Old World, New Perspective exhibit reception set Aug. 3
Peninsula Gallery’s Old World, New Perspective exhibition, on display from Saturday, Aug. 3 to Sunday, Aug. 25, will present classical realism paintings by present-day artists.
Oil painters Cecelia Cox, Austin Dwyer, Barbara Efchak, Barbara Nuss and Marco Vera will showcase work inspired by real-life observation, historical events and unpolluted natural environments. The pieces exclude references to the modern day and technology, and instead ground themselves in scenes akin to 18th and 19th century living.
An artists’ reception will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m., Aug. 3, and is free and open to the public. Call 302-645-0551 or email peninsulagallery1@gmail.com for further details.
Cox studied art briefly at the Atlanta College of Art but found the emphasis on commercial and conceptual art wanting. A year living in Brussels, with visits to many of the major European museums, had a much greater impact on her growth as an artist. In 2006, Cox was invited to join a talented group of artists to draw and paint from the figure. A workshop in 2010 inspired her to focus on still life. From pewter jugs to delicate china, all of Cox’s images feature impeccable tableware accompanied by complimentary objects like flowers, eggs, lemons and seashells.
Born in Tipperary, Ireland, Dwyer ventured to America in 1957 and served in the U.S. Air Force. He graduated with an art degree from the Burnley School of Professional Art in Seattle and was accepted to serve on the faculty. His paintings include majestic boats sailing on unpredictable ocean waves. His depictions of these historically accurate ships capture the stately nature of colonial-style vessels, placing them in scenes of powerful domination as well as dangerous, stormy seas.
Efchak has had a lifelong journey with visual and musical arts. Her pursuit of a more classical approach to realism led her to Grand Central Atelier in New York in 2013, studying with accomplished portrait artist Greg Mortensen. She is influenced by both the Italian Renaissance and the Dutch Golden Age. Her still life scenes are dominated by images of food presented in vibrant bounty.
Nuss credits her artistic development to her bachelor of fine arts degree from Syracuse University, the Schuler School of Fine Arts in Baltimore, her experience as a graphic artist and illustrator, various workshop instructors and her inquisitive students. By painting landscapes directly from nature and still lifes from studio arrangements, she learned the nuances of light and color on every imaginable subject. Her classical images include vast landscapes untouched by man’s hand, as well as picturesque snapshots of old European streets. Her pieces have a fairy-tale quality to them, giving the sense that an elegant princess or a wicked witch from an old German fable is hiding just around the corner.
As an artist, Vera never received formal training but manifested artistic talent from a very young age. Having initially demonstrated mastery in pencil drawing, he first began painting landscapes in acrylics at age 16. By age 20, he went on to paint in oils, and, after having been formally introduced to 19th century American landscape painting by a college professor, he began to develop a strong interest in following the footsteps of the great American landscape painters of the past. Vera’s landscapes show the collaboration between man and nature. His images feature bird’s-eye views of people sailing on bays and rivers, and hiking vast mountain ranges.
