The 2025 summer season at the Jessie Edwards Gallery on Block Island kicks off with the exhibition ‘Nuances in Nature’ which is sure to delight everyone. This show is special for a number of reasons. It’s a shared space between two well-known and loved visual artists, both of whom are best known for their print making, as well as a coming together of two longtime friends and drawing companions. It is a joy to welcome new works by both Stephan Haley and Sandra Swan to the space, opening in the Gallery and online from May 22nd – June 10th.
Stephan Haley’s work speaks to his love of space and place, both the physical and ethereal. His seven new works are a mix of monoprints and oil paintings and all capture the natural world around where he lives. While occasionally he works from photos, he most often works en plein air, sketching the world around him, both the seen and the hidden.
In ‘Sanctuary’ (56 x 38”), an oil on panel work, we are looking through layers upon layers of nature. The crisscrossing of so many branches draws the eye through the tangle to the space inside. This could easily be a metaphor for our busy lives. Even when we have too much going on, if we can move through the brambles of our mind, there is a safe space in the middle which holds us without judgement.
The monoprint ‘Aurora Borealis, Tanglewood I’ (22.25 x 22.5”) is Stephan’s interpretation of the aurora over Maine this past winter. The ethereal feel of this print reminds us what it’s like to experience an event like an aurora where the universe feels so much bigger and more complex than we may realize or have thought about.
Haley started ‘From Beech Hill’ (76 x 23”) in 2020 as an en plein air drawing. It has grown and morphed over the years to what is presented today as a tall, narrow monoprint. His process of printing and layering of color builds this piece to an all-encompassing view. There is so much nature going on in this scene and it draws the viewer in, with new surprises each time it is seen.
‘Moonlit Path to the Sea’ (48 x 38”) is an oil on paper work that evokes a feeling of wonder. Haley portrays the mystery of the nighttime world, lit up by the energy and light of the moon. This painting energises us and beckons us forth to discover the color and magic of the night.
These latest works by Haley are an immersive experience, on all levels of our being.
That Sandra Swan, at 90 years old, is still making art is not the reason to come see her new works. The beauty and intricacy of her subject – Goldenrod – is. These six works, all measuring under 36” tall and between 4-6” wide, tell a story. Each piece stands alone in its portrayal but seen together the viewer notices that each drawing is at a different point in the season of this well-known weed. Sandra draws, with ink and watercolor, the story of this plant, focusing our attention on the stem and leaves. That’s where the real beauty lies, in the intricate twists and turns of the stalk. Each leaf is a portrait and the many leaves create the story which is in the stalk. All of this is scaffolding, holding up the flowering head of this plant, in each of her seasonal stages. Sandra Swan is a master at telling this tale.
Architects and architecture have been a theme throughout Sandra’s life. While she pursued a career in art, many of her friends and family chose architecture. Looking at her work, we can see how this has influenced her drawings. There is something architectural about her designs and she blends the concrete nature of wood and form with the intangible beauty of the natural world as she sees it. It was an architect friend who asked Swan if she might have an artwork to fit in a long narrow space in a newly refurbished area of their house. It was this one simple request which brought us to these newest works of hers now on display at the Gallery.
Please join the Jessie Edwards Gallery online or in person for this very special exhibition by two renowned artists with deep ties to Block Island and the natural world. The work can be found upstairs in the iconic Post Office Building in Old Harbor from May 22nd – June 10th. The gallery is open Thursdays – Mondays from 12-5pm (and other times by appointment) and closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Ph 401.466.5314 for more information.