FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Catherine Bowen, publicist, 401.258.0077 | catherinefrancesbowen@gmail.com
Gallery Sitka® Tamar Russell Brown, owner, GallerySitka.com | | 978.425.6290 | @gallerysitka | 227 Spring St. Newport
THE SHAPE OF LIGHT by ALISON GIBBONS WATT
at Gallery Sitka/Newport
Opening Reception with Wine Tasting and Flute Soloist
Sat., August 26, 4-6pm, Open to all
Newport, R.I., July 31, 2023 – Gallery Sitka’s latest exhibition, The Shape of Light by Alison Gibbons Watt opens with a reception on Saturday, August 26, 4-6pm at Gallery Sitka, on the corner of Spring and Franklin Streets.
The artist reception will feature a flute recital by Dr. Elzbieta Brandy’s-O’Neil of the Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra playing 20th century composer solo pieces. Newport Wine Cellar and Gourmet will offer a complimentary wine tasting.
Alison Gibbons Watt is a British artist who has had her studio in Newport for the past three years. Ms. Gibbons Watt has exhibited in galleries and museums nationally and internationally, most notably in New York, London, Edinburgh and Barcelona. An award winning artist, her work is represented by galleries in New Hampshire, New York, Newport and London. Alison grew up in Helensburgh on the West Coast of Scotland and gained her BA Honors with distinction from Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen, following this with a Masters in European Fine Art in Barcelona. Her work has been exhibited at the Royal Academy in Edinburgh where she was awarded The Royal Scottish Academy Award for Painting.
Alison has a long celebrated history within the fashion industry as her bold take on color and form invited many commissions from fashion houses globally. She designed and consulted for many iconic labels including Calvin Klein showing collections during London and New York fashion weeks. She has also exhibited her textile prints extensively at seasonal shows in Paris, Florence and New York.
Ms. Gibbons Watt offers, “I work on large scale bold abstract paintings with strong color. My paintings each represent a time and place from my memory, in essence they are postcards from my past. When revisiting events in the past details such as faces lose their form yet colors, scents, words and feelings remain in high definition. In each painting I have depicted a mood to encapsulate a moment through the use of color, form and details relating to each environment. My paintings employ a silent sense of movement in which elongated shapes cut patterns within space and merge seamlessly against one another to form an anchor.”
Ms. Gibbons Watt adds, “In the process of making each work I close my eyes and take myself back to a moment in time which has stayed with me and I consider the sensory environment of each scene. I make a list of all the details that I can remember no matter how small or inconsequential. These elements combined create a visceral library which help to visualize each new painting thereby creating a more authentic souvenir and chapter from my life.”
Gallery Sitka owner, Tamar Russell Brown notes,”Gallery Sitka is honored to work with such an accomplished, local painter and be involved in community events.”
Additional information can be found at Gallery Sitka – Alison Gibbons Watt.
This Gallery Sitka exhibition is the first in the series of The Puddingstone Festival; following this show, Alison will exhibit her largest work yet at IYRS. The boatyard will provide the atmospheric setting for a concert dedicated to water, the ocean and boating. Alison’s painting will be paired with a String Quartet from New York who will play Phillip Glass’s Quartet No. 9, King Lear, Mozart and Chopin’s raindrop Prelude.
At a Glance
WHAT: THE SHAPE OF LIGHT by Alison Gibbons Watt Art Opening and Reception at Gallery Sitka
WHEN: Opening Reception: Saturday, August 26, 4-6 PM, Show through September 21, Gallery hours: everyday 11-5
WHERE: 227 Spring St., Newport, RI (corner of Franklin)
INFO: Open to all, free admission, GallerySitka.com
About Gallery Sitka
Gallery Sitka® is a woman-owned and operated art entity with galleries in Newport, RI; Shirley, MA; Saratoga, NY (by appointment); and additional periodic pop-ups around the Northeast. With a focus on abstract art, Gallery Sitka represents the work of more than twenty painters, sculptors, encaustic artists, as well as jewelry designers from New England, New York, Brasil, France and Italy. The Gallery is committed to local art and the creative economy. Gallery Sitka opened in 2014 and has been featured in publications such as Art New England, Newport This Week, NorthCentral Mass.com, Harvard General Store, ChooseNorthCentral.com, among others. For more information visit gallerysitka.com.
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