PETERSHAM – The Petersham Art Center is hosting a reception this Sunday as part of scratchboard artist Joe Smith’s first solo exhibition.
The opening reception on Sunday, July 13, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Art Center, located at 8 North St. near Petersham Common. The exhibition, “Fifteen Years of Scratching: The Scratchboard Art of Joe Smith,” is now on display through Aug. 3.
Smith is a Massachusetts-based artist best known for his scratchboard works, and his art connects his lifelong enjoyment of drawing with his career as a forester and conservationist.
Smith draws and paints in a variety of mediums but has achieved his greatest success with scratchboard, a form of direct engraving described as drawing in reverse, as the artist carefully removes ink from an inked surface. Smith has been accepted as an artist member of the International Society of Scratchboard Artists, Copley Society of Art, Rockport Art Association and Museum, and the North Shore Arts Association.
Smith’s favorite subjects are trees and forests and his work is mostly drawn from the varied landscapes of his New England home. His finely detailed work, in both black and white and color, captures the unique character and spirit of the wild places, according to the center’s announcement.
“I have always loved to draw and I have always loved trying out different media. In 2010, I went into an art supply store and came out with a product that was new to me – a scratchboard panel. I took it home, started scratching, and I haven’t stopped scratching ever since,” Smith said in the announcement. “The boards seem to satisfy some tactile need deep inside me, and the results I have achieved are just as satisfying. While first focusing on trees and wooded landscapes, I have also ventured into human landscapes and seascapes. I have tried a variety of tools, experimented with different ways of adding color, and tried different scratching techniques. Scratchboard is uniquely suited for works with dramatic value contrasts, as it starts out with a deep black ink surface over a very bright white clay that is revealed as you scratch.”
Along with his art, Smith worked for 44 years in forest management, for which he holds a degree from UMass Amherst. His lengthy career includes serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Micronesia and on the Hoopa Valley Reservation in California, founder of Woodsman Inc. Forestry Consulting, and as a director for the Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands, among other professional commitments.
Exhibition coordinator Ken Levine noted, “Joe’s work is masterful. His keen eye and skilled hand capture exquisite detail that seems to go beyond realism into something magical. I am amazed by what he can do with the difficult medium of scratchboard. I think Joe’s love of and portrayal of natural landscapes will be appreciated by many from the North Quabbin region.”
The Petersham Art Center has been a home to regional fine art and craft since 1912 through its shop, gallery, classes and special events. Regular Art Center hours are Thursdays through Sundays, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. For more information about the exhibition and the Center, please call 978-724-3415.