New art exhibit opens at Baltimore Woods
BY Karen Jean Smith
Gallery Coordinator
Two artists express complimentary visions in the upcoming exhibit at Baltimore Woods Nature Center. From Jan. 6 through Feb. 27, “Nature As Resource,” an exhibit of oil paintings by Marybeth Sorber and raku wall tiles by ceramic artist Peter Valenti will be on display in the Art Gallery of the John A. Weeks Interpretive Center at 4007 Bishop Hill Road, Marcellus.
The public is invited to attend the reception on Saturday Jan. 7 from 2 to 4 p.m. In addition, the show will be available for viewing on Monday through Friday, 9 to 4 p.m. and Saturdays, 10 to 4 p.m. There is no admission or parking fees, and all art work will be for sale.
For this exhibit, nature is the resource for both theme and materials. Sorber’s paintings are inspired by her surroundings, including mountaintops, lakes, forests and animals. Valenti’s tile wall pieces are comprised of more intimate depictions, like leaves from trees at Baltimore Woods, that he has pressed into clay and embellished with additional imprints and glazes.
“I love painting landscapes.” says Sorber. “In nature, I have free reign to explore and exaggerate color and shadows. I would love to have people feel like they want to be in the woods or on the mountain where my painting idea originated.”
Sorber utilizes oil paint, a material most commonly made with linseed oil, because of the extended drying time and flexibility of color mixing that oil paint provides.
She also enjoys the luminous effects that can be created by using glazes (paint diluted with a medium) so that underlying layers of paint can be seen, giving the paintings a richness not otherwise possible.
Sorber has lived in Central New York most of her life and currently lives on Onondaga Hill.
Her artistic training includes numerous college-level courses, workshops, classes, and study with local artists.
She has exhibited in several venues in central New York including Crouse Physician’s Office Building, libraries, the Tech Garden and shows sponsored by her guild, the Onondaga Art Guild. She has also been a loyal supporter of the Members’ Exhibit at Baltimore Woods.
“I see my tile work as representing a moment in time.” states Valenti. “The leaf impressions are like fossils that will survive beyond the life of the plant.”
As for his process: “The Japanese method of raku gives intriguing effects that are rich in texture and color. I use an Americanized version that involves heating glazed pieces until they are red hot, removing them from the heat, exposing them briefly to the air and placing them in a combustion chamber where carbon is absorbed into the clay to make it black and the glazes are chemically altered, often resulting in metallic effects.”
Originally an education major with a minor in art, Valenti “discovered clay” just prior to graduating.
“I felt an immediate affinity for it.” he says.
Also a production potter who creates functional pieces, Valenti can be seen at arts and crafts shows around New York State and beyond.
He grew up on Long Island but has been a native of central New York for more than 30 years, 29 of which he spent as a ceramics instructor at East Syracuse-Minoa High School.
He has also been actively engaged in supporting the arts in central New York over the years through his participation in the Scholastic Arts Committee, Feats of Clay (a community high school event) and the Independent Potters’ Association.
