Memories exhibit on view at Gallery One

Gallery One in Ocean View announced its show, Memories, is open to the public through Monday, Jan. 3.

As 202l comes to a close, the artists at Gallery One embrace the visual nostalgia of memories. A picture is worth a thousand words, and so it is with a painting – the image can offer a narrative from an artist’s memory, or it can evoke a memory in the observer. Studies have shown that expressing oneself through art can help people with dementia, depression, anxiety and cancer improve their memory, reasoning and resilience.

The humble cookie serves to quicken the memory for two artists, Joyce Condry and Mary Bode Byrd. In Condry’s acrylic painting, “So Good,” the viewer is treated to a delightful rendition of a classic Girl Scout cookie. In Byrd’s mixed-media painting, “Cookie Jar,” memories of growing up in a large family with the iconic cookie jar on the kitchen counter ever beckoning are depicted.

For artist Laura Hickman, memories of childhood Christmases are made tangible in her pastel painting, "Salisbury Christmas." "One of my favorite childhood memories was Christmas shopping in beautiful, vibrant downtown Salisbury. The stores were breathtaking, with millions of lights seeming to dance in front of them. I’d like to acknowledge an archived black-and-white photo from Salisbury University that verified this distant memory,” said Hickman.

For artist Lesley McCaskill, “A Memory of Provence,” in acrylic, brings recollections of a special trip. “I loved this town; everywhere I looked were delightful vistas – people clustered around the old fountain in deep conversation, charming outdoor cafes, and views of distant hilltop towns and the iconic lavender fields.”

Dale Sheldon’s “Magical Moments,” an oil, recalls quiet moments relaxing in the garden with sunlight moving through the flowers. “Racing on the Chesapeake,” Marybeth Paterson’s oil painting depicting a triad of sails set in a blue sea, brings back many great memories of racing in Solomons Island, Md., on the Chesapeake.

Sometimes a painting is meant to recall a memory by evoking a feeling or a sense of place. So it is with artist Michelle Marshall’s acrylic painting, “The Path.” Memories of waking up early to experience the gentle morning light on the marshes combine in this image with flocks of migratory shorebirds in the distance. Seasonal migratory birds return to the same breeding and wintering grounds year after year, locating breeding, wintering and stopover sites simply by instinct and memory.

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.

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