RAL's Members Craft, Joanne Alsruhe and 3 Views exhibitions open Aug. 30

The Rehoboth Art League will showcase three outstanding exhibitions beginning Friday, Aug. 30: The 40th Annual Members Craft Exhibition, Joanne Alsruhe: Life’s Reflections and 3 Views: Jean Doran, Steve Rogers, and Laura Hickman. The three shows will run through Sunday, Sept. 29.

The opening will be held from 5 to 7 p.m., Friday, Aug. 30, and is free and open to the public.

The Members Craft Exhibition will fill the Corkran and Tubbs galleries and showcase fine crafts including baskets, ceramics, fiber, glass, handmade paper, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media and wood. Eight cash prize Awards of Excellence, as well as the Mary Trimble Lynch Award and the Elizabeth N. Bingham By Dam Award for excellence in pottery will be presented at the opening reception.

Joanne Alsruhe: Life’s Reflections will be featured in the Ventures Gallery. Alsruhe paints with oils on treated mat board.  Alsruhe says, “I am always looking for that perfect subject with just the right quality of lighting. Color, contrast and realism are primary components of my work. When painting, I want to convey some emotion or story that makes the viewers stop, think and go beyond just looking at technique. I have the utmost admiration for the intricacy and complexity of nature, and I enjoy using light to show off this phenomenon. “

The 3 Views: Jean Doran, Steve Rogers, Laura Hickman exhibit features the work of three artists who work on location together once a month. Rogers describes it as "three artists - one location - three perspectives."  This exhibition will be in the historic Homestead on the art league campus.

Rogers has been very involved with the Rehoboth Art League. He is a board member and Outdoor Show Committee member.  Hickman and Rogers started the group more than a decade ago with another artist. It began as an artist exchange group that met to paint and critique each others’ work. Doran joined the group a few years ago. They travel to various Mid-Atlantic Region places to paint. Several years ago they even traveled to Italy.

Rogers said they begin each excursion with no agenda and the creativity evolves naturally. When first arriving on location each artist goes his or her own way and photographs areas of interest, then they regroup and spread out the pictures. There is always one or more scenes they all have in common, and from there comes a short list of things to paint. The work in this upcoming show features their most recent trips; Chester County, Md.; Leipsic; Cape Charles, Va.; and their favorite, Tangier Island, Va., 12 miles from mainland Virginia and accessible by ferry from Crisfield, Md.

Each artist will have 15 works on exhibit and for sale. The revelation of seeing all the work is the contrasts to southern Delaware, from rolling hills to farmland to the stark, expansive marshes.

The galleries are open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Saturday and noon to 4 p.m., Sunday.

The Rehoboth Art League is a membership-based nonprofit arts organization dedicated to teaching, preserving and inspiring the arts in the region. Celebrating its 75th anniversary, the league provides art classes, exhibitions and engaging art events throughout the year. For more information go to rehobothartleague.org or call 302-227-8408.

These programs are made possible, in part, by grants from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.