The exhibit, April 2 through 29, features four artists in different mediums.
NORTHAMPTON - Snow may still be on the ground and in the forecast, but Forbes Library has an upcoming art exhibit that includes Ukranian style batik eggs, a spring undertaking for one area artist.
The exhibit, April 2 through 29, features Marion Abrams' pysanky eggs, Karl Knapp's paintings and handmade lamps, Melissa Caldwell's miniature paintings and award-winning Monica Vachula's oil illustrations for "Noah Webster: Weaver of Words." A reception for the artists is set for April 5, from 2 to 4 p.m.
Pysanky comes from the word "to write," and eggs, decorated in this tradition, have words, or symbols, written in wax, and then dipped into dye. The waxed areas, which are later melted, resist the dye.
"As is the centuries old tradition, I only make pysanky for a few weeks each spring. The process is very simple and magical. I happen to start at the very beginning by raising the chickens who lay the eggs, then, all you need is some colors of dye, beeswax and a simple hand-made tool," Abrams said in a release.
Knapp's lamps are made with collected wood, and the shades with mulberry paper. His paintings are based on his photographs.
Vachula, a native of Hatfield, and graduate of Smith College in Northampton, has illustrated several books, including "Tea With an Old Dragon: A Story of Sophia Smith" by Jane Yolen, "Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and "Noah Webster: Weaver of Words" by Pegi Deitz Shea.
Caldwell's acrylic landscapes are two- or three-inches square, detailed, and sit on tiny easels or hang in frames.