City to Sea exhibition to open at Peninsula Gallery Aug. 2

The Peninsula Gallery announced its City to Sea exhibition will open with an artists’ reception from 5 to 6:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 2. 

City to Sea brings together artists Cathy Abramson, John Aquilino and Jack Robbins to depict metropolitan and ocean landscapes in various shapes and sizes. While all share a contemporary realism style, they each express the theme from original perspectives.

A Maryland-based artist, Abramson finds inspiration in the city and its constant fluidity. Seeing poetry in the ordinary, she explores the urban environment through the more painterly aspects of her subject matter — the linear quality of buildings under construction, and the effect of light and shadow on the geometry of the built environment. For this exhibit, Abramson has included scenes of modern urban living: strangers in a cafe, windows dressed in the latest fashion trend, a man taking his best friend out on an evening walk. But the concept of City to Sea pushes Abramson beyond her metropolitan comfort zone, inviting her to showcase more traditional marsh views and seascapes that reflect the quiet stillness of natural waterways.

Born and raised in the New York City area, Aquilino has been a working artist for 20 years. He is intrigued by the endless patterns of colors and shadows produced by the changing light throughout the day and at different times of the year. His goal is not to document a particular city or view; instead, he manipulates shapes and shadows to create striking compositions. The colors are exaggerated, the surfaces are simplified, and architectural features are rearranged or eliminated. Aquilano’s cityscapes are graphic and geometric, creating an intimate connection with buildings through intense precision and detail. Meanwhile, his beach scenes, which capture the crowded shores during summer vacation, are freer in design while still embracing a graphic nature.

For Robbins, painting is storytelling — creating an image that sparks the imagination and makes viewers want to spend time with it, writing their own narratives. Through his brush, he transports viewers to a specific moment in time, taking them from stormy evenings on the beach to sun-soaked afternoons in a modern museum. Robbins’ City to Sea images are atmospheric and evocative, with simple shapes and high-contrast shading. 

Works from the show can be previewed at peninsula-gallery.com. The exhibit continues through Sunday, Aug. 31.

The gallery is located in the Village Shoppes at the Beacon Inn, 520 East Savannah Road, Lewes.