ART AS ANCHOR: SUSTAINING THE SPIRIT
IN A CHALLENGING WORLD

A Two-person Art Exhibit by:
Kristen Ambrosi

Dana Baldwin Naumann


The Naumann Gallery
279 Branford Road
North Branford, CT 06471 (map)
(203) 430-2179

Curated by Johnes Ruta

Meet the Artists Reception: Saturday, December 7, 2024, 3:00 to 6:00 pm.

 
 
Kristen Ambrosi - BELIEVED - acrylic on canvas, 48" x 48"
  A graduate of Bowdoin College with a degree in Visual Arts, Kristen Ambrosi refined her aesthetic sensibility through early positions in magazine publishing and in marketing for an architectural design firm. A lifelong passion for the creative process and fluency with realism established the foundation from which Kristen now leans into abstraction. Formal training paired with organic exploration inspire and inform Kristen’s current work-themes of fluidity and freedom celebrating color and calm.

Kristen explores the oscillation between deliberate choices and relinquished control, and the dialogue between hand and heart, image and eye.

As a contemplative painter of contemporary art, Kristen focuses on creating both commissions and collections. The commission process is individualized and collaborative, incorporating design elements and inviting client feedback as layers emerge. Collections till the artist’s internal landscape and communicate through visual language what arises from that ongoing inquiry.

Following intuition from blank canvas to signed piece is a bold place from which to be working and an abiding invitation to dance with uncertainty and cultivate equanimity. Permission to pause and to pivot are guiding principles as Kristen navigates the language of the liminal from creative endeavor to life journey.
Searching always for meaning and metaphor, Kristen approaches each canvas with interest and intent, moving gently towards the places where everything feels unresolved, and striving for the satisfaction and peace that comes from bringing a piece to harmony.

Raised and educated in New England, Kristen lived in NYC and NJ for two decades. She now lives in Connecticut between the woods and the water.

www.kristenambrosi.com
 
 

Kristen Ambrosi - PAUSE - acrylic on canvas, 30" x 48"

 
 
 

Kristen Ambrosi - RETROSPECT - acrylic on canvas, 30" x 40"

 
 
 

Kristen Ambrosi - THE WAYS WE STAYED - acrylic on canvas, 24" x 30"

 
KRISTEN AMBROSI
(b. 1975, United States)
Lives in Fairfield, Connecticut
kristenambrosi@hotmail.com / 917-364-0736

https://www.kristenambrosi.com/


EDUCATION
Bowdoin College, Bachelor of Arts in Visual Art, 1997

EXHIBITIONS

2024 Art as Anchor Dual Exhibition, Naumann Gallery, North Branford, CT
2024 Journey through the Liminal Solo Exhibition, Mary Daly Galleries, MBTS, Madison, CT
2024 Solo Exhibition, Flint Memorial Library, North Reading, MA
2023 50 Years of Women Group Show, The Governors Academy, Byfield, MA
2023 Invitational Group Show, Branford Arts & Cultural Alliance, Branford, CT
2022 Poetic Journey Group Show, Bruce S. Kershner Gallery, Fairfield, CT
2022 Abstract Women Group Show, Klein Auditorium Gallery, Bridgeport, CT
2021 Invitational Artist Solo Exhibition, Metro Art Studios, Bridgeport, CT
2019 Five Fabulous Abstract Women Group Show, Rene Soto Gallery, Norwalk, CT
2019 Solo Exhibition, Jarosa Yoga, Fairfield, CT
2019 Artists Invite Artists Group Show, Art/Place Gallery, FTC, Fairfield, CT
2019 Migrating Colors Juried Group Show, Maritime Garage Gallery, Norwalk, CT
2019 Solo Exhibition, Shearwater Coffee Bar, Fairfield, CT
2019 Winter Celebration of the Arts Group Show, Easton Library, Easton, CT
2018 Dual Exhibition, The Gallery at Pearl at Longshore, Westport, CT
2018 Artists Choose Artists Group Show, Read’s Artspace, Bridgeport, CT
2018 Intuitive Impressions Solo Exhibition, Merrimac Public Library, Merrimac, MA
2018 Intuitive Impressions Solo Exhibition, Georgetown-Peabody Library, Georgetown, MA
2018 Breath & Beauty Solo Exhibition, The Governor’s Academy, Byfield, MA
2018 Wilton Library Group Show, Wilton Library, Wilton, CT
2018 Colorblends Spring Garden, Colorblends House Pop-Up Gallery, Bridgeport, CT
2018 North East Space Time Group Show, Schelfhaudt Gallery, Bridgeport, CT
2018 Movement Community Show, Bruce S. Kershner Gallery, Fairfield, CT
2017 The Dream Life of Color Group Show, Connecticut Hospice, Branford, CT
2017 5th Annual Beechwood Open, Beechwood Arts, Westport, CT
2017 Solo Exhibition, Tusk & Cup, Ridgefield, CT
2017 The Museum of Goodbye Group Show, Creativity Caravan, Montclair, NJ
2017 Alternative Facts Group Show, NEST Arts Factory, Bridgeport, CT
2017 The Power of Color Community Show, Bruce S. Kershner Gallery, Fairfield, CT
2009 Beauty in the Stillness Solo Exhibition, Nutley Public Library, Nutley, NJ
2008 Beauty in the Stillness Solo Exhibition, Parklane Gallery, Chatham, NJ
1998 Places of Mind Solo Exhibition, Carl Youngman Gallery, Byfield, MA

COLLECTIONS
Commissioned and purchased work held in private collections nationally and internationally

RECOGNITION
2017 Third Place Winner, “Possibility,” The Power of Color Show, Fairfield, CT

PRESS
2016 Interview, “Rise” Series, Fairfield University’s Unity Groove

DONATIONS
2021 The Cancer Couch Foundation Fundraiser, “Whisper”
2021 Maplewood Senior Living Heart Foundation Fundraiser Auction, “Root”
2018 Fairfield Warde Music Department Fundraiser, “Harmony”
2017 Blink Now Foundation Fundraiser Silent Auction, “Thrive”

RESIDENCIES
1997 Artist-in-Residence, Kent Island, Canada
   
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  Dana Baldwin Naumann - She Just Came to Me - 30lb wall scu;pture, 18" x 18"
 
Dana Baldwin Naumann

Dana Baldwin Naumann creates unique sculpture using mainly lead sheets coated with copper or zinc patinas. His hammered sculptures are studies in texture, soft and warm looking even as metal surfaces and often depicting religious, mythic, and archetypal scenes.

He had a successful career in corporate sales and marketing with IBM, Wang, Mitsubushi, and Westinghouse. When he left the corporate world, he was determined to devote his life to his art. It was a decision Naumann says he has never regretted.

Dana Naumann designed and contributed sculptures to the permanent collection of United States Special Olympics, and a piece created with the theme of the Holocaust was given to the Thomas Dodd Center, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT.
His artworks have been shown widely in Connecticut and the northeast.

Art critic Steve Starger wrote about his work: "Naumann's finely wrought sculptures aren't depressing or oppressive. He draws on African and mythological references to create monolithic faces that are inspired by ritual masks and statuary, like monuments or totems left by a long-vanished civilization. These elongated faces appear aloof and ascetic, but are also strangely poignant, and each emanates a sense of mystery and longing."

 
 
Dana Baldwin Naumann - There is Someting Wonderful About Just Holding Hands - 80lb wall sculpture 36x36"
 
 
  Dana Baldwin Naumann - The Thought Just Came to Me -35lb wall sculpture, 18" x 18"
 

Exhibition on view: December 3, 2024 - January 9, 2025 By Appointment


Contacts:
Gallerist: Dana Naumann
203.430.2179
dbnaumann@yahoo.com

Curator: Johnes Ruta https://AzothGallery.com/
iPhone 203.668.6933
azothgallery@comcast.net
independent curator & art theorist

 
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