Lambertville painter Gwenn Seemel’s new series of surreal paintings that are helping people talk about their feelings – from a project funded in part by the Puffin Foundation – will be on display at the Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon St., Princeton, N.J., starting Aug. 7.
Meet Seemel at an opening reception and artist talk at 7 p.m. Aug. 16. The show continues through Oct. 15. It’s called “Everything’s Fine” because Seemel, who was recently featured in a Belgian documentary, wants to make it clear that she knows everything’s not. She said she doesn’t want anyone to think they’re the only one struggling with anxiety or depression.
Seemel said the images are a starting place. “I feel like this,” you might say, pointing to the dragonfly being offered an oxygen mask. You could use a postcard of the skeleton who’s practicing death as a bookmark – a private reminder that at least one other person, AKA the artist, has felt like you. Or maybe you make it public, setting the image of a flying fish dragging an anchor as your profile pic.
However you use it, the artist wants this work to feel like it belongs to you as much it does to her. As Seemel puts it, “These images were designed with you in mind, both because I need to feel like I’m not alone and because I want you to feel that connection as well.”
The exhibit is available to view every day, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.
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