Nostalgia exhibit reception set June 29 at Peninsula Gallery
Peninsula Gallery’s July exhibition, Nostalgia, on display from Saturday, June 29 to Sunday, July 28, will remind visitors of the simple joys of childhood and elicit fond recollections from the past.
Aritsts Blanche Guernsey, Karen McCool, Nancy McIntyre, John Schisler and Sharon Strine will share a collection of playful artwork that takes guests down memory lane.
An artists’ reception will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m., June 29, and is free and open to the public. Call 302-645-0551 or email peninsulagallery1@gmail.com for further details
A Wyoming-based, self-taught artist, Guernsey considers her artwork a voice reflecting her experiences and surroundings. Family, traditions and that sense of belonging are depicted throughout her work as she uses bold brushstrokes in oils to create still-life paintings that inspire a universal feeling of nostalgia. For this exhibit, she will showcase eight oil paintings of novelty children’s games. Legos, Uno, Yahtzee, Scrabble and more serve as the subjects of her images, reverting viewers to more innocent times full of play and imagination.
Residing in West Chester, Pa., McCool is a self-taught artist who began her formal practice in 2019. She’s interested in exploring the concepts of memory and human connection. She was so moved by her mother’s reaction to old photos (her mother had dementia), that she began using them as reference. McCool seeks to illustrate connection through nostalgic vignettes of daily life. Characterized by humor, the light-hearted renderings are created in an alla prima style with bold color. Her scenes feature backyard barbecues, energetic beach days and chilled beverages consumed straight from the bottle.
McIntyre attended the Rhode Island School of Design and found a passion for the silkscreen printing process from art wood. Her silkscreens have depicted man-made places like shops and porches, as well as natural subjects like skies and birds. She tries to persuade viewers to find beauty in the ordinary, even in the shabby, especially when the light is right. Using multiple layers of color on each image, McIntyre’s silkscreens are intricate re-creations of vintage storefronts and signage. She showcases her compositional skills through her artistic replication of glass reflections, giving her paintings an almost photographic quality.
Schisler is an award-winning painter living in Georgetown. He takes much of his technique and inspiration from classical masters such as Maroger, Titian, Rubens and Rembrandt. Keeping with the tradition of the old masters, he makes the black oil that is then used to make medium, as well as oil paint by mixing with powdered pigments. Schisler takes the historic style of still-life painting and replaces the scene’s objects with wistful contemporary icons like American flags, baseballs and bats, and sunflower seeds.
A native Delawarean, Strine now resides in New York City. Her artwork has appeared in solo and group exhibitions, galleries and art fairs up and down the East Coast . Although living in the city provides a bombardment of inspiration, Strine will always long for the beach. In an instant, she can be transported to her childhood summers spent in Lewes, playing in the dunes, crabbing and sailing. In her artwork, she uses the sights and feelings of shared human experience to make meaningful connections. For the Nostalgia show, she reminisces on her life at the beach with her portraits of women enjoying the sandy shores, dressed in classic bathing suits and cat-eye sunglasses.
Works from the show can be previewed at peninsula-gallery.com and are available for presale.
The Peninsula Gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday, in the Shops at the Beacon, 520 East Savannah Road, Lewes.
