On the first Friday of every month, several art galleries in downtown Portsmouth host receptions as part of Art ’Round Town, a self-guided tour of new exhibits. January’s event was a reminder that when it’s cold outside, getting lost in a landscape painting can warm you right up. The next one is Feb. 6 from 5 to 8 p.m. Check artroundtown.org for a list of participating galleries.
Large format photographs by John Layton
Kennedy Gallery
“Views From the Water’s Edge” is a collection of scenic, black and white photographs by John Layton, on view at Kennedy Gallery through January. While the photographer and camera maker resides in Vermont, many of his images were taken along the coast of Maine and on Star Island, where he reports feeling a deep connection to something unseen. His camera acts as a window into that transcendental place. He uses traditional, large format equipment and hand printing methods to maintain the personal connection to his images. His photographs, while sparse and cropped in close, seem to whisper answers to the great, big mystery of the natural world. See them at 41 Market St.
Odiorne Point Fall # 5, oil on canvas by Kathleen Robbins
Nahcotta
While Nahcotta prepares for this year’s winter Enormous Tiny Art show, the gallery is displaying a variety of work by artists it represents. These include some local favorites, such as Tim Beavis, Teresa McCue, and Jeremy Miranda, whose distinctive interpretations of the landscape allow us to feel the powerful draw of the outdoors, even when it’s too cold to stand it. Paintings by Kathleen Robbins have a particularly captivating warmth, depth and harmony that could help fight off seasonal depression. The gallery is at 110 Congress St.
Frozen Village, acrylic on canvas by Barbara Albert
Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery
The New Hampshire Art Association’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery is hosting an opening reception for two new exhibits on Jan. 9 from 5 to 9 p.m. “Welcome” introduces 34 newly inducted members, whose work is on view in the East Gallery of the Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery during the month of January. In the Main Salon, members explore different “Shapes” through their artwork. The gallery is located at 136 State St.
Don Gorvett’s gallery and printmaking studio
Piscataqua Fine Arts
While it’s almost always a one-man show in Don Gorvett’s alley of a gallery, there’s always something new to see. The opportunity to see, and sometimes touch, the creative process is what makes this stop special. Gorvett carves his elaborate designs into wood, then prints on a large etching press in a studio space, just beyond the gallery. Many of his local scenes are recognizable, but nonetheless original, owed in part to the physical technique as well as a somewhat skewed perspective and the use of weathered colors. The prolific artist seems to embrace winter winds, bare branches and snowdrifts, capturing the authentic beauty of the season. His gallery is at 123 Market St.
Mountain Trail, watercolor on panel by Dustan Knight
Randall Gallery
The annual Proprietors’ Show at the Portsmouth Athenaeum gave insight into who supports the valuable tradition of the seemingly secretive, membership library. While some members are historians and writers, taking advantage of the archives and quiet spaces, many others are visual artists. Among them is Dustan Knight, whose vibrant watercolors often depict a fascination with flowering gardens. In this recent exhibit, her woodsy scene was at once restful and arresting, with it’s light at the end of the trail, pulling us heavenward. The gallery at 9 Market Square is closed until its next exhibit opens on Feb. 14.