Iris after Van Gogh by Adrianna Young
Spring Into Summer 2025
Manchester Town Hall Gallery
Manchester
May 9, 2025
With the near-constant rain this past week, the last thing I’ve been thinking about is summertime. But I’m looking forward to the sultry season thanks to a brand new exhibit at Manchester Town Hall, cleverly named Spring Into Summer 2025. The artwork belongs to members of the Manchester Art Association.
An exhibit like this offers multiple interpretations on the same themes. There are a few things that come to mind when we think about summer: vacation, the beach, flowers and fun. The work from the artists on display broadly fall into these categories, but each presents their own spin.
Summer in Provence by Bonnie Lindland
Take Summer in Provence, a watercolor work by Bonnie Lindland. The art focuses on a real place in Provence, France, the Hotel Crillon le Brave. Choosing to paint the hotel fills the image with anticipation; it feels as if I’m standing before the front door, on the first day of a vacation I’ve been looking forward to for months. Lindland’s style also heightens the emotions. The image has a dreamlike quality that imbues the painting with a sense of possibility, as if anything can happen in this special place away from home.
Hawaiian Sunset by Chris Sanders
Compare Lindland’s take on summer to Chris Sanders’ work, Hawaiian Sunset. This acrylic piece eschews the comforts of a five star French hotel for the natural beauty of the Hawaiian beach. Sanders takes a surrealist approach to his work, with swirling oranges and pinks contrasting with sharp, jagged blacks representing trees in shadow. The beach feels isolated, almost foreboding in a way. This is not a manicured white sand beach for tourists. The rocks and hills are dangerous and beautiful, capturing the totality of nature.
Both paintings focus on vacationing, but from very different perspectives. The same is true for the handful of paintings that take flowers as their subject, and sometimes even from the same artist.
Spring at Woodland Gardens by Susan Masse
Susan Masse looks at flowers from a commercial standpoint in Spring at Woodland Gardens, a watercolor work. Here, the allure of the flowers is their abundance and variety, arranged in neat bouquets for human perusal. Roses, daffodils, tulips and a bunch of other flowers that yours truly can’t identify are represented with vibrant colors that stand out boldly against the wood and gray behind them.
"Henry" Pussy Willows by Susan Masse
Masse also puts a whimsical spin on the warmer months with her piece “Henry” Pussy Willows, where the puffy, cotton-like ends of the plants are replaced with tiny, cute kitties, presumably named Henry. Masse makes the tips of the willows look so soft that I wanted to reach out and touch them (I didn’t of course). The cleverness of the artwork is doubly apparent, as the name can refer to both pussy willows and pussy cats.
Summer is almost here, and the forecast promises at least some sunny days in the upcoming week. Spring into Summer is getting me ready to enjoy the sunshine.
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Spring Into Summer 2025 runs through Aug. 13.
Jamil finally goes to see Romeo and Juliet.