Paintings of a vermin invasion

	Contributed photo “Rats #13,” an oil painting on unprimed canvas, will be on display with others of a vermin theme at the Delaware Arts Center Gallery. (Click for larger image)

NARROWSBURG, NY — Jennifer Finch’s collection of paintings, “Studio Invasion and Other Unprimed Works,” will open with a reception on Friday, October 10 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Delaware Arts Center Gallery, 37 Main Street. The show will run through November 1.

Finch’s subject matter in this collection developed from a time when rats invaded her studio above a restaurant in New York City. “The rats, although very real in that they were frequenters in my studio, now started visiting me in my sleep. My studio became a place to invade and destroy. Not only objects were destroyed, but also my privacy in my sacred space. I became paranoid during my waking hours in my studio. I could feel them watching me,” Finch said.

“I became obsessed with the rats. I started painting them as my way to wage war. The rats are a more direct link to my subconscious than my other works. They are also more informal. The canvas is unprimed and raw, many times stretched over scraps of wood. The finish is matte. This is so that the creature is not something you may want to stroke.”

Finch established her home and studio, Fire Ant Studio, in Narrowsburg. She received her education at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, and she has shown her work in New York City, Philadelphia and Tucson.

The Ill Winds Chamber Ensemble will provide music for the opening reception. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 p.m.

For more information call 845/252-7576.