About this exhibit

​Our cityscapes and urban themes explored through impression based media in sculpture and printmaking.

Six artists push the scope of defining urban art and encourages the viewer to ask:
Does art surround us at all times and at every street corner?
How much of the artist is an architect and how much of the architect is an artist?
​
Curated by Cara Gonier, Executive Director of Rolling River Printmakers of New England.
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​EXHIBITING ARTISTS
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CHRISTINE BENEMAN, PRINTMAKER

About the Art
I am inspired by architectural design, urban spaces and the rhythms of daily life and aim to convey the tension found in the built environment and the emotional response these forms evoke.

Why this fascination with architectural spaces and structures?
I think back to the mysterious rabbits warren of rooms and hallways in the upper reaches of the Museum of Fine Arts where I took Saturday art classes as a kid. Or looking up at the brick turrets of Back Bay row houses, the soaring spaces inside the Boston Public Library and the reflections in the windows of the towering Hancock building mirroring the skies and buildings surrounding it. (accompanied by the exciting and terrifying possibility that the windows could pop out at any moment in a strong wind!)
More recently, visits to New York City and its High Line park started me on this current path in my printmaking work and it continues-reflecting on the furious pace of building going on around my studio space in downtown Portland."

NANCY CAHAN, SCULPTURE ARTIST

About the Art
“Although some of my pieces are symmetrical, I am most drawn to creating
rough-edged sculptural forms that may seem unfinished. This way of seeing dovetails with my work as a psychologist, as I believe we need to soften and integrate our rough edges, not get rid of them.

I am most drawn to Raku and Saggar firing. It is an exciting process that creates beautiful and unusual effects, involving intense heat, fire, smoke, and fuming. The results are often unpredictable, require effort, and letting go.

​​These three sculptures came out of my many walks in inclement weather during the early part of the pandemic. I found myself fascinated with the ruptured designs and lettering on pavements. I rolled out large slabs of clay, carted them around in my car, placed the slabs over the pavement and used a
roller to deepen the imprint. I then created sculptures out of them. It felt very freeing, with a bit of fun-edginess, to publicly create art literally on the streets.”

DIANE FRANCIS, PRINTMAKER

About the Art
My journey into woodblock printing is deeply rooted in my love of
carving. Trained as a sculptor, I discovered woodblock printing as a natural extension of
my passion for shaping and transforming materials. Architecture is a constant source of inspiration, and its bold angles and intricate forms come alive in my prints.

My process begins with walking the city, observing its buildings, and searching for perspectives that captivate me. When I find an angle that resonates with me, I capture it in a photograph. In the studio, I translate the image into a sketch, transfer it onto a woodblock, and begin the meditative act of carving. Once the carving is complete, I carefully ink the block and pull the final print-capturing not just the structure of the city, but its rhythm and spirit.

BESS FRENCH, SCULPTURE ARTIST

About the Art
​"I have always been drawn to the spaces that shape us—the houses, streets, and landscapes where we grew up and made our earliest memories. These lived spaces connect us in universal ways, holding stories that linger long after people move on. Empty homes and overlooked structures especially fascinate me; I often wonder who lived there and what experiences unfolded within their walls.
In this sculptural series, I explore the intersection of memory, architecture, and place. I use locally sourced aggregates and recycled molds to hand-mix and form concrete foundations. Each concrete form has its own rough textures and imperfections that reflect both strength and uncertainty. From these foundations emerge 1:160 scale environments—miniature landscapes that invite imagined narratives.
Working with found objects and natural materials, I draw inspiration from the New England landscape, from classic capes and mobile homes to long gravel roads. Each piece is both specific and universal, offering viewers a chance to reflect on their own memories of where they lived, played, and dreamed.
Through these sculptural environments, I hope to spark conversations about the power of memory and the places we call home—reminding us that architecture and landscape are not just backdrops to our lives, but active shapers of our identities and stories."

CARA GONIER, PRINTMAKER

About the Art
“My fascination with architecture began when I purchased my first film camera in high school.
I remember driving around New England seeking inspiration for a photography project. Always drawn to nature as an artist, I wanted to shoot compositions that were not necessarily landscape related to push myself creatively…
One afternoon I pulled into a church parking lot noting the placement of a stained glass feature on the outside entryway that created a mosaic burst of color dispersing several feet onto the ground. I realized this design was quite planned as the sun was rising directly behind that pane of glass in the archway.
​I became so intrigued by all the unique considerations taken into account when building structures I found myself declaring my project inspiration…
Over the next several months, I played with both color and black and white imagery, capturing the architectural details of temples, mosques, and churches.
Decades later, I find myself navigating the world and my surroundings inherently observing the ways a building commands a space in blocking, filtering or shaping light. Everyday urban structures are not just a function for gathering, protection or worship, they are extensions of the architects inner artist.
Thru abstraction, my Arches & Light prints and Building Light sculptures recreate the awe-inspiring impressions in architecture I continue to observe-
Is it possible to see “art” on every street corner?” What do you think?”

ROBERT MALONEY, PRINTMAKER

About the Art
“My father was a very accomplished landscape painter which gave me a deep understanding of composition and perspective in relation to our man made environments at a young age. I followed in his footsteps for a while but realized that landscape painting was not for me, however, I carried these important lessons with me as I went in more experimental directions.
I was in my late 20’s during the Big Dig Central Artery transformation of Boston. My daily bicycle commute through the Big Dig was a major influence on my image making process. I began incorporating 3D surfaces, sculptural elements and using image transfers, digital tools and screenprinting to transparently layer content into the surfaces of my work (and was even in a few Big Dig themed exhibitions over the years).
Many years later I’m still inspired by the grids and angles of the urban landscape. When I go on road trips around the country and internationally I’m still snapping photos of the architectural relics and scaffolding of buildings as they’re being erected. In recent years I’ve expanded into relief printing by carving imagery into wood, linoleum and rubber which I then print with. Recently I’ve had challenges with tendonitis in my hands so I’ve been taking a break from carving by laser etching imagery into masonite to use as my printing plates to continue the layering process.”

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