Adapted from a press release
6 Bridges Gallery is pleased to present “Mended” by Acton artist Véronique Latimer. The exhibit will be on view February 26 – April 5 at the gallery (77 Main Street, Maynard) or online, with an in-person artist reception on March 1 from 5-7 p.m.
On the gallery website, Latimer writes: “Many of the pieces in this show are cyanotype collages that I created by digitally combining old photographs with botanical and animal illustrations. Once I developed them I painted, collaged, and embroidered onto the prints to create the final mixed media pieces. I began with the works on paper but found the act of sewing and embroidery so meditative and enjoyable I was drawn to working on cloth and made the work in the embroidery hoops. The tunnel books evolved in part thanks to my work as a high school art teacher and a student’s curiosity about this particular artist book form.
“This body of work continues my fascination with creating narratives from old photographs I find at flea markets. I like to play around with the scale to keep them playful and slightly absurd. Though light-hearted at first glance, this work fulfills the continuing urge to remember these forgotten strangers whose lives we can only guess about from the fleeting snippets we see of them in dusty bins at antique shops. I spend time combing through piles of photographs and figuring out how people are related to one another from the handwritten captions on the backs of the lots of photos sold together.
“The act of sewing, stitching and creating new scenes which recognize the universal moments of joy – marriages, holding a baby, young siblings playing, road trips and holiday celebrations – reconciles the innate sadness I feel when finding these discarded photographs. These works are my attempt to bring new life to these lost memories, to mend and recognize the fleeting nature of our time here. Creating these works help me to acknowledge and accept that some day we will also be mere memories and snapshots of the universal moments of being human.”
Latimer creates mixed media work with encaustic medium, paint cyanotypes and collage and has been showing her work in the Boston area since 2004. She is a member of 6 Bridges Gallery and a visual art teacher at Wayland High School. She earned her MFA in Painting from Parsons School of Design.
6 Bridges Gallery was established in 2014 by a group of artists as a retail and display gallery in the heart of downtown Maynard. The ever-changing work in the gallery includes a diverse range of media and artistic styles. All of the artisans are local. The gallery is owned and operated by member artists, so there is a unique opportunity to meet one or more of them on any given day.