Three late fall exhibitions will open at the Silvermine Galleries in New Canaan on Sat., Oct. 21st. The public is invited to an opening reception from 5-7pm on the evening of Oct. 21st. “Hypnagogia,” a solo exhibition of new work by Sharon Cavagnolo, will open alongside a curated exhibit of work by Silvermine’s Ceramics faculty, and a significant new print exhibition, “Big Impressions, Small Presses: the Small Independent Print Shop,” curated in collaboration with James Reid, Collections Manager of the Gabor Peterdi International Print Collection at Silvermine. All three shows will run through November 19.

Hypnagogia, Sharon Cavagnolo

Hypnagogia is that magical consciousness just before you fall asleep. It can also refer to the moments just after you wake up as you come around from a dream. Imagery, sounds and feelings lose a logical structure while they retain poignancy and balance.

Sharon Cavagnolo’s work in “Hypnagogia” is complex, intricate, and finely detailed. Her spaces—lushly patterned and bathed in half-light—are a journey into the infinite. Cavagnolo makes free association part of her process and is a collector of random bits of ephemera, which become building blocks for the spaces she inhabits. “It will seem,” she says, “that disaster has struck, until the images come together.” The balance she achieves creates a picture of “an alternate and often very strange other-world.”

Sharon Cavagnolo’s work has been exhibited in Connecticut and New York. She earned her BFA in illustration and design at the Parsons School of Design, and has worked as a textile designer. Cavagnolo did postgraduate work at the Pratt Institute, New York University, and the Isabel O’Neil studio where she won the Journeyman Award. She also studied with Larry Rivers, Elaine de Kooning, and Jane Wilson.

Big Impressions, Small Presses: the Small Independent Print Shop

This new exhibition, curated in collaboration with James Reid, Collections Manager for Silvermine’s Gabor Peterdi International Print Collection, features nine outstanding independent print shops located throughout the Northeast. Some of the work explores the possibilities of abstraction. The independent presses featured have contributed in a significant way to the contemporary art of printmaking. Among their many specialties are original fine-art lithographs, hand-printed fine art editions, mixed-media prints, and artists’ books.

The studios represented include K.Caraccio Studio, New York, NY; Deb Chaney Editions, Brooklyn, NY; Afternoon Press, Brooklyn, NY; Haven Press Studio, Brooklyn, NY; Kayrock Screenprinting, Brooklyn, NY; Vandeb Editions, Brooklyn, NY; Muskat Studios, Boston, MA; Milestone Graphics, Bridgeport, CT; and Petrichor Press, Philadelphia, PA.

“From the Same Kiln: New Work in Ceramics from Silvermine”

In the Farrell Gallery, five Silvermine faculty members will be featured in a curated exhibit that shows a sampling of new work from the Ceramics department. Artists include Keiko Ashida of Fishkill, NY; Heather Houston of Wilton; Clare Lewis of New Milford; Rob Pursell of Redding; and Jon Puzzuoli of Norwalk. This is a special opportunity to see some of the innovative work being done by distinguished faculty members. The show will feature new ideas and forms coming from one of the most popular disciplines at the Silvermine School of Art.

Silvermine Arts Center is one of the oldest artist communities in the United States. Its 5­acre campus in New Canaan, Connecticut, consists of a nationally renowned artist guild, an award ­winning school of art offering classes for all ages, an arts and fine crafts shop, and a gallery offering over twenty contemporary and historic exhibitions annually. Silvermine is a non­profit 501c3 organization that also offers an Outreach Education Program, Art Partners, and hosts lectures, film screenings, and special events. Silvermine Galleries are open Wednesday through Saturday, 12 pm to 5 pm and Sunday from 1 pm to 5 pm. For more information, call (203) 966­9700 ext. 20 or visit the website: www.silvermineart.org.