By Melanie Cordova

That slight breeze won’t do it, trying to find those shady spots in the street won’t help either, and not even that air-conditioned sanctuary a few steps away is enough. There is only one thing that can cool us down on these dog days of summer: water.

That chemical substance that is vital to all life forms is a constant thought for those who are outside during these summer months. Perhaps that is why ‚ÄúThe Secret Knowledge of Water,‚Äù an art exhibit that runs at The Nave Gallery through August 17, feels so right. Curated by Karl Gustafson, this exhibit features 19 local and regional artists whose work explores, interacts, and captures water’s many forms and mysteries.

Photography, printmaking, oil, acrylic, and interactive media are only some of the ways the artists chose to express their wonder for water. Every artist’s rendition has a different outcome, a different feel to it. The variety of the pieces sometimes makes it difficult to spot the water connection yet it is there in all of the art pieces, used as part of the process or if featured on the art itself. Water, in this exhibit, is always a constant presence. 

Much of the artwork is left open to interpretation, as is Ruth Hammil’s piece, ‚ÄúWeather Coming.‚Äù Painted in oils using both traditional and non-traditional techniques of using diluted mixtures of oil paint poured and layered on linen, ‚ÄúWeather Coming‚Äù is part of Hammil’s Horizons series. Capturing blues, greens, and reds make this piece strikingly peaceful.

Another artist featured who was inspired by the beauty of the sea is photographer Stan Czesniuk. ‚ÄúI was bored one day walking through the beach and I saw the reflection of a couple embracing on the water’s edge and decided to take a picture,‚Äù Czesniuk said about his piece, ‚ÄúBeach Reflection 1.‚Äù A romantic photograph, the water and sand’s effect on the reflection of the couple is salient, although the pair appears abstract, the affection is the focus.

Christine Destrempes “Groundwater #2” is different. A monotype with paint on silk, this peace is less tangible than the others. Though with a green background with yellow and white lines streaming down horizontally, this artwork has the fluidity and movement that only water can display.

Yet, it is both Moira Barret’s ‚ÄúSurface Tension #5‚Äù and Denyse Murphy’s ‚ÄúAbeyance,‚Äù that subtly captures that absolute connection between a human being and the happiness that water can bring. This connection is strengthened during these summer months and as Czesniuk said, ‚Äúif you get hot in the summer, just follow the water.‚Äù And if you do, you just might find yourself at ‚ÄúThe Secret Knowledge of Water‚Äù exhibit.