The Tremaine Art Gallery opened the 2020-2023 year on September 17 with an exhibit showcasing the watercolor and fiber work of visual artist Ms. Ellen Moon. Moon’s art captures the beauty of the Connecticut landscape across the seasons.
When preparing for this year’s first exhibit, Ms. Terri Moore, director of the Tremaine Art Gallery, wanted to emphasize connections with the local community. She said, “I thought it was very important that my next artist be connected to the community to bring back the tie between Hotchkiss and our neighboring towns after two-and-a- half years [during which the gallery was closed to the public due to Covid].” Ms. Moon, who lives and works in Cornwall, CT was a natural choice.
The exhibit opened with a reception on September 22. During the event, Ms. Moon discussed her work and answered questions from students. After attending, Albert Chen ’26 said, “Moon’s work reminded me to admire the small beauties that are always hiding around.”
Ms. Moore also wanted the show to demonstrate the artist’s process. A key example of this within the exhibit is Moon’s In The Field: 365 Days, an installation taking up the entirety of one wall. A grid of 365 small watercolor panels, each of the same field painted over a span of three years, reveals her consistency and daily practice.
The pieces show Ms. Moon’s process of visiting the site frequently and how recording changes throughout the seasons reminds us to observe the small things in nature, as they can collectively create a profound effect.
Ms. Moon knew she wanted to be an artist since she was a child. Additionally, she loves going camping with her husband and always brings watercolors with her on these trips. While Moon consistently painted during her travels, she never did the same at home due to perceived complexities of her local landscapes.
Yet in 2004, she decided to expand her artistic horizon and create one painting a day by depicting the scenery of her hometown. With this repetition, art became Ms. Moon’s form of meditation. Painting landscapes put both of Moon’s passions — art and the outdoors — into one creative pursuit.
In her embroidered designs, Ms. Moon creates a glimpse into the world of plants or bugs by only using fibers, layering string, carefully selecting colors, and using an array of stitches. In Emerging Dragonfly, an embroidery piece showing a delicate dragonfly, Ms. Moon uses different colors and thicknesses of string to show light, depth and motion. She said, “I’m interested in translating the textures of the natural world in art using fiber.”
From an audience perspective, the embroideries were a point of interest. Yvie Dillard ’26 said, “I was astounded by the level of detail [in her fiber work] and all that she could capture only using embroidery string.”
Ms. Ellen Moon’s artwork is on display in the Tremaine Art Gallery until October 22.
