Whilst many of the snow birds flew south I continue my northern diversions this holiday week, starting by visiting two fabulous artists and their events. I am delighted to have first caught Michael Mahnke’s “Memory in Materials” show with the vertical diptych “Noble” and then Valerie Hammond’s pieces in The Current’s fabulous “In the Garden” collective show. Inspiration is a much sought after sensation these days, especially in its absence, but drinking in these images did the trick. Light and color and movement usually does; these two paintings are elixirs, starting my week on a high.

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