Current Exhibits
Founders Gallery:
Gallery on the Green presents “Order and Chaos” Exhibit plus Solo Exhibits “Unearthed” by Kathleen Smits and “Finding a Quiet Place” by Marleen Mayes.
Gallery on the Green, 5 Canton Green Rd, Canton, CT
Exhibit Dates: Friday, February 13th through Saturday, March 14th, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, February 14th, 6:00-8:00 pm
Gallery Hours: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 1:00-5:00 pm
Cost: Free – open to the public
“Order and Chaos” is an exhibit presented by the members of Canton Artists’ Guild. They will exhibit works created with that theme in mind; exploring order and chaos as both opposing forces and as complementary elements that can coexist or stand alone. The artists of the Guild use a wide range of media including painting, prints, drawing, photography, sculpture, ceramics and mixed media.
In the upstairs Gallery, “Unearthed,” a solo exhibit of work by Kathleen Curran Smits, will feature paintings in oils of the beauty of the earth. These landscapes reveal the sublime colors and forms of a variety of places Kathleen has lived in or traveled to. The exhibit will also feature abstracts that Kathleen creates. She works with photography and a variety of computer graphics to incorporate earthly beauty and beauty that is not of this biological world.
Kathleen (Kathy) has been painting landscapes for over 30 years. Her passion for the landscape began with her early career as a horticulturist. Her explorations of the digital world began in 2009. She is currently an adjunct professor at CT State Manchester in the Graphic Design Department. Her accomplishments include Signature Membership in the American Artists Professional League and becoming a Council member of the Connecticut Women Artists.
In the Spotlight Gallery, Marlene Mayes will present “Finding a Quiet Place,” a solo exhibit inspired by her time spent in the woods. She says, “Even as a child, I valued the freedom of spending time in the woods, I found it a place for adventure and reflection. The seasons often were relentless in terms of the weather, throwing wind and snow in the path of emerging growth, flower blooms and fallen leaves. There is a sense of spiritual presence in being alone in the woods or creating that expression through gardening. I seek to capture the moments of that awareness in my landscapes.”
Marlene spent most of her youth and adult life in Bloomfield and West Hartford, graduating from Hall High School and then attending Salem College for Women in North Carolina and University of Hartford. Also influencing her later work, Mayes has been a teacher, a master Gardener, educational administrator and she volunteers at Auerfarm as a 4H Educator. She has been a member of the Canton Gallery on the Green and the West Hartford Art League for the last 20 years.
An opening reception is on Saturday, February 14th from 6:00-8:00 pm and will include refreshments. The show and reception are free, and the public is warmly invited.
The Canton Artists’ Guild at the Gallery on the Green, the longest continuously-running artist guild in the state, has 3 separate galleries and hosts month-long exhibitions nine times a year. The gallery is located near the intersection of Dowd Avenue and Route 44 at 5 Canton Green Road in Canton. Hours are Friday – Sunday, 1-5 pm. The main floor gallery is handicapped accessible.
