
Olive Ylin, is a community journalist located in Hardwick.
