One year after the successful opening of The Grove in downtown Clinton’s Pocket Park (at 125 4th Avenue South), the park will host its second interactive art display.
Created by Harmony Eccles of Kansas City, Mo., the art forest will consist of 12 free-standing, beautifully crafted wood frames created by Tim and Charlie from Retired with Wood that hold 12 colorful, abstract pieces made on convertible canvas tops from Upholstery Unlimited, according to a news release on the exhibit.
Eccles, a Clinton native, is an abstract painter inspired by spiritual connectedness and beauty in nature. The exhibit — which will open to the public on Sunday, June 4th — will be comprised of 12 paintings ranging in size from 4 foot to 10 feet tall.
Clinton artist Gabriella Torres had the idea for the Pocket Park art forest in September of 2021, and her abstract art was the first exhibit.
“My intention was to create a public art display where visitors would be able to walk through a forest of art for an intimate and immersive art experience,” Torres said in the release. “The display would be up for the months of June and July, be easily accessible, and free to the public.”
Like in 2022, The Grove this summer will feature lights at night and be up until the fall.
This year, the frames will be sanded and re-stained.
Working from her Kansas City studio, Eccles creates work rich in symbolism and spiritual undertones, the release said. Her recent collection of paintings has been shown at the Lacke Farben Gallerie in Berlin, Germany. The Clinton exhibit is called “Connective Conversation.”
“These 12 artworks will explore the importance of listening, validation, understanding, and compassionate response,” Eccles said “As the series progresses, I hope you will experience the celebration of overlapping story, the beauty in collaboration and the importance of connection and friendship in all stages of life.”
The artist says she finds inspiration in the beauty of nature and the interconnectedness of all
things. Her preferred medium is acrylic on canvas, which allows her to express through the use of textured layering, color interaction, and compositional balance.
“Through her art, she hopes to evoke an awakening of perspective and a gracious acceptance of the embracing hope that surrounds us,” the exhibit release said. “She believes paintings have the
power to awaken our relationship to the natural world and to the deeper spiritual truths that exist within all of us.”
Eccles holds painting to be a reflection of her personal journey, her love for surrounding beauty, and her desire to create something deeply meaningful. For more information on the public art placemaking projects by Gabi Torres, visit her website HERE.
