Peninsula Gallery to open View from the Water exhibit June 4
Returning this June to the Peninsula Gallery after their nearly-sold out partner show in 2020, pastel artist Laura Hickman and acrylic artist Steve Rogers focus their talents on original paintings of beautiful Delmarva waterways. Their new show, View from the Water, gives Hickman and Rogers the opportunity to depict everyday area landscapes through their own unique style.
An opening reception will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m., Saturday, June 4, and attendees will have the opportunity to talk with Hickman and Rogers about their works. Call 302-645-0551 or email peninsulagallery1@gmail.com for details.
“Laura and Steve are probably two of the most well-known artists in southern Delaware. Their styles are wonderfully compatible together, making them a great pair to share our exhibition space. We’re delighted that they are working together again,” said Tony Boyd-Heron, Peninsula Gallery co-owner and exhibitions director.
Hickman was born in Milford and grew up in Bethany Beach. She was profoundly influenced by her life at the beach, which is evident in her artwork. She earned a bachelor’s degree in art from Hood College in Frederick, Md., and received an MFA from the University of Delaware in printmaking, and painting and drawing. She taught for several years at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and then at The Savannah College of Art and Design. She returned to her hometown in 1988 to realize her dream of becoming a full-time artist.
Her current paintings are inspired by a trip down the canal from Rehoboth Bay to Roosevelt Inlet in late October. Hickman’s images capture vibrant shades of cyan, turquoise, ultramarine, cobalt and midnight blue, imitating the lush hues found in the Delmarva region. Her pristine pastel paintings embody the quietude and tranquility one finds while perched by the water on a sunny day.
Rogers, a Lewes resident, has loved boats and water all his life, centering his art career around them. He works in acrylics to paint traditional working boats in precise realism. He is a nationally recognized ship model builder, winning a certificate of commendation at the Modelbuilders Competition in 2000, and a signature member of the American Society of Marine Artists. Rogers received a 2005 Established Artist Fellowship from the Delaware Division of the Arts and was honored by being selected for the 2015 Delaware By Hand Masters Exhibition.
Rogers’ boats are not pampered fiberglass yachts, but rather hard-bitten, overworked oystermen, crabbers and menhaden steamers. His paintings capture the toughness and durability of everyday working boats, and the beauty and terror of the weather in which they work. Rogers’ depictions are incredibly accurate, down to the materials and construction of each particular type of vessel. His palette is rich with natural tones of ochre, umber and rust set off by shadows in cool blues and stark blacks. His lighthouses glow with an ethereal aura, beckoning the shipmen back to shore.
View from the Water is on display from June 4 to 28. Works from the show can be previewed at peninsula-gallery.com and are available for presale.
The 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 Village Shoppes at the Beacon Inn, 520 East Savannah Road, Lewes.
