New art by local artists Dominique Caissie of Jaffrey and Diane Kidd of Hancock is being featured in a new show at the Dublin Community Center in July.
Both artists said they’ll be featuring work from a new series done in the past two years.
Caissie, owner of Terrapin Glass in Jaffrey, said the majority of her pieces will be from a series of livestreams she started doing during the COVID-19 pandemic. They feature a variety of different animals – a departure for her, she said, as her main body of work is usually functional glass pieces such as cups, bowls or vases, not sculptural.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to pursue, but never gave myself the space or creative freedom to dive into it, until COVID. I used that time to work on this series,” Caissie said.
Caissie said animals were a natural subject for her – everything from camels, alpacas and donkeys to rhinos, lions, unicorns and hedgehogs – because she has a love for animals.
“I’m such an animal person, I often say I like animals more than people, so it fits my interests and personality,” Caissie said.
While she has amassed her collection in preparation for transportation to Dublin, she said she’ll often joke that she’s “hanging with all [her] friends.”
Caissie said her personal favorite of the series is a Christmas donkey – in part because of the silly Christmas song, “Dominick the Donkey” by Lou Monte, and how closely it mirrors her own name, Dominique, but also because of the process of making him.
“When glass is really hot, the colors can look very funky and ugly. I took a risk with him, and mixed a lot of colors,” Caissie said. “It looked so ugly when it was hot! But it turned into a really nice brown color. Now, of course, I don’t know how to mix those colors to get the same result.”
But that experimentation is what she enjoyed about this series, Caissie said.
“It’s a pretty big departure from what I’ve been making and selling, but it’s also really satisfying to see that the skills that I’ve built up over the years are applicable to new things,” Caissie said.
Kidd is also featuring work from a recent series, including paintings she has worked on over the past two years, of the daily life in Francestown.
Much of Kidd’s works include landscapes, architecture and animals. Among her pieces for the show are four pieces that depict Hancock happenings, including the town’s Memorial Day observances, a depiction of the Old Home Day parade and two of concerts on the town common.
“These are things that I’ve wanted to paint for several years. The parade painting is the most-complicated one. I’ve had it on my mind for several years,” Kidd said. “People love Old Home Day, and the parade is very special to me. I go every year, and I take lots of pictures, and I was finally able to put everything together, and take bits and pieces to make a painting.”
Kidd is featuring about 30 paintings in the show, including landscapes of both local scenes, and those from her travels.
Some depict landscapes from Northern Ireland, including scenes which were filming locations for the HBO show “Game of Thrones.” Some are from her trips to U.S. national parks, but another is a misty morning over Norway Pond, which is where Kidd lives, and the scene she sees every day outside her window, or Aldworth Manor in nearby Harrisville.
“I try to paint things from around here, because it is so beautiful, but there are also some from my travels,” Kidd said.
The Dublin Community Center, also known as the DubHub, is located at 1123 Main St. in Dublin. The South Room will show Kidd’s watercolors, and the North Room will display Caissie’s glass-blown figures. Most pieces will be available for purchase. The opening reception for the show will be Friday, July 1, from 5 to 7 p.m. The show is open to the public on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon and from noon to 7 p.m., on July 16, or during special events. For information, send email to info@dublincommunitycenter.org.
For information on Caissie or Terrapin Glassblowing Studio, visit terrapinglass.com. For information on Kidd, visit dianekidd.com.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter@AshleySaariMLT.