“Scratching the Surface” is an exhibition of mixed-media works on paper, art board, foamcore, glass, and metal by David Haislip on view at the Gallery at Still River Editions through May 27, 2022. A reception celebrating the exhibition will be held in the spring.

Haislip uses techniques with ink, lacquer, varnish, paint, and carbon; some of his works incorporate small branches and other natural forms, glass, found objects, and even cat whiskers.

The works that comprise the exhibition are part of Haislip’s personal collection, meant to be viewed as a whole. Over the years, he has made a lot of work, discarded pieces that didn’t resonate, and kept only what was most important to him. Within the exhibition, there are several distinct bodies of work, but Haislip would rather have viewers create their own impressions instead of imposing ideas on them.

A number of the pieces feature incisions into a substrate highlighted by soft, brown carbon marks made by burning. Haislip said of this technique, “I make work out of whatever it is I have on hand. One day, I made a bunch of scratches on a piece of paper, and I wondered how I’d emphasize them. Ink wasn’t going to work, and I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll burn it.’ I found I could emphasize the textures of the holes and ridges by burning them. There’s an interplay of light and shadow as it catches the ridges and dips.” He added “I don’t start out with ideas or a thought, I just make something and it morphs into the end result, and then I look at it. If it’s interesting, I work with it. There’s nothing that needs explanation.”

The Gallery at Still River Editions is located at 128 East Liberty St., Danbury, and is open 8:30 am - 5 pm Monday through Friday. The gallery is closed on Presidents’ Day.