March 4-April 5, 2014
Sponsored by the Northern Essex Community College Art & Design Dept.
March 4-April 5, 2014
Bentley Library—ArtSpace
Northern Essex Community College
100 Elliott Street, Haverhill, MA 01830
Opening Reception & Artist Talk
Wednesday, March 12, 3-5pm
Artist will be present until 8:30pm
Bentley Library—ArtSpace hours:
Monday-Thursday: 2-9pm
Friday: 2-5pm
Saturday: 9am-1pm
Sunday: Closed
Mark Reusch is a freelance illustrator and instructor at Massachusetts College of Art & Design, and has lived in the 326-year old house of famous poet and abolitionist John Greenleaf Whittier as caretaker since 2011.
For more information, visit http://www.misterreusch.com
Artist Statement
"With this new body of work focusing on the John Greenleaf Whittier Birthplace in Haverhill, MA, I am taking advantage of my unique position of being a painter as well as a year-round caretaker of this beautiful and historic landmark. Living in the Whittier family’s 326-year old farmhouse, set on 69 acres of open fields and deep woods, and witnessing the foliage and wildlife throughout the four seasons has been a daily source of inspiration since I moved here in 2011. And as an artist who almost always preferred working from imagination rather than from any kind of observation, these paintings have been a new direction for me.
Living in such an idyllic setting that’s remained largely unchanged for over three centuries has had a pronounced effect on my way of thinking and artistic goals, especially after having lived in the Boston and Providence areas for 20 years. I work primarily from home as a freelance illustrator, and spend time outdoors each day and night, walking the fields and woods with my dogs, observing and appreciating the natural world around me. These new paintings and photographs are a record of what I see each day."
