Wild Artworks on View in Pawtucket - Inside Art with Michael Rose

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Michael Rose, Art Contributor

 

View Larger +

PHOTO: Michael Rose

 

The language used in childhood can deeply impact anyone, but for artist Hallie Driscoll, words and phrases form the foundation for her latest body of work. In her current solo exhibition, All the Wild in Me, Driscoll uses assemblages of silk flowers and leaves populated by facsimile birds and butterflies to express what language has meant to her. The show, on view at Machines with Magnets at 400 Main Street in Pawtucket, is an interesting exploration charting the intersection between language and art.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

 

The works on view in the show display creativity with materials and richness of treatment. Driscoll festoons surfaces with faux leaves, floral elements, birds, butterflies, crystals, paint, and even foam. What she creates with this toolbox is a varied collection of mixed media assemblages that both employ and depart from their two-dimensional supports. She also plays with scale. Some works are moderate in size, while others are decidedly more expansive. All of the pieces are unified by Driscoll’s sense of narrative and composition, which together serve to create entire worlds within rectangular boxes.

 

View Larger +

PHOTO: Michael Rose

 

All the Wild in Me is the first solo exhibition for Driscoll. Born in New Jersey, she studied at the International Academy of Design in Tampa, Florida, before earning her BFA from The Art Institute in Boston. Driscoll divides her time between Rhode Island and New Hampshire and will have her second solo exhibition later this year in Peterborough. Primarily focused on mixed media work, Driscoll also creates using embroidery, a medium she picked up in 2017. In addition to her work as a studio artist, she also teaches embroidery workshops and does design and branding work.

 

The key theme behind Driscoll’s body of work on view in Pawtucket are words as well as their perception and impact. Asked for an example of how language factors into her work, the artist says, “My favorite piece in the show, "Precocious", indicates early development or blooming. When describing young women, this word is frequently used to project sexuality. I intentionally made this piece seem very sweet and dreamy to highlight the juxtaposition of adolescence and how that word is commonly used to pigeonhole women.”

 

View Larger +

PHOTO: Michael Rose

 

The piece that Driscoll’s points out as her favorite is a large square work executed on a plywood substrate. Clouds of sculptural foam jump off the panel and are dotted with floral features. Gauzy pastel-toned fabric jumps around the piece and cascades in a long train to the floor.

 

Driscoll’s artworks are complex collages of objects. Asked about the studio process behind their creation, she explains, “I typically pick a word I would like to convey and then reflect on how I would like that word to be associated with the work in terms of season and the environment. From there, I collect materials to help me explore that message and build the piece.”

 

View Larger +

PHOTO: Michael Rose

 

While some of the pieces convey the aura of autumnal foliage or the bright colors of spring, others are more stylized. A two-part set of assemblages titled “Sardonic” is executed utilizing inclusions that are all black. The result is a pair of pieces that read as more directly sculptural than any of the other pieces in the show. They are also two of the most eye-catching artworks on view.

 

Asked what she hopes visitors take away from her exhibition, Driscoll says, “The words we hear and how we’re described as children - whether it's to criticize, celebrate or push conformity - affect how we see the world around us. I used to imagine fairy colonies living under the moss and that the trees spoke to one another. I hope that visitors can feel that same sense of wonder and magic that nature provided when they were children.”

 

View Larger +

PHOTO: Michael Rose

 

Viewers have until March 23 to see Driscoll’s exhibition in the large and inviting gallery at Machines with Magnets in Pawtucket. The show will include a closing reception on Thursday, March 16 from 6-9 pm. Art enthusiasts are invited to attend, meet the artist, and learn more about the process and meanings behind her fascinating body of work.

 

All the Wild in Me is on view at Machines with Magnets at 400 Main Street in Pawtucket through March 23. The gallery is open during public events and by appointment. To learn more and plan your visit, go to www.machineswithmagnets.com.

 

To learn more about Hallie Driscoll, visit her website at www.halliedriscoll.com.

Michael Rose is a multi-talented fine art professional based in Southern New England. Since 2014 he has served as the gallery manager at the historic Providence Art Club, one of the nation’s oldest arts organizations. Through his current freelance work he advises collectors and artists, provides appraisal services, teaches, and completes curatorial projects.

LEARN MORE HERE
 

Related Articles

 

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.

 
 

Sign Up for the Daily Eblast

I want to follow on Twitter

I want to Like on Facebook