NEWBURYPORT — CHALK Gallery is home to “The Spirit Books,” an exhibition by Newburyport artist Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord starting March 12 through March 28.
“The Spirit Books” merge the artist’s response to the mystery of nature with the long-standing tradition of books as testaments of faith and belief. Acknowledging the strength and the fragility of nature, they are both celebration and reflection, according to gallery officials.
Thirty-eight years ago, Gaylord stood in her yard looking at a huge pile of garden prunings and felt a deep attraction to the branches, vines and twigs. She brought boxes of them into her studio and spent the next four years seeking a way to incorporate them into her work.
In the ensuing years, she created a series of 100 spirit books nestled in vines, branches, driftwood, and roots with stitched spirals, woven paper, and punched and pricked holes to make meditative pages that offer a contemplative experience of the natural world. Those on exhibit all have cradles made from natural materials that have been gathered locally: Gaylord’s garden, Atkinson Common, Plum Island, Maudslay, and the Colby Farm Lane facility.
Officials at the Harris Street gallery will hold a reception on Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. and an artist talk on March 21 at 4 p.m. For more information, see chalkgallerynbpt.com.