Greenwich art society presents “Time in Place” – a selection of acrylic and gouache paintings by member Lina Morielli, from September 1 through September 30. An Artists’ Reception will be held September 7 from 5 to 7:30pm at the Gallery.
Early in the pandemic, most of us who were not essential workers spent our time staying in place, and artist Lina Morielli’s recent series “Time in Place” is a reflection of and catalyzed by the artist’s lived experience of stasis during COVID-19. Morielli began the series in March of 2020, creating 250 works—a substantive output of drawings, paintings, monoprints, and collages. Curated by Anna Patalano, Director of the Greenwich Art Society, the exhibition Time in Place (taken from the series’ name) includes a selection of acrylic and gouache paintings from the series.
Subconsciously driven, “Time in Place” is simultaneously a reflection of and a working through of Morielli’s emotional states brought on by the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic and the turbulent and polarized U.S. political climate.
Similar to jazz music, the abstract compositions in “Time and Place” are at once frenetic and structured. Anna Patalano has said, “Lina Morielli’s magical ability to fuse complex visual elements with a myriad of painting and drawing materials rises above the simply decorative and “pretty.” Her works create wonderful tensions between the beauty of ordered chaos, doomed whimsy, and balanced frenzy. Take a look and, think.”
While Morielli’s compositions have included a mix of allegorical symbols, pattern, and improvisational use of materials for many years, the artist’s sense of urgency translates into her most dynamic, layered, and multifarious play of line and color to date. While there is great variety in its imagery, the series as a whole demonstrates abstraction’s ability to communicate internal states connoting reactions to our individual and shared surroundings, especially during arduous times.
Lina Morielli was born in Montreal, Canada and grew up in Darien, Connecticut. Her experience in art and design includes studies at Parsons School of Design and three decades in New York City designing and editing crafts for Woman’s Day and Family Circle magazines among others. This background in craft informs the tactile nature of her studio practice where, Morielli explains the “immediacy of materials…help me access and express my ideas quickly.”
After twenty years living and working in New York City, she moved to Stamford, Connecticut in 1987 where she is an active member of that city’s creative community. President of Stamford’s Loft Artists Association for three years and a board member on approximately one-dozen Stamford nonprofits over the last four decades, Morielli has enriched the city’s cultural and educational landscape. In addition to her nonprofit contributions, Morielli has taught at after-school and summer art programs, including classes at Stamford’s I Have a Dream Foundation and the Yerwood Center. She also has curated exhibitions in the area, including fifteen years of exhibitions in Stamford’s Mayor’s Gallery.
Morielli’s work has been exhibited widely in Fairfield County, Connecticut, but also has been featured in solo exhibitions in New York and Los Angeles. Her art is in one-hundred private collections and has been exhibited in public spaces as part of the Connecticut Artists Collection as well as at area hospitals and universities including: Yale Medical Center, Bridgeport, CT; Stamford Hospital; and Sacred Heart University, College of Education and Healthcare.
Morielli maintains a studio in Stamford, and is represented by the Contemporary Art Network. View more of her work on IG @linamorielli and FB Lina Morielli Art
All works can be purchased by contacting the Greenwich Art society at 203-629-1533 between 9:30 am and 3:30 PM Monday through Friday or by emailing admin@greenwichartsociety.org
Greenwich Art Society Gallery is located at 299 Greenwich Avenue. Gallery hours are: 10-4pm M-F, Sat & Sun 12-4pm.
