PR: “Winter’s Blaze” Exhibit at Gallery Sitka®/Newport | Opening Reception Sat., Feb. 8, 1-3pm, Open to all

Newport, R.I., January 29, 2025  – Gallery Sitka’s latest exhibition, Winter’s Blaze, opens with a reception on Saturday, February 8, 1-3pm at Gallery Sitka® in Newport, on the corner of Spring and Franklin Streets.

Included are works by Rux Darie, Marston Clough, Barbara Groh Wahlstrom, Marli Thibodeau, Kate Huntington, Kathy Gelfand, plus exquisite jewelry by Laurenti New York.

Gallery Sitka® owner, Tamar Russell Brown states, “At Gallery Sitka, we will add a little “heat” to the gallery space and the chilly northeastern winter by spotlighting our represented artists’ work featuring powerful colors and deep reds. We are extremely excited also to welcome the hot new exquisite collection of fine, contemporary jewelry by Laurenti New York. It will be her first trunk show with us. We hope the community will brave the cold to come out and support the arts!”

Rux Darie is a Romanian-Dutch artist who studied art in Belgium and has exhibited works in Europe and North America. In recent years, Rux Darie shifted from representational art to abstract art.

Rux shares, “On the Move” is a continuous experiment with movement—an inquiry into how bodies and forms traverse space. In this exhibition, I explore the dynamic interplay between figurative and abstract forms, united by a shared sense of movement and energy. The figurative paintings present dancers, frozen in their gestures, as moments of suspended time. These works are about capturing a moment of choreography, but they are also about a meditation on movement as a metaphor for life, transition, and flow.”

An Islander (Martha’s Vineyard) by birth, and now by choice, Marston Clough, works in oils, primarily studio painting but plein air with her friends in the summer. She shares, “I am generally trying to capture a mood or feeling rather than a specific place. I am inspired all year round by the beauty found on this Island and stimulated by my artistic friendships.”  Clough is a Board member of the Martha’s Vineyard Art Association and Featherstone Center for the Arts.

Barbara Groh Wahlstrom is a New York-based visual artist who has immersed herself in the creative process for over five decades creating highly personal abstract works of art. Groh states, “Landscape is a primal presence for me. I explore by walking in diverse environments and return to the studio to transform my experiences into physical being. These inspirations can happen just outside my studio door or in distant lands with unfamiliar landscapes and cultures.”

Bristol, RI-based artist and Providence Art Club life-drawing instructor, Kate Huntington shares, “My paintings have movement to them, whether that is a landscape or a figure; I don’t have a formula, I work with gesture and feeling. I want the viewer to feel an emotional connection – but perhaps may not know exactly why. I see my paintings as alive – with movement – and that actually is how I paint them. I work all over the canvas, keeping the entire painting alive.  And color! I love color! I challenge myself to play with texture and color – and have fun with it.  I want that feeling to be for me and for the viewer.”

Kate works out of her Bristol, RI studio. Working on a variety of subjects, her true passion lies in the human figure. In 1992, after seeing a need for affordable open-life drawing sessions in RI, she opened her studio to members of the local art community for the study of portrait and figurative work. Hundreds of students have taken part in the classes over 28 years.

NYC-based mixed media artist, Kathy Gelfand has a passion for creating inspiring, evocative and textured jewelry pieces. Currently focusing on resin art, with its versatility and depth, Kathy incorporates her beloved gems and minerals into her resin creations. Adding another layer of personal touch and organic beauty to her work through dried flowers. Kathy’s resin art is a celebration of color, texture, and innovation. She explores techniques, constantly pushing the boundaries of what resin can achieve. Each piece is a unique fusion of natural elements and vibrant materials, reflecting her keen eye for detail and her commitment to craftsmanship.

Trunk show by New York jewelry designer Laurenti New York.  In 2023, Laurenti Petrovic founded Laurenti New York, a fine jewelry brand focused on sustainability. Her vision for the brand grew from her prior experiences in jewelry manufacturing, supply chain, her work at Sotheby’s auction house, and education at FIT. That same year Petrovic was appointed a United Nations Association Global Goals Ambassador for Sustainable Development Goal 12, Sustainable Consumption and Production.

Petrovic states, “I have made it my mission to instill trust, transparency, and sustainability into the industry. I am dedicated to shaping the next era of responsible luxury, leading Laurenti New York towards a future defined by quality, innovation, collaboration, and bold creativity.”

At a Glance