Artist Talk

Sunday, April 6, 2:00 pm until 3:30 pm
by Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude cover artist.

Meet Arista Alanis and hear how her painting “on down the road” became the image used for Ross Gay’s Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude book cover. Traversing the realms of figurative landscape and abstraction, her overall creative process is intricately intertwined with her travels and daily walks. Alanis draws inspiration from particular spots, a moment shared with a dear friend, or an experience from the shapes and colors in a specific location. Her gestural paintings embark on a layered journey through time, employing oil paint as her medium to intuitively convey emotions and sensations. Poetic evocations of Nature and space emerge by discovering brush strokes, slashes of colors, splatters, paint drips, repetitive shapes, and patterns to incite rhythm and movement.

Describing her artwork, Alanis states that it “is not about specific places but about significant moments that ignite a feeling of being alive in the space.” All ages welcome, but geared for adults and teens.

Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA

This program is part of The National Endowment of the Arts Big Read and aproject of the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association. Learn about this year’s book selection and developing Calendar of Events here. This year’s NEA Big Read explores the theme, “Where We Live” through Ross Gay’s poetry collection, Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude.