Reinventing the Wheel: My Spiritual Journey through Portals, Passages and Poetry

November 12, 2022 - December 21, 2022
Annie Prescott

“I remember when I was in fifth grade art class we had to create a design so that we could illustrate the concept of monochromatic harmony.  I decided to use a flower with twelve petals.  I then continued to sketch in between the petals, tilting my paper in a circular style.  The design continued to grow, and I was fascinated by its intricacy and beauty.  I just kept going until I had a huge multi-petalled circle.  The class was ending and I hadn’t put a drop of paint on paper.  When I tried to explain my fascination with how complex the circle had become, my art teacher had little patience for my excitement and told me I had to finish it on my own for a reduced grade. 

But I didn’t care because something had come alive in me, a fascination with circles.  I drew twelve pointed designs at every opportunity.  I was constantly doodling on everything.  I moved from circles to Ojos de Dios (God’s eyes) and mandalas.  I began to equate the geometry of the circle with a sacred symbol as I studied Native American art, Buddhism and Hinduism.  Different colors took on deeper significance.  My designs were always focused on a central point, a portal or passage of sorts, and of course, the circle had no beginning or end. I experimented with a variety of mediums, clay, resin and weaving.  I began to write poetry about cycles, rebirths, transformations that ultimately resulted in a book of poetry, Conversations with a River, which was just recently published.

This exhibit is an attempt to combine my art and poetry.  They both speak of journeys, seasons and dreams.”         -Annie Prescott

About the Artist

Annie Prescott was born in Fall River in 1952.  She fell in love with color and texture at an early age.  She attended Sacred Hearts Academy through high school and then studied English and Art at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.  After graduation in 1973, she became an English teacher at Durfee High School in Fall River Massachusetts.

After a career of 35 years, she retired in 2008.  She then had a studio at the Narrows Center for the Arts for 4½ years.  She and her husband Frank then opened a store in her hometown of Somerset, MA.  After the closing of the store in 2020 she continued to pursue both her art and writing in her home studio looking out over the Taunton River.  She published her first book of poetry in 2022 and this is her first gallery exhibit.

Annie and Frank Prescott continue to reside in Somerset, MA.

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