New Peninsula Gallery exhibit opens June 1 with artists’ reception
Anyone can get an art history lesson with Peninsula Gallery’s June exhibition, Homage To ..., where six contemporary artists exhibit paintings in the manner of historic masters. From Saturday, June 1 to Sunday, June 23, Jacalyn Beam, Sydney McGinley, Nina Mickelsen, Joe Milligan, Nick Serratore and Nancy Richards West will each display new works that honor a famous artist they have selected while still maintaining their own unique style and aesthetic.
An artists’ reception will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m., Saturday, June 1, and is free and open to the public. Attendees will have the opportunity to mingle with some of the artists during the evening. Call 302-645-0551 or email peninsulagallery1@gmail.com for further details.
Jacalyn Beam is a nationally known plein air oil painter whose works are recognized across the country. Her art is included in various books and publications, including 100 Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters, Art Collector Magazine, Brandywine Valley Reflections and more. In this exhibit, Beam is paying homage to Edward Redfield, a Delaware impressionist and plein air painter. Her images mimic Redfield’s well-known scenery, brushwork and style, most notably in her featured winter landscapes.
Sydney McGinley is a designated master pastelist with the Pastel Society of America. She has won national and international awards, and has been featured in various established art publications. Her work is collected in the United States and Europe. McGinley uses her pastels to paint in the manner of American impressionist Mary Cassatt. The correlation between McGinley’s and Cassatt’s art lies in their figurative work, as both women capture the essence of the female form. McGinley will feature six new portraits in this show, three of which mimic Raphaelite sketches, leaving the original composition marks on the paper.
As a Finland native, Nina Mickelsen’s artistic roots are in Nordic design: clean, bright colors, bold shapes and crisp, strong lines, conveying energy, strength and motion. She draws inspiration from nature and also contemporary design. Mickelsen’s chosen medium of silkscreening pays tribute to Andy Warhol’s revolutionary pop art pieces. As Warhol used brands and popular imagery to convey his artistic intention, Mickelsen uses bold icons like Tabasco hot sauce, multicolor buoys, double-flavored popsicles and more in her pieces.
Joe Milligan’s watercolors evoke a sensitive feeling of time and place that can be attributed to his keen observations of the subjects and their surroundings. With works featured in galleries in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey, he has received awards at regional art shows, and has appeared in books and magazines about the New Jersey coast. Andrew Wyeth is Milligan’s muse for this showcase, which embraces Wyeth’s atmospheric and rustic subjects. As with Wyeth, Milligan’s paintings are void of people, but their presence and spirit are always felt.
Nick Serratore works primarily in pastels, a medium he feels can capture the tactile experience and majesty of the grand landscapes he depicts. Serratore has been featured in multiple solo exhibitions, participated in various charitable events and won numerous awards. Since he was an art student, Serratore has been influenced by the work of German-born artist Wolf Kahn. Serratore’s technique harkens back to Kahn’s mark-making, which juxtaposes contrasting colors to blend warm and dark hues. While Kahn is known for his bright, colorful images, Serratore has opted to craft muted, melancholic paintings for this exhibit, taking Kahn’s style and updating it.
Nancy Richards West has been painting professionally since 1971, with a focus on depicting the quiet beauty of wildlife and nature. She works in an array of styles and mediums but has focused on the ancient Asian art of Sumi-e (ink-wash) painting for this exhibition. West’s traditional Asian artwork is inspired by Sesshu Tōyō, a 16th-century Japanese artist known as the defining master of Sumi-e landscape painting. Her work replicates Tōyō’s soft, misty scenes and firm, energetic strokes, allowing her contemporary images to evoke a timeworn appearance.
Works from the Homage To ... show can be previewed at peninsula-gallery.com and are available for presale.
The Peninsula Gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday, in the Shops at the Beacon, 520 East Savannah Road, Lewes.
