Deanna Clayton Demos for Fine Line’s “Exhibit II”

“I’m Lonely” by Nathan Bennett.

Off the heels of a successful opening exhibit, Fine Line Designs Gallery is excited to announce its second exhibit of the season, which begins July 6. Featured in the exhibit are three nationally known artists: oil painter Pamela Murphy, glass artist Deanna Clayton and bronze artist Nathan Bennett.

The three artists will be on hand for an artist reception at Fine Line on July 6, 4-7 pm. Clayton will also be the focus of an on-site artist demo on July 7, 11 am to 2 pm, where she’ll showcase her glass vessel and form work.

One of Fine Line’s longest tenured artists, Door County-based artist Pamela Murphy’s work has long revolved around old photographs. Murphy chooses figures from them for her paintings, presenting them on rich, textured backgrounds, disconnecting them from their original context. Through these figures existing in different situations—or as objects—Murphy’s goal is to have the viewer find a little of themselves.

Glass artist Deanna Clayton also lives and works in Door County, and was first introduced to glassblowing as a college student. Clayton’s work fuses the aesthetics of ancient and contemporary techniques. For over two decades, she worked in a technique called pate de verre—“paste of glass”—in which glass granules are mixed with a binding element and applied to the inner surface of a mold and finished with electroplated copper. In her recent work, Clayton has been modeling clay into human form and translating it to glass.

Metal artist Nathan Bennett calls himself the “Master Patineur”—although, in his words, “In times past, I would have had the title sorcerer, alchemist, conjurer, or magician.” Patina is Bennett’s medium of choice, and he applies iron, silver, copper, and other chemical compounds to bronze plate—and applies fire—to achieve the bold colors seen in his work.

Exhibit II runs through Aug. 7 at Fine Line, with the third and final exhibit of the season opening Aug. 10. For more information, visit finelinedesignsgallery.com or call 920.854.4343.