Putnam’s Place for Art

Carly Martin, longtime resident of NE CT, envisioned a fresh and inspiring space where local and regional artists and artisans could exhibit their work, sell one-of-a-kind handmade gifts and boutique items, and individuals of all ages could improve their quality of life by taking art classes. With the support of many passionate and dedicated individuals, she established Silver Circle in 2008.  Since then the Gallery has become a haven for the artistic community and an advocate for the benefits of creativity for everyone.

Carly sees herself as facilitator for the artists and community alike, creating not only a venue for seasoned professionals, but also a launching pad for fledgling artists. Silver Circle offers a wide range of art classes and workshops in a variety of mediums for all ages, children through adults. In a friendly, non-threatening environment that encourages everyone to find their inner artist, children and adults alike discover the joys and therapeutic benefits of creativity while building skills.

The Gallery rotates exhibits, bringing color, shape, and form to the Putnam community. The current exhibit Transcendence: Works by George Chaplin is a prime example of the exhibits that Carly schedules at the Silver Circle Gallery.  This show displays a variety of pastel works on paper and select oil on canvas paintings, on display through May 20th, 2012.

George finds a great deal of inspiration from nature, as well as music. Once called “nature’s transcendent painter,” Chaplin delicately utilizes color to lure the viewer in with intense gradations of three to four colors. One of the sources of his creativity comes from the ocean of which George states, “It’s a mesmerizing experience. You look at the ocean, it’s constantly moving, it’s always the same but it’s constantly changing.” This idea is translated into his pieces where George is able to create movement as the colors blend into one another, creating the illusion that they are vibrating off of the canvas. George has the ability to select color combinations that never overpower each other and is able to simultaneously create a sense of both excitement and calmness in his compositions.

George Chaplin received his BFA in 1958 and his MFA in 1960, both from the Yale University of Art in New Haven, Connecticut where he studied under world renown Modern artist, Josef Albers who was a student at the Bauhaus in Germany. From 1965-1971 he was the Chairman of the Painting Department at the Silvermine College of Art in New Canaan, CT and from 1972- 1991 he was the Director of Studio Arts and a Professor of Fine Arts at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. George’s art has been purchased by the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C. and has pieces in countless private collections worldwide. He has also participated in hundreds of national and international exhibitions and lectures since the 1960s and is mentioned in publications such as The Art of Drawing, Color, and  Who’s Who in American Art.

In an article about George’s work for the Hartford Courant, it was stated that “There is something visionary about these works. Chaplin’s choices of colors are never ostentatious or bombastic, but finely tuned to achieve more lasting effects. If these later pieces can be said to have a stirring impact on the human spirit, perhaps a category of “Spiritual Abstraction” can be applied to Chaplin’s art.” In this way, George lets the colors take control and permits them to dictate the direction of the painting.

Silver Circle Gallery is located at 75 Main Street in Downtown Putnam. Visit www.SilverCircleGallery.com for more information.