Narrative of grief ending in grace

“Like Everything Come Back to Me” (watercolor and gouache on paper), by Peter Bruun in his show “Each Has Their Grief,’’ at 3S Artspace, Portsmouth, N.H., through Oct. 13.

The gallery explains:

“The exhibition follows a narrative arc through Bruun’s grief following the accidental overdose of his daughter ten years ago. Bruun’s figurative abstractions depict his story of loss and love, sorrow and serenity—landing at grace. Words, color, lines, and shape come together as if watching the mind pulse with thought and feeling, trying to process emotion.”

Bruun lives in Maine and Maryland.

Role reversal

“Upscale Your Den and Live Fully” (graphite and colored pencil on paper), by Boston-based artist Sammy Chong, in his show, opening Nov. 24, “Be Beast,’’ at 3S Artspace, Portsmouth, N.H.,

The gallery says:

“In Sammy Chong’s surreal drawings of endangered species, anthropomorphized animals are empowered as the dominant species in a hierarchical, fictional reality. Shining light on animal extinction, the work reminds viewers about the impact of our habits and choices on the world and its creatures.’’

Intriguing indigo

Work by Davana Robedee in her show “As Above, So Below,’’ at 3S Artspace, Portsmouth, N.H., Sept. 8-Nov. 12

She says:

“Indigo dye is an intriguing substance. It strikes a balance between precise science and magical experience. Long before its scientific understanding, indigo was used all over the world for its color, but it was also revered for its magical transformation from green to blue in the dye process. Before knowing that on the molecular level, indigo was bonding with oxygen, it was described as ‘breathing’ as if it were a living entity. Through growing and dyeing with it, I find a place to hold both the spiritual and the scientific. Its place in my practice is symbolic and functional. The same is true for hand-stitched resist shibori as a method of making marks on fabric. It slows down my experience of time and the imagery references my parasomnia hallucinations. It gives rise to two narratives- that I slow down time and a create a magical transformation, or that I bind fabric and use a chemical reaction to create a pattern. Through this I question- are these arcane symbols from a world beyond consciousness, or simply a misfiring of the brain?’’

Portsmouth waterfront in 1917

We’ll settle for spring

“The Garden of Eden” (painting), by Massachusetts artist Eileen Ryan, at 3S Artspace, Portsmouth, N.H., March 22-April 16.

She tells the gallery:

“I have many ideas pulsing through me at once and I have found that they are visually represented in two distinct ways in my art. The first is an organized approach to exploring concepts and questions. In a methodical manner using a naturalistic aesthetic I hypothesize and create around my findings. The second is through painting, where color and form begin without a plan and the questions and concepts are revealed at the end of the painting. This process takes trust and often leads to discovering things about myself and my subconscious.

“Painting for me feels like diving into the unknown, with ideas and facets of my self glinting throughout and the full spectrum only being revealed in the end of the painting. It’s like I am searching for the questions in my paintings, and answering them in my installations.

“This series of paintings documents recurring dreams I have had since I was a child. The settings range from magical dreamscapes to nuclear nightmares often including idols from my Catholic upbringing and mythical characters from stories I grew up listening to. These narratives are about the balance of power, warnings from the deep, and mystics representing creative energy and greed.’’

Portsmouth, N.H.

Showing the fragility

A creation of David Katz in his show "Flextime,'' at the Museum of Art at the University of New Hampshire (in Durham), through Nov. 7. The show is a collaboration between the museum and 3S Artspace, in nearby Portsmouth.

In his site-specific works, sculptor and ceramicist Katz, in the museum's words,  "exploits the properties of wet clay to create complex web-like installations that push and pull against architectural elements, constructed spaces, and scaffolding. As the clay dries, cracks develop, exposing the fragile nature of the structural systems.''