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Stop by Sage Bird Ciderworks to explore our North Wing Gallery, a professional gallery of mixed media work that rotates monthly.-JANUARY 2025-
"Thicket", pyrography by Emily Leary
Gallery Opening Details
-Friday 1/3, Art Opening & Artist Reception 5-8pm (taproom open 3pm-12am)
-Artist Meet-and-Greet
-Complimentary Charcuterie available in the North Wing for the Artist Reception
-Karaoke following, around 8pm-12am
Artist Statement
I spent much of my formative years outside, observing the death and rebirth found in the Virginian forests. As someone who typically connected more with animals than with people, much of my childhood involved witnessing these natural cycles and trying to understand them & my place in that world. Thicket is a culmination of my feelings regarding the preciousness of animal life while recognizing and coping with the inevitable process of death. It represents my fears and anxieties surrounding my own
life and the society that I am a part of.
My work personifies these ruminations as creatures wrapped in underbrush and tight coils of thorns, sometimes struggling to escape and sometimes accepting their positions. The pieces also, however, help me find beauty in what comes after death, and the endless circle of regeneration that happens in the woods. At the heart of my creative process lies the strong belief in empathy towards all creatures, and the comfort that while death will always occur, it brings the opportunity for new life to grow and be cherished.
To me, the process of wood burning itself is also meditative and soothing. Much of my work includes symmetrical compositions and dense forms of foliage, which require repetitive motions and mark making. My pieces also involve extensive research into
species and their symbolism. I draw inspiration from sources including the American Arts & Crafts movement, Appalachian folk art, and illuminated manuscripts.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
325 N Liberty St., Harrisonburg, VA, United States, Virginia 22802
