‘Where place and imagination meet’

"Emergence" (acrylic on canvas), by Michele Johnsen, in her joint show with Gretchen Woodman, “Of Birds and Places,’’ at The Gallery at WREN, Bethlehem, N.H., through July 3.

— Image courtesy of The Gallery at WREN

The gallery says:

The two artists have "a shared love of landscape and the fantastical…. through bold color, expressive mark-making, and whimsical birds that drift between the real and the surreal, the artists explore the space where place and imagination meet."

Johnsen says her paintings of the natural world's understory "express the wonder I feel for the sacred power that is invisible to us, yet links our existence to the land and trees." Woodman's depictions of animals, in this case, birds, "explore the enigma of the human-animal relationship.’’

The little town of Bethlehem in 1883, as the White Mountains were becoming a prime summer vacation region for those fleeing the noise, smoke and summer heat of the Industrial Revolution in the rapidly urbanizing parts of the Northeast to the south.

Escaping the valley heat

“Herd on the Ridge” (oil on canvas), by Robert Chapla, in his joint show, “Colorful Edge of Soul,’’ with Valery Mahuchy at the the Gallery at WREN, Bethlehem, N.H., through Aug. 29.

Mt. Agassiz, in Bethlehem, N.H., in a colorized 1906 postcard.

The gallery says the show features paintings and collage. “Using Fauvist color and organic, fluid shapes and texture, Chapla and Mahuchy forge a visual and spiritual relationship with the world around them.’’

Mother and daughter work it out

Collage featuring copper enameled decal and opal earring and 24k Kuemboo, opal sterling ring in the show "Layered Together,'' at the Gallery at WREN in Bethlehem, N.H.

The gallery says:

“This intergenerational display showcases the intertwined artistic journeys of mother and daughter Beth Simon and Ana Koehler. Beth’s distinctive crafted jewelry, alongside Ana’s evocative paintings of the female form, take center stage.’’