“SUPPLICANT”: This mixed media work by Holly Roberts is featured in “Holly Roberts + Brander Furniture,” on view through April 27 at Morpeth Contemporary in Hopewell. A reception is on April 6 from 2 to 5 p.m.

Morpeth Contemporary presents an exhibition featuring the work of New Mexico Artist Holly Roberts as well local craftpersons Robert and Nina Brander. “Holly Roberts + Brander Furniture” runs through April 27, with a reception on Saturday, April 6 from 2 to 5 p.m.

Throughout her four-decade career, Roberts has consistently delved into the depths of her rich and varied inner world, reflecting her deep connection to both nature and humanity. Through her fusion of painting and photography, she has created a unique visual language that invites viewers into her intricate world of storytelling. In the early stages of her career, Roberts focused on transforming photographs through the application of paint, often completely obscuring the original image. However, as time went on, she began to recognize the inherent strength of the photograph itself. This realization led to a reversal in her creative process. Roberts now works on top of a painted surface, developing a narrative scene with collaged photographic elements.

Mary Statzer, curator of prints and photographs at the University of New Mexico Art Museum, said, “Holly Roberts’ contribution to the field of photography is without question. Her work has been added to the canon of experimental ‘creative’ photography in authoritative books on the subject for good reason. Few artists have so successfully combined photography and painting — seamlessly and to great effect — placing the imagined and the ‘real’ on equal footing to describe both lived experiences as well as psychological states and emotion.”

Brander Art Furniture designs handmade contemporary wooden furniture, and is the artistic practice of daughter/father duo Nina and Robert. The Brander Art Furniture studio is housed in the barn of Nina’s childhood home, overlooking the Amwell Valley from the top of Sourland Mountain, surrounded by preserved fields and forest. Inspiration is drawn from the landscape, old stock materials from the barn stacks, or from locally sourced dead trees salvaged and transformed off the forest floor. Nina and Robert’s art furniture practice is a dialogue that aims to highlight the links between craft, nature, and place in a contemporary context.

Morpeth Contemporary is at 43 West Broad Street in Hopewell. For more information, call (609) 333-9393 or visit morpethcontemporary.com.