Sanctuary exhibit to open May 29 at Gallery One
Gallery One’s June show, Sanctuary, will be open to the public from Wednesday, May 29 through Tuesday, June 25, at 32 Atlantic Ave., Ocean View.
Sanctuary means protection, or a safe or sacred space. This month, the artists of Gallery One are exploring their personal sanctuaries, both internal and external.
Herman Hesse said, “Within you there is a stillness and sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.” Artist Eileen Olsen knows exactly what he means, expressing that concept in her acrylic piece, “Turn, Turn, Turn.” She said, “Creating a piece of artwork involves a certain degree of solitude, spending time alone in thought. Along with this feeling comes a sense of peace and calm, and the freedom to be myself.”
Cindy Beyer’s acrylic painting, “Wave Rider’s Sanctuary,” speaks to the inner thoughts of the surfer as he contemplates his own personal sanctuary in the sea. Mary Bode Bryd’s acrylic, “ Koi Haven,” in vibrant complementary colors of blue and orange shares with viewers the protected, peaceful life of a koi.
In “Sanctuary,” an acrylic painting by Lesley McCaskill, the artist creates her own refuge by including all the essential elements. “Parks allow a place of refuge for me and others to enjoy a landscape. This is my dream park,” she said.
The natural landscape provides a sanctuary for artists Dale Sheldon and Mary Beth Paterson. “Follow the sandy path lined with flowers down a hillside to the beach and surf, with the setting sun adding a bit of color to the sky. This will always be my sanctuary,” said Sheldon of her acrylic painting, “Sand and Sea Sanctuary.”
Paterson said, “Getting in a good walk and allowing yourself to take in the landscape is probably one of the best sanctuaries for the soul available. I painted ‘Those Blues’ en plein air, and wanted to capture the many shades of blue in the sky and distant hills.”
Artist Joyce Condry recalls a feeling of safety in her acrylic painting, “Safe Harbor.” Condry said, “[I] was once on an ocean liner whose captain sheltered us from an oncoming hurricane behind an island in the St. Lawrence Seaway. This scene reminded me of our safe harbor sanctuary.”
A physical symbol of an actual sanctuary, “The Fourteen Foot Bank Lighthouse" is a pastel by artist Laura Hickman that depicts a lighthouse in Delaware Bay that was first lit in 1886. A Victorian-style house supports the light and sits on a submerged caisson. Many a mariner must have felt a sense of calm seeing the safety of its beam.
Gallery One is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day at 32 Atlantic Ave.,Ocean View. For more information, call 302-537-5055, email art@galleryonede.com or go to galleryonede.com.
