Light on the Land exhibit opening reception set at Peninsula Gallery May 7
Peninsula Gallery in Lewes announced its new exhibit Light on the Land will open with an artists' reception from 5 to 7 p.m., Saturday, May 7. The artists' works explore the interaction of light and color when painting plein air and in the studio.
Plein air painters Carole Boggemann Peirson and Meg Nottingham Walsh are used to pursuing their craft in all weathers. Most of the events they participate in are held in spring and fall. However, when preparing for this exhibition, both artists needed to make use of the winter months as well, in order to produce sufficient work.
Peirson, originally from Holland, started her artistic career as a graphic artist in Rotterdam. However, her greatest pleasure and fulfillment came from creating impressions of things that fascinated and inspired her personally. Art was primarily the nuts and bolts of a fast-paced job at an advertising agency. Then in 2000 she moved to the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The culture shock of moving from a crowded city to rural America changed her life and her view of life itself. When she saw the beauty of nature around her, she knew she could never go back.
After studying with two well-known Virginia artists, she decided to start painting outdoors, realizing that mastering plein air painting was crucial to becoming a better studio painter since a camera does not capture the light and colors in nature accurately. “Plein air paintings are more painterly, leaving out unnecessary detail, creating a momentary memory. They have a fresh and exciting appeal for me, and I have grown to love the sounds and smells of nature,” she said. Her technique of glazing (transparent layers of oil paint on top of a monochrome underpainting) gives her studio paintings a three-dimensional look.
Walsh recently moved from Arlington, Va., to Easton, Md. Easton is recognized by many artists for holding one of the premier plein air events in the country. She has won numerous awards there, as well as at events in Annapolis, Md., Richmond, Va., and Falls Church, Va. “Painting outdoors forces me to focus on the essence of a scene, and I like the immediacy it lends to my work. My goal is to translate the landscape, capturing what interests me most about a specific place at a specific time.”
Equally at home painting in the studio, Walsh is known for landscapes drenched in light and color. Though realistic in nature, her paintings have a strong abstract element characterized by simplified shapes, limited values and glowing color.
“We are thrilled to be able to bring these two artists together, said Tony Boyd-Heron, Peninsula Gallery’s exhibition coordinator. "Although they knew of each other before, they had never met. Now they have formed a friendship that has even resulted in them painting together. That’s what it’s all about!”
The show will continue through Tuesday, May 31. The gallery is at 520 E. Savannah Road in Lewes, and hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday. For more information, go to www.peninsula-gallery.com or call 302-645-0551.
