By Caroline Roosevelt, Columnist, The Times
Flowers With Jewel and Butterfly, by Charles Jay
The winter doldrums are upon us. Holidays are over, and now we hang out in limbo, preparing for snowstorm after snowstorm until Spring arrives. Or… you can head to Church Street Gallery for a solo exhibition of Charles Jay’s work in West Chester and get your fix of colorful florals and a flavor of warmth and vibrancy that is lacking in the winter months.
Jay is a Philadelphia artist, who pulls inspiration from the Dutch and Flemish masters. His lush, jewel toned palette, and simple compositions nod to the vanitas and still life paintings of the 17th century Dutch masters such as Willem van Aelst. At the same time, Jay weaves other styles such as surrealism (those occasional butterflies, or winding vines) , or post-impressionism (the contrasting perspectives, the theatrically flat quality of some of his paintings) a la Henri Rousseau. Jay paints on linen, or masonite. The sheen and buttery quality of his paintings reflect his preference for painting on a smooth canvas. Stop by tomorrow night, January 18th for the opening reception from 5 – 9pm. Exhibition will be up through the middle of February.
The work of Stan Smokler is featured at the Delaware Contemporary
Delaware Contemporary is celebrating its 40th anniversary with “Origins,” an exhibition featuring work by two sculptors: founder, Rick Rothrock, and long-time supporter, Stan Smokler. The reception was last week, but this exhibition will be up through April 21st. Rothrocks’ smooth stone sculptures, steeped in inspiration pulled from nature, (waves, animal metamorphoses etc.) gently compliment Smokler’s stark and resolute, abstract steel sculptures. Smokler often gives new life to found objects, purposefully turning them on their head and creating a unique purpose and perspective on the once mundane. Stop by check out this exhibition this winter and congratulation Delaware Contemporary for its’ impact on the arts in Wilmington.
Dark Roast with Cherries, by Maryanne-Jacobsen
Station Gallery will showcase a Winter Group Show for the month of February. This exhibition will feature paintings by Dan Chow, Ed Bronstein, Michele Foster, and newcomer- Maryanne Jacobsen. Stop by for the reception on February 1st from 5 – 8pm. I absolutely love Jacobsen’s palette and thick, resolute strokes in the florals. Each petal of her roses, expertly executed with aplomb. The colors drastically change from petal to petal to create an abstract but readable three dimensional quality of here subject matter. Overall, this is an excellent opportunity to take in some warm, colorful landscapes, cityscapes and floral paintings. This exhibition will run through the end of the month.
If you find yourself in Malvern as opposed to Greenville, Gallery 222 will be hosting an opening reception on February 1st as well from 5:30 – 8pm. Stop by and enjoy the Philadelphia Watercolor Society Board Show. This exhibition will run through February 9th.
As always, tune in the WCHE 1520AM for Art Watch Radio from 1-1:30pm. Next week, January 23rd, tune is as Amie Potsic interviews artist Marjan Moghaddam. Until next time!
