“Looking Back,” an exhibition of artwork spanning more than  70 years, will start off the new year at the Hancock Town Library, 25 Main St.

Melody Zahn Russell of Hancock has been creating art since she was 4 years old, and continues her artistic expression today, as she turns 75. The exhibit will be on display Jan. 14 through Feb. 16. An opening reception will be held Sunday, Jan. 15, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Daniels Room.

Russell credits her mother and her high school art teacher with sparking and supporting her endeavors early on. Though she hoped to study art in college, her father advised her to choose something “practical” so she could “earn a living.” She pursued studies in education and sociology, earning a degree in early childhood education. In her adult life, she sought more opportunities to develop her art, taking courses at Sharon Arts Center, Currier Museum and Emerson College in England. Later, she discovered Eurythmy, an expressive movement art, often taught in Waldorf education. After many years of study, it became her first love, and continues to guide everything she does.

“My very favorite way to paint is inspired by Goethe’s idea that the form will arise out of the color,” she stated. “I start with a color circle including all the colors of the rainbow, leaving an open ‘womb’ in the center. Then the paints move together, and in time, forms begin to appear. I listen and try to draw out the forms. What is born is always like a wonderful message to me from myself. It is like a color meditation”.

Currently, many of Russell’s artistic talents are directed into teaching, which she considers to be an art with therapeutic benefits.

“I learned on the way that art is therapeutic. Practical. Healing!” she stated. “I also came to believe that life is all about spiritual development. All the light and dark, form and loss of form, joy and sorrow, live in the art one creates.”

For information, contact Russell at melodyzahnrussell@gmail.com

Exhibits can be viewed during regular library hours of Monday and Wednesday 2 to 6 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call the library at 603-525-4411 before visiting to ensure no special events are scheduled at that time. The library will follow COVID guidelines and restrictions that are current at the time of exhibits.

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