Share: 

Beach Property art exhibit to open at Gallery One June 30

June 24, 2021

The artists of Gallery One announce Beach Property, their July exhibit, will be open to the public from Wednesday, June 30 to Tuesday, July 27.

When the sun reaches its northernmost point from the equator, known as the summer solstice, many European cultures hold midsummer celebrations which include gatherings at Stonehenge and lighting bonfires on hilltops.

The beginning of summer locally is traditionally marked by seasonal residents returning to their beach homes, and visitors arriving in droves for some sand and sea.

Some artists took the exhibit theme literally and shared images of their favorite beach properties. Artist Laura Hickman’s pastel, “Bethany’s Smallest,” charmingly depicts the smallest building in Bethany Beach. The main house washed away in the 1962 storm and was never rebuilt, leaving behind this quaint reminder of the past.

Artist Dale Sheldon’s acrylic painting, “Walls’ Apartments,” delightfully illustrates the oldest house in Rehoboth Beach. Known as the Lorenzo Dow Martin house, it was built around 1873, when lots in the city could be bought for $25.

Artist Leo Kahl’s watercolor, “Boardwalk Tradition,” painted in loose, lush colors that seem to glow, is a portrait of what has made so many families continue to visit the local area generation after generation. It’s not just the beach that makes a visit special; it’s the boardwalk and the family adventures that create lasting memories.

In Mary Bode Byrd’s acrylic mixed-media painting, “Waiting for the Band,” lively and full of vibrant color, she pays homage to the bandstand in the heart of Bethany Beach that features many U.S. service bands performing all summer long.

Artist Eileen Olson’s watercolor, “Bethany Beach Dune Fence,” was painted en plein air on the beach after a nor’easter. The viewer can feel the power of the waves, and the deep blues and greens heighten the scene’s drama. When one owns beach property, storms are both exciting and nerve-wracking.

Artists Lesley McCaskill and Michelle Marshall also approached the beach property theme from the perspective of the beauty in one’s own backyard. In Marshall’s “Beach Property at Sunset,” and McCaskill’s acrylic “View from the Trail,” the viewer is treated to the beauty of the marshes in the state parks. Both paintings depict the marsh at Gordons Pond at different but equally dramatic times of day, and each painting is alive with color.

Always staffed by an artist, Gallery One is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day at 32 Atlantic Ave., Route 26, in Ocean View. The gallery is open with special artists’ demos until 7 p.m., Fridays from June through August.

For more information, call 302-537-5055, email art@galleryonede.com or go to galleryonede.com.

Subscribe to the CapeGazette.com Daily Newsletter