The Tremaine Art Gallery is pleased to present the exhibit A Sense of Place: The Art of Allen Blagden '57 and Tom Blagden Jr. '69. The exhibit will run September 10 - October 9. A reception and book signing will be held Saturday, September 10, 4 - 6 p.m. The 2016/17 academic year marks the 125th anniversary of The Hotchkiss School's first commencement. The Blagden exhibit will usher in this celebratory season. The brothers' father, Thomas P. Blagden '29, was not only an art student at Hotchkiss but a teacher who, in his 20 year tenure, was instrumental in establishing the foundation for the School's art program which has produced many esteemed artists.
Allen Blagden '57 is one of the nation's foremost watercolor artists. His artistic talent was nurtured by his father both at home and The Hotchkiss School. After graduating from Hotchkiss, Blagden went on to study fine art at Cornell University and early in his career was employed as a scientific illustrator in the Ornithology Department at the Smithsonian Institution. He has exhibited nationally and internationally; his work can be found in many museum collections. His passion for depicting the natural world and its creatures has taken him all over the world; however, he has long made his home in the northwest corner of Connecticut where he was raised. Blagden writes of his nature-focused art: "It is no longer possible to live a life totally absorbed in nature, but for me it is impossible to live life without returning, however briefly, to the constant beauty of the outdoors. The wilderness is becoming harder to find; yet once it is instilled within us, the inner spirit is always quick to rise whenever we are away from turnpikes and sidewalks. I constantly need reassurances from mountains, forests and waters that my senses will be recharged, and confirmation that the ultimate beauty belongs to nature alone." His book Marking the Moment: The Art of Allen Blagden is forthcoming from David R. Godine press.
A professional nature photographer for over 40 years, Tom Blagden '69, has concentrated his work primarily in Maine, South Carolina, and Costa Rica. Tom's photographs have appeared in most national conservation calendars, as well as in numerous exhibits and magazines, including the covers of Smithsonian, Audubon, Outdoor Photographer, Nature Conservancy, and Sierra. His photographs and writing, which are devoted to land protection and conservation issues, have resulted in seven books on South Carolina. Tom is also a recipient of the National Outdoor Book Award for his 2003 exhibit-format volume on Acadia National Park. In March 2016, Acadia National Park: A Centennial Celebration was released by Rizzoli Publishers, from which this exhibit is derived. Tom has served on the boards of The Nature Conservancy of South Carolina and the Lowcountry Land Trust and he has led photography rafting trips in the Grand Canyon. Tom is a Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers and the North American Nature Photography Association. He lives with his wife, Lynn, in Charleston, South Carolina, and in Lakeville.
