Artful takes on nature at new library show

SHARON — Both Irene Blagden and Randy Orzano, whose work will be on exhibit at the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon from April 1 to May 31, use art to explore nature. But there the similarity ends. For while Blagden is a student of nature — observing and interpreting it with a keen, selective, often whimiscal eye — in Orzano’s compositions, nature is a collaborator. This bears explaining. It all started when Orzano, an engineer by education ... turned farmer ... turned artist ... happened upon some discarded beekeeping equipment at the transfer station. He put it in his trunk and took it home, storing it in a barn. Come spring, honeybees found the hives and took up residence. Orzano became an avid beekeeper. Orzano’s art isn’t about illustrating these insects. The bees aren’t subjects. They are participants. To this end, he places paper or canvas in his hives. The bees, in turn, mark the paper with their wax, their propolis — a kind of sap they exude — and by chewing or tearing the paper. When the paper is removed, Orzano elaborates on the resulting image, creating a totally organic composition that starts where the bees left off. “I draw what I look at,” Orzano said. “I don’t make things up.” The result is a vast array of striking and strikingly different images. Some of the work is totally abstract — now mysterious, now aggressive, now charming and decorative. Some is clearly representational, reflecting Orzano’s interest in animals: dragon flies, wax moths, donkeys, sheep and, of course, bees! “I never know what I’ll find,” he said. Blagden, by contrast, is nature’s cryptologist. Born in New York City, she has lived in northwest Connecticut most of her life. She studied painting at Miss Porter’s School and at Vassar College, as well as sculpture at the University of Vermont. Her father, Tom Blagden, a celebrated artist, who ran the art department at The Hotchkiss School for 20 years, was her key inspiration. He taught her to see, to choose, to elucidate. He taught her about light. And about simplicity. “Once I brought him a landscape of mine,” Blagden reminisced. “It was totally overdone. No paint had been spared. No brushstroke edited. “He looked at it and, patting my shoulder, said, “Art is not always what you put in; it’s what you leave out.” Blagden works in a variety of mediums, including ink, oil and acrylic. Many of her subjects are animals. Wonderful dogs. A fat bulbous frog. Owls in black and white, their feathers palpable. A crow with piercing amber eyes. She is also nature’s witness, allowing us to view what she sees through a window. Or capturing the bounce of freshly washed laundry in the wind. But Blagden is also a playful and satiric artist. Is that a Vermeer? A Picasso? No. It’s just Blagden having fun. An opening reception with wine and cheese and a chance to meet and talk to the artists will be held at the Hotchkiss Library, located on the Green, from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 1. For further information, contact the library at 860-364-5041 or go to the website at www.hotchkisslibrary.org.