Artist Nancy Romines finds inspiration in natural, biological and organic forms.
The Atrium Gallery at Lewiston-Auburn College will exhibit the work of artist Nancy Romines.

The show, “Nature/Nurture: Connections, Patterns, and Shadows,” opens Thursday, Jan. 22, with a reception from 5 until 7 p.m.

It is a sculptural installation of mixed media pieces, some suspended from the ceiling, others with parts attached to walls, and one that crosses the gallery overhead from wall to wall. Romines also will include drawings in the exhibition.

Visitors will be greeted by a “cloud” of 161 blue glass drops, each in a crocheted cloak. The glass drops, collectively called “Caring for the Rain,” quietly hover at varying heights just above reach.

Beyond the cloud will be a bed covered with a dark, slate-gray crocheted bedspread, incorporating rocks from Maine and Newfoundland, each cradled in its own crocheted pocket.

Overhead, monofilament will stretch across the gallery strung with dispersed parts of brightly colored artificial flowers.

Romines’ groupings work to create a contemplative, yet lively atmosphere in the gallery space, according to a spokesman for the college.

“Elements found in nature – vines and rocks, oceans and rain, blooms and fruits, light and shadow – interest me as metaphors for human experience: growth and grounding, feeding and watering, dying and birth, the sense of time passing,” said Romines.

“I draw inspiration from natural, organic and biological forms, seeing in them in relation to the body – eggs, webs, fruits, stones, knots and snarls become substitutions for both the physical body and emotional states of mind.

“I use a variety of materials from fiber and paper to stone and wire, working with whatever seems to best express a given idea,” the artist said. “Like many women in rural Maine, I was taught to knit and crochet as a very young child. Using age-old techniques passed down through generations reaffirms my connection to the past and future.”

A Wilton native, Romines made her home in New York for 20 years. She earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from Parsons School of Design in New York and a master’s of fine arts degree from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y. In 2001, she returned to live in Wilton where she has continued her focus on creating thought-provoking pieces and using traditional materials in unexpected ways.

Her work has been exhibited in galleries in and around New York City, including James Graham and Sons, Holland Tunnel Gallery, Abrons Art Center and the Bronx Museum. Her international exhibitions include galleries in Tokyo and London.

The exhibition will continue through March 6.

The Atrium Art Gallery is at the University of Southern Maine’s L-A College, 51 Westminster St. Gallery hours are Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; and Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

The exhibit and the opening reception are free and open to the public.

FMI: contact the college at 753-6500 or visit the exhibit’s Web site (usm.maine.edu/lac/art/nature).

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