Face to Face to Face exhibit to open at Peninsula Gallery Oct. 7

Peninsula Gallery will host an opening reception for the Face to Face to Face exhibition from 5 to 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 7. Exhibiting artists are Syd McGinley, Karin Snoots and Michael Sprouse.

For McGinley, who has been drawing and painting female figures and faces in pastel and conté pencil for two decades, it was an opportunity for further exploration. Her intention with the historical portraits and with her spa series was not to be specific to likeness or time, but to evoke a sense of emotional presence. Narration or storytelling was not her primary concern, rather it was conveying the beauty of the geometry and the grace of the human form. Despite this, the viewer cannot help but read into each single face a sense of history, while in those featuring multiple faces, a conversation seems to be taking place.

Snoots has primarily specialized in painting with oils and acrylics but recently has had the courage to push her boundaries to include repurposing and recycling non-traditional objects on which to paint. She has also found a new passion in clay. The main focus of all her work is the natural environment. She has a steadfast commitment to preserving its precious natural heritage. As a member of the international organization Artists for Conservation, much of her work in this show features animal faces. Some, however, features transformed radiation masks, sales of which will benefit a head and neck cancer charity.

Sprouse has always been fascinated by the imagery of early silent films and vintage photography, and the stories they portray. It is the same focus on silent communication, delivered only by expression, which motivates his work today. When viewers stare at the faces, looking right into the eyes, wistful, secretive, loving, happy and sad are what they will see. The faces he paints are symbolically reminiscent of those silent movie stars who could tell a story with their eyes like few others.

The Peninsula Gallery is in the shops at the Beacon on Savannah Road in Lewes. For more information, go to peninsula-gallery.com or call 302-645-0551.