THE BATHERS paintings by Marjorie Price

Kline Gallery 
April 3 - 25 

“I grew up in Evanston, Illinois, one of the suburbs of Chicago along the shores of Lake Michigan. I'm told that I learned to swim as a tot —  and my passion for the water and swimming has lasted all my life”

A artist all her life, her paintings have moved through a variety of styles: landscape, seascape and abstract. The “Bathers” paintings are among the most personal. Price explains: “they express how a body feels and moves in another element, that sense of freedom and abandon one feels when released from the pull of gravity.”

The Bathers Series began in the 1980's while competing in a synchronized swim meet. She began sketching the swimmers as they practiced their routines and was carried away with the visual beauty of the spectacle, inspired by the constantly shifting colors and patterns the figures formed in the water. From those sketches emerged the Bathers Series. 

Artist and Author Marjorie Price to Speak

Marjorie’s recent memoir, A Gift From Brittany, (Gotham Books, 2008, Paperback edition, 2009) tells about the years she lived in France and was married to a volatile French artist. There, she had the extraordinary experience of becoming a part of an ancient village in Brittany and of forging a friendship with an elderly, illiterate peasant woman who changed forever the way she saw the world. In connection with the Frederick Reads event, Marjorie will be presenting her book at 2:00 PM on April 3, just prior to the opening of her exhibition.  She will answer questions and discuss the challenges and advantages of having the dual career of painter and writer.

Marjorie has worked as a graphic designer, taught painting to children and adults, has written short stories and essays and has published several children's art and education books. She continues to live and work in New York City.

Photo taken in Central Park NYC by Gil Rondan

Alexandra Zealand in the New Gallery January 9

Transformations 

Saturday, January 9 – March 13

Side Gallery on the second floor

Reception: 3-5PM February 6, 2010

Alexandra Zealand is a sculptor living and working in Northern Virginia. Originally trained in theatre design, she made the transition to more intimate spaces, and received an MFA in Sculpture from Pratt Institute, in 2003.

Using what many might consider “ kitchen trash” i.e. used coffee filters, grape stem clusters, orange peels, her creations range from intimate delicate sculptures to wall sized installations. Zealand says, ”I am inspired by the transformative process of massing, which causes 'gross trash' objects to become beautiful, dynamic sculpture when gathered together. Through this transformation, I also explore our eternal quest to stop - or at least slow down - the ephemeral, fundamental nature of the organic: to die”.

Although the assemblage of found objects is a time-honored tradition in fine art, as the viewer approaches one of Zealand’s sculptures--hanging from the ceiling or displayed on a pedestal, there is moment of recognition, both delightful and transformative.

Noctures: Paintings by Diana Suttenfield

Nocturnes in the Side Gallery--Oil paintings by Diana Suttenfield.

Ms. Suttenfield says:  "Inspiration comes from the land but the subject is more often 'light.' I do not try to copy nature but recreate it with the hope that my paintings start a dialogue with the viewer. I believe the real voyage of discovery does not involve seeing new landscapes, but in learning to look with new eyes at the old landscape. Recently I have discovered that painting from a still life offers the same intrigue with light.”

In this series of oil paintings, a break from her usual medium of pastels, she explores the time between daylight and darkness as it falls on familiar landscapes. Using a darker palette she has created a series interior compositions, her studio, a farm table with produce, as well as the rural landscapes of West Virginia.

Reilly Contemplates the Night and McDonald’s Farm are two paintings in this series that exemplify her mastery of brushwork.  These contemplative landscapes literally swirl with color and movement of the oil paint on the canvas, yet the subjects are a quiet home at twilight, (Reilly is the cat on the bench) and hay bales near a barn. 

Since 1968, Diana Suttenfield's artwork has been exhibited in regional, national, and European group and one person venues. A past member of the Maryland Pastel Society and Baltimore Watercolor Society, her paintings won national awards.

Visit this show, the Holiday Posters, the Camera Clique's Members Show and all the other exhibits and our Gift Gallery soon.

Instructor Spotlight: Mark Brockman

If I were to write an adage on ‘how to go far as an artist’ based on Mark R. Brockman’s style it would be: walk softly and carry a big hat. For the past 12 years, students at the Delaplaine have enjoyed Mark’s gentle encouragement and easy-going style ~ and exquisite taste in headgear.
Teaching mostly oil painting in an open studio format, Mark Brockman guides students through composition and the use of color in classes that enjoy a loyal and dedicated following. “The Delaplaine is a great place, they give me a lot of freedom in how I teach. The building itself is great. It is a great place to see artwork, to learn how to create regardless of what medium you choose to work in.”

Working mostly in the mediums of oil and pastel, Brockman’s paintings, though representational, are expressionistic in nature with great concern for color and the physical texture of the paint. “The paint texture is as important to me as the colors and subject.”

Brockman finds inspiration in the woods, farms, and orchards that are within walking distance of his studio in Pennsylvania. “I am drawn as much to the abstract quality of what I see as I am to what the subject may be,” Brockman explains. “A stream or fallen logs are more then just that but, in themselves, are often an abstract painting.” Brockman’s hope is that in painting more common subject matter he can draw attention to such commonplace things, “and show the importance of them and that beauty can be in most any kind of subject.” Regarding his style Brockman explains, “it evolves slowly, never stops changing and I hope it never does.”

As to his hats, Brockman explains, “I like hats. My summer hat is a canvas hat made by a woman in California. It is made to be used on sailboats, it is light can get wet and I can fold it then when ready to wear it opens up as if it were never crushed. My winter hat is a replica of a hat worn in the 1860's that I bought in Gettysburg, the hatband is a Native American beaded band made, I was told, by an Indian woman in the southwest. The band is typical of the work done in the 1800's as well. My wife gave me the hatband, she is a descendant from one the tribes of the Iroquois nation, though the bloodline is quite thin now. As you can see I like my hats. Everyone should wear a hat.”

And everyone should also take a class with Mark Brockman.

Oil Painting Studio runs six Tuesdays from 1—3:30pm beginning November 3 and six Wednesdays from 6:30—9pm beginning November 4. Register online HERE

In the Side Gallery until November 15

David Bottini, for Gabriel – Romantic Realism

David Bottini signs his work as "Gabriel" in dedication to the lasting effect that his Italian grandfather had on his love of nature and forests. David is currently showing landscapes, painted in acrylic, in the Side Gallery at the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center through November 15. His choice of landscape subject combines saturated color and a sharp focus romantic sensibility.

His inspiration for these paintings begins by wandering in the woods, seeking the perfect interplay of branches, sunlight and shadow, then capturing the scene in sketches and photographs. The final compositions lead the viewer into the painting by means of a stream, a road or a pasture bending out of view. A few smaller works confront the viewer with a barrier of trees and branches, with sunlight sifting through.

“My paintings narrate a personal journey where a solitary moment is captured in time and stored in your memory, a glimpse of the path that leads just beyond your mind’s-eye view. Where a ragged trail, a sideway glimpsed view, a view through forest toward a distant vista, or a weather worn pasture caught in a breeze capture your interest and become frozen in memory.”

David studied art at The Rhode Island School of Design, The Maryland Institute, and The Savannah College of Art & Design. He has taught in Wash. DC area prep schools and colleges during the past 20 years and exhibits in art galleries in Washington D.C., Gettysburg, PA, Mechanicsburg PA, and Jacksonville, FL. His work is in private and commercial collections throughout the US and abroad.

The 2009 "Rive Gauche" Art Auction is Underway!!!

Artworks for the 2009 "Rive Gauche" fundraiser are currently on display in the F&M/Kline Galleries. This is a "silent auction" (bid sheets are posted next to each artwork) and you do not have to be present at the Gala on October 24th to be a winning bidder, but it sure would add to the excitement!

The image (above, right) is of a painting by Calvin Edward Ramsburg, who also happens to teach abstract painting classes at the Delaplaine. This piece titled "Coral Reef" (acrylic on Rives BFK paper, mounted on canvas) is one of the 53 fabulous pieces up for auction and on exhibit. A wide variety of media are represented, including acrylic, oil, and watercolor paintings, collage, pen and ink drawings, jewelry, sculpture, metal and wood furniture, and hand-dyed silk clothing.

Stop into the Delaplaine to see the exhibit and be tempted! You could be the winning bidder, and give a boost to the Delaplaine (which is a non-profit) and to contributing artists, as well. And what an extra special gift you would have to give to a loved-one or to yourself!