Free to Be Me show on display at Gallery One June 1-29
Free to Be Me is the title of the new exhibit to be displayed Monday, June 1, through Monday, June 29, at Gallery One in Ocean View. For June’s theme there were no rules. No agonizing over what to paint in keeping with the chosen theme of the month. This month Gallery One artists painted whatever they felt like painting.
Sonia Hunt’s pen-and-ink and watercolor is titled “Doors and Windows.” She says, “Walking in San Gimignano, Italy, I saw these plants and pots behind an iron gate. They were so beautiful, I just had to paint them.”
“East,” by Peggy Warfield, is a collage and acrylic painting in homage of her father. She places a snapshot of him in a bi-plane within the walls of a house. She says his responsibilities as a young husband and father in the '30s and '40s left him with no leisure or finances to pursue the many things that interested him. He was never able to “fly away.” But his sacrifices afforded her the freedom to pursue her heart.
Lesley McCaskill painted the “Indian River Life Saving Station” for the first time 30 years ago and continues to do so again and again. She never tires of the inspiration of the imposing and beautiful architecture. She says, “This structure is a wonderful remnant of the past. I see it as man’s attempt to have safety from the powerful ocean.”
Aubre Duncan does her magic with color again for this month’s theme. Her subject, the water tower at Nemours in Wilmington, is a lofty white structure against a vivid blue sky. Duncan took the freedom to add her trademark flow of colors to make the beautiful tower come to life.
“I feel free when I am painting. I can do and try anything and everything, and then try and make something out of it. Pure exploring, creating and discovering,” says Tara Funk Grim. Her mixed-media piece, “Tutti Frutti,” is a riot of color and blossoms and wild imagination.
Who can resist a great big juicy apple, especially collaged and painted in vivid red and green? Not Joyce Condry. She says, ”I’m a creature of habit. If I like something and it’s not toxic, fattening or life-threatening, it becomes a part of my routine. Nearly every day of my working life, my lunch included an apple. In my retirement I’ve been more free and added a little variety, but nothing is as satisfying as the crunchy, sweet taste of an apple. 'An Apple a Day' defines me."
” Gray sky, soft blue and lavender hills in the distance, and in the foreground, a single tree bathed in autumnal light" is how Laura Hickman explains her pastel. "This tree is one of the most striking landmarks in the Crete Senese area of Tuscany. Every season of the year catches the light and greets everyone who passes by.”
“She Loves Me ... She Loves Me Not” is the title of Dianne Shearon’s watercolor of daisies blowing and bending in the wind. “Remember the rhyme we all said when we were young? It reminds me of summers long ago and the feeling of being absolutely free.”
“When I am 'Free to Be Me' I will be living in an old villa on a mountainside in Tuscany, painting all day. I will wander around the region, taste the local food and wine, and shop at markets and enjoy the people. In the meantime, I dream of Tuscany and have painted my imaginary landscape.”
The public is invited to view these pieces and more work by each of the gallery artists. Also, visit the display of fine art by local artisans who specialize in pottery, jewelry, blown glass, weaving, woodwork, and metal and glass. Gallery One is always staffed by one of the artists and is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
For more information and the opportunity to sign up for monthly e-blasts, go to www.galleryonede.com or call 302-537-5055. The Gallery is at 32 Atlantic Ave., Route 26, in Ocean View.
