Little Jewel by the River

About an hour and a half from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, on the banks of the Raritan River in the rolling hills of New Jersey, sits the Hunterdon Museum of Art. Looking out through the windows set in two foot thick stone walls the river rushes by, turning the water wheel of the red mill across the way. This tiny Victorian town of 2600 residents has a terrific art museum.
Every year or so we have the opportunity to visit.

Current exhibits include Darren McManus’s work. The brilliant colored amorphous images were painted on uniquely shaped wood panels. Viewed through 3D glasses incredible effects are achieved. Also now showing is the work of Sky Paper :Traces of Places, whose images are all black and white in stark contrast to colorful works of McManus. She works with handmade kozo paper and black Sumi ink. Initially she

was a painter, but when her studio was burned she switched to drawing with ink and brush. I found many of her images brooding, haunting, and somewhat disturbing. Her work is in many national collections including the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim. Joining the two solo exhibitions is a display by some thirty artists, experts in the ancient medium of encaustic painting. Pigments are added to melted beeswax before applying to a

surface. The exhibition includes paintings, collages, prints, and sculptural works. Simply fantastic!

I'm not one of the greatest fans of contemporary art, but exhibits at the Hunterdon always challenge the imagination. The presentations are always first rate.  There is something about the contrast between stonewalls and contemporary art that adds to the ambiance.





 Anytime we're in the area we will visit the Hunterdon Art Museum and make a donation.