New exhibit plants ‘Sensitive Seeds’ in bold abstract works at The Phoenix
July 16, 2026 | By Lisa Scagliotti The Phoenix Gallery & Music Hall throws open the doors on Friday to a more than five-month exhibition of bold, abstract new paintings by Massachusetts artist Mary Lynn Burke.
Titled “Sensitive Seeds,” the solo show of mixed-media paintings on canvas, paper and linen will run through the end of this calendar year. The exhibit launches Friday with a free reception from 6-8 p.m. that will include piano tunes by Kai Fukida.
Curator and gallery owner Joseph Pensak marvels at the variety and breadth of Burke’s work. “Many of her pieces are massive in size; this show will feature work at multiple different sizes and formats, including some smaller framed pieces,” Pensak writes in introducing the show. “Her brilliantly colorful palette stuns; the freedom of her mark-making is exhilarating. We truly cannot wait for you to see this work in person.”
Burke makes use of oil, acrylic and watercolor paints, cyanotype, pastels, oil stick, and spray paint techniques. In creating her art, Burke says she considers the relationship between humans and nature as it relates to mutual wellness and resilience.
She says her latest group of abstract paintings in the “Sensitive Seeds” show “reflects on our kinship with all life and our mutual capacity for ‘adaptation’ and ‘feeling.’ My paintings are born from expression of gratitude and celebration for a sense of belonging found in nature.”
Inspired by nature. Photo courtesy of Mary Lynn Burke
Burke’s work has evolved through her life experiences from her early years growing up in Michigan to time spent living in New Zealand to today as she makes her home in Lexington, Massachusetts. Her background includes a master of social work from Wayne State University in Detroit and training from the professional program at the New England School of Photography in Boston.
“My practice spans a twenty-year evolution as a photographer, clinical social worker, and mother,” Burke writes in previewing this latest exhibition. “During two and a half years on the rural coastline of New Zealand, time spent in solitude with nature moved me to create beyond traditional photography. Through bonding with native Māori land and sea, I felt an overwhelming sense of belonging and newfound self-compassion.”
The artist in her studio. Photo courtesy of Mary Lynn Burke
Inspired by the setting and people, Burke said she began using cyanotype, experimenting with sunlight and paint. Her work today continues with a deep connection to nature. “I often use sunlight to embed the impressions of my body and surroundings directly into the surface, building depth through soak-staining and layering emotive brushstrokes,” she said. “My recent work on primed linen utilizes sculptural techniques to balance frenzy and control, with layers of oil paint hinting at the symbolism in blossoming flora or the reach of branches.”
In many ways, she says her current work reflects the arc of her own life. “This series represents the culmination of an inquiry into caregiving, creative expression, and the wilderness of identity,” she said. “In a complicated world, I intend for ‘Sensitive Seeds’ to serve as a potent reminder that our human lives are inextricably and reciprocally bound to the collective power and beauty of all life.”
Burke has exhibited her work around the United States and internationally, including shows at Mīharo Gallery in New Zealand, the Portland Art Gallery in Portland, Maine, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City and earlier this year at the Middle Room Gallery in Los Angeles. In 2027, she is scheduled to show cyanotypes for her first institutional solo exhibition at Danforth Art Museum in Framingham, Massachusetts.
For “Sensitive Seeds” at The Phoenix, Pensak notes that all of Burke’s work will be for sale in varying sizes and price points.
The Phoenix is open Tuesdays-Fridays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sundays, 12-5 p.m. More information is online at thephoenixvt.com.