Peninsula Gallery to host Delmarva and Beyond reception Aug. 29

The Peninsula Gallery brings together two local artists for its Delmarva and Beyond exhibition, running from Saturday, Aug. 29 to Sunday, Sept. 27. 

Fred Dylla is a newcomer to the gallery space whose medium is white-line woodcuts.

Howard Eberle specializes in dry-brush watercolor, and is a resident artist and repeat exhibitor at the gallery.

Both explore color, texture and the play between realism and abstraction to depict coastal and rural subjects from Delmarva and beyond.

An opening reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 29. Groups of 12 people will be allowed in the gallery in 20-minute intervals. Attendees must reserve a time slot beforehand and are required to wear masks. To choose a time slot, call 302-645-0551 or email peninsulagallery1@gmail.com.

Dylla is executive director emeritus of the American Institute of Physics. He spent 50 years as an enquiring physicist helping to design and build scientific facilities for astronomy, fusion energy, particle and nuclear physics, and medical and materials research. For many years he admired the artwork of his two daughters, Kim and Sarah, both fine arts graduates of the University of Virginia. He began painting to have something to talk about with them. He finds the white-line woodcut medium is a perfect blend of his two passions of woodworking and watercolor painting.

He carves a strong outline image into the surface of a woodblock, then applies watercolor within each individual carved shape. Next, paper is laid over the block and rubbed to transfer the image. Successive layers of paint are used to enhance the textures of the wood grain and the print paper. Dylla is inspired by 17th and 18th century Japanese woodblock printing as well as the Provincetown Printers led by Swedish artist B.J.O. Nordfeldt during the early 1900s.

A self-taught artist, Eberle has been painting in transparent watercolor since 1973. He started painting professionally in 1990 after a career in retail display where he learned composition, design and color. These elements have had a major influence on Eberle’s style, which he describes as abstract realism.

He eliminates details to get to the essence of the subject matter, incorporates strong shadows, and often juxtaposes a finely detailed subject on an abstract background. Eberle said, “The spirit of my work lies in dramatic composition of simple subject matter. It is the Japanese philosophy of simplicity that has most influenced my present style.”

Eberle said he loves to paint anything textural and aged, like the peeled paint of an old barn, the rusty patina of an anchor, or the weathered rope on an old Chesapeake skipjack. He finds that the time-intensive dry-brush technique that uses minimal water and a brush with very few bristles is the only way to achieve his spectacular variety of textures.

To preview the works in the show, go to peninsula-gallery.com. Works are available for purchase as soon as they are posted to the website. The gallery is located in the Shops at the Beacon, 520 East Savannah Road, Lewes.