Peninsula Gallery to host Garden Party exhibit reception May 7

Peninsula Gallery will present Garden Party, a collection of fine floral paintings from five unique artists, on display from Saturday, May 7 to Tuesday, May 31.

April showers will bring May flowers to the Peninsula Gallery. Blooming on its walls will be a collection of beautifully crafted floral paintings, transporting viewers to a lush botanical garden in downtown Lewes.

Aptly titled Garden Party, the new exhibition brings together efflorescent works from both new and returning artists. This show’s perfectly pristine petals are painted by Laura Bethmann, Lani Browning, Sydney McGinley, Patrick Saunders and Sharon Waltersdorff. 

“The caliber of talent in this show is exceptional. Each artist brings a fantastic range of craft and skill to their respective medium, creating beautifully rich and abundant garden scenes,” said Tony Boyd-Heron, gallery co-owner and exhibitions director.  

Returning to the gallery again this month after her appearance in Sur la Table, Laura Bethmann is now displaying her renowned botanical watercolors. Bethmann’s "In The Garden” series celebrates the complex diversity of familiar flowers with the soundless mystery of nature. Her bright, bold paintings give an otherness to each floral species, drawing viewers into each work’s mystical world. An artist for over 30 years, Bethmann’s work has been exhibited in many museums and galleries, in addition to being published in books. 

Lani Browning, an award-winning plein air oil painter for more than 25 years, is known for her distinctive skill with colors, and the quiet elegance and tonalism of her paintings. Browning works in a traditionalist style, painting each leaf and petal to perfection. Her saturated color and intense detail make the viewer want to reach out and smell these fragrant masterpieces.  

Well known for her portraits of women, Sydney McGinley is now capturing the essence of femininity in soft but powerful floral pastel paintings. McGinley’s delicate peonies, hibiscuses and camellias burst with life, mimicking the fullness and flushness of the female form. McGinley is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America and is designated as a Master Pastelist by this New York City organization.

Early in his career, award-winning artist Patrick Saunders spent a decade with Hallmark Cards, learning from some of the greatest contemporary floral painters. While his work spans a wide gamut of subject matter from portraits to landscapes, he continually returns to the floral, attempting to interpret the delicate, translucent light effects inherent to the genre. At first glance, the paintings convey a sense of contemporary realism, but upon closer inspection, this reality breaks apart into abstract shapes created with spontaneous brushwork and textural passages of paint. This singular approach informs all of his work. Saunders is a signature member of both the Portrait Society of America and the Oil Painters of America. He travels extensively throughout the world, capturing the beauty around him.

After 15 years as a graphic designer in the Washington, D.C. area, Sharon Waltersdorff moved to the Eastern Shore to pursue her passion for fine art. She works primarily in small sizes, giving viewers an intimate experience with her subjects. Waltersdorff ‘s intense studies of common flowers have a fluidity to them, making an observer feel the motion of each petal. 

For reception details, call 302-645-0551 or email peninsulagallery1@gmail.com.

To preview works from the show, go to peninsula-gallery.com. 

The gallery is located in the Shops at the Beacon, 520 East Savannah Road, Lewes.