ART ON VIEW
“Ronald Slayton: Master of Watercolor”
at T.W. Wood Gallery in Montpelier
May 1-June 29, 2018
Opening reception during Montpelier’s Art Walk, Friday, May 4, 5-8PM with an Art Talk at 6PM featuring Bobby Gosh, Tom Slayton and Philip Robertson.
Ronald Slayton (1910-1992) was born in Barre. During the Great Depression, he worked as an artist in the Vermont Division of the federally-funded Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1936-1939. W.C. Lipke once commented that Slayton “has been a painter, poet, dramatist, educator, politician, gallery director, peace activist, humorist, critic and historian suggest that the single appellation ‘artist’ is not broad enough to encompass his many achievements.”
The exhibit highlights two watercolor murals, The Last Supper (1985) and The Hunger Dream (1985). Figures in The Hunger Dream juxtapose the satiated and the hungry in a series of ten panels: the whole artistic venture becomes more than the sum of its separate parts. Slayton’s almost naïve, simple, boldly stated images directly confront the viewer today as much as in the past. They contradict our tendency to treat the facts of hunger as abstract issues of logistics and statistics. “Some of this beautiful and moving artwork has not been exhibited in many years and the Gallery is thrilled to be showing it,” said Ginny Callan, the Gallery’s Executive Director.
The majority of Slayton’s works in this exhibit are from the private collection of Billi and Bobby Gosh. They have included twelve of Slayton’s later watercolors that will be for sale with 100% of the sales being generously donated to the Gallery. Peter Hill donated a deluxe set of three of Slayton’s woodcuts, Social Activities of the ’30s, Clearing the Fields, and Fuel, which will be raffled. This is set number 22 of an edition of 50, each print is signed by the artist. The second place raffle prize is a giclée print of Slayton’s painting Vermont Godiva donated by the Billi and Bobby Gosh. Raffle tickets are available at the Gallery and proceeds will benefit the Gallery.
(adapted from the venue’s press materials)
INFORMATION
T.W. Wood Gallery
46 Barre Street
Montpelier 05602
(802) 247-4956
Hours:
Tuesday-Saturday, Noon-4PM
Image:
The Last Supper
by Ronald Slayton
10-panel mural
watercolor
1985
Courtesy of T.W. Wood Gallery, Montpelier