Fine Line Exhibit III Opens July 11

“Bucolic Woman” by Deanna Clayton.

Two female artists residing in Door County—glass artist Deanna Clayton and oil and encaustic painter Pamela Murphy—are the subject of Fine Line Designs Gallery’s third exhibit, which opens July 11 with a reception from 4 – 7 pm.

New to Fine Line, but certainly not new to Door County, Clayton says her new series of work “fuses the aesthetics of ancient and contemporary techniques.” “The glass techniques I use are some of the first casting techniques to be used in history,” she explains, “but my forms are contemporary concepts. Together they create an object for a contemporary setting that feels like an archeological find from another era.”

These new sculptures are meant to give off deep emotions, says Clayton. “We carry our burdens and joys on the same skin, and so much is held in our daily wrappings,” she says.

“Abyss” by Pamela Murphy.

Murphy’s work has adorned the walls of Fine Line for a many years, and it all began with a collection of old photographs she discovered at a garage sale. Wanting the subjects of the photographs to live on in a different way, Murphy began using the figures from the images as the “models” in her oil and encaustic paintings.

Murphy says the goal of her work is to create a sense of nostalgia among her viewers. “We know these people are strangers, and yet, there’s a familiarity there,” she says. “In way that isn’t quite tangible to us, they remind us of ourselves, our families, and even our issues on both cultural and personal levels.”

Fine Line Designs is located at 10376 Highway 42 in Ephraim. Exhibit III runs through Aug. 5, with the final exhibit beginning Aug. 8. For more information visit finelinedesignsgallery.com.