Ellen Moon: A Sense of Place” @ Sharon Historical Society

Sharon Historical Society & Museum announces the opening on May 12 in Gallery SHS of a solo exhibition of artwork by local artist Ellen Moon titled “Ellen Moon: A Sense of Place.” An opening wine and hors-d'oeuvres reception to which the public is invited free of charge will be held on Saturday, May 12 from 5:00 to 7:00PM.  The show will run through June 22.  A portion of all purchases supports the Sharon Historical Society & Museum’s mission.

Ellen Moon, a resident of Cornwall, is a versatile and accomplished artist.  She received a BA in art from Connecticut College and an MA in drawing and MFA in Multimedia from The University of Iowa.  As she describes when asked, “I am an artist because it is in my nature to be so. A cat hunts, a bird flies—I make stuff. Just can’t help it.”  Ms. Moon’s work has three strands—fiber, watercolors, and costumes.  The strands are interlaced by her love of the natural world.  The centerpiece of this exhibition at Gallery SHS will be Ellen Moon’s “365Days”, a series of plein air field paintings which is a monumental achievement of watercolor jewels, painted in one field over the course of 365 days.  

Ralph Waldo Emerson was on the same page as Ms. Moon, albeit some time earlier, when he said “To the attentive eye, each moment of the year has its own beauty, and, in the same field, it beholds, every hour, a picture which was never seen before, and which shall never be seen again.”  The exhibition of “365 Days” will be complemented by additional work in various media, sizes and subjects from Ms. Moon’s expansive body of work.  Moon’s work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions over more than three decades throughout the area and beyond, including several group shows at the Sharon Historical Society & Museum.

Gallery SHS is located at the Sharon Historical Society & Museum, 18 Main Street, Route 41, Sharon, CT.  The gallery and museum are open Saturday from 10-2 and Wednesday through Friday from 12-4, and by appointment. For more information and directions to Gallery SHS, call (860) 364-5688, email director@sharonhist.org, or visit www.sharonhist.org.