Exhibitions

The great artist Pablo Picasso said, “The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.” This describes the artist’s personal environment and it’s what the artists of Gallery One are inspired by this month. Artists often reflect their environment by capturing the beauty and challenges of nature in their work. In “Point Reyes Historic D Ranch,” an acrylic by Dale Sheldon, the artist captures the beauty of “a picturesque and rugged ranch dating back to 1870 which sits along a road leading out to a lighthouse at Pt Reyes. Just north of San Francisco, the beauty and grandeur of the landscape here is captured with the Pacific Ocean off in the distance, just out of view yet palpable.” In “My Favorite Lady,” a watercolor by Cindy Beyer, the artist was captivated by the beauty of her favorite orchid when she noticed one evening that the sun shining on the majestic white orchid was actually glistening in the sunlight.    

Artists are keen observers of the natural world, and sometimes that attentiveness is rewarded with a glimpse into the animal kingdom. For Cheryl Wisbrock, in her acrylic painting, “Exploring the Backyard,” she spied in a stand of trees and wild brush behind the gallery, a mother deer and her twins exploring and enjoying the wild honeysuckle and warm sunshine, while artist Lesley McCaskill, was lucky to observe from her studio window an unusual “Grosbeak,” depicted in the acrylic painting, “Winter Visitor.” “It was like he posed for me.”  

Artist Laura Hickman and her canine companion explore their natural environment daily. In “Morning Walk,” Hickman’s pastel painting, she commemorates this ritual, “every morning I take my dog for a ride to the beach and, if it’s a sunny bright day, we go for a nice walk. It is very much a big part of exploring our environment during the off season in Bethany.”

This time of year our environment can be a bit limited. Artist Joyce Condry does the best she can with what she has in her acrylic painting, “My Backyard.”  “This February, outdoor explorations have been limited to what I am able to see from the house, cuttings from my yard, and images of what I hope to see there this summer.” Joyce creates an ethereal, almost abstract painting, of past and future garden delights.  

Why not explore your local environment this month with a trip to Gallery One? The Gallery is open daily from 10am – 4pm.