Paintings, fiber art featured at Lewes open-house
An open-house art show featuring works by Jean Doran, Steve Rogers, Pat Staby and Betsey Von Dreele, will start with a wine, chat and chew gathering, 5 to 8 p.m., Friday, Feb. 15.
The event marks the third year Rogers and wife Staby have hosted the weekend-long open-house at their Lewes home-studio.
“The first time we did it we only had our own work. The second year we did it we invited Jean and Betsey. It was a lot of fun, and we did really well,” Rogers said. This year’s show is expected to be as much fun for artists and guests as the earlier events.
“It gets kinda slow in February, and after a year goes by we collect a lot of items. We’re going to mark things down to out-the-door prices,” Rogers said.
Rogers, an award-winning painter who uses primarily acrylic paints, is well known for his captivating and detailed landscapes and marine-themed works. He is also a nationally recognized ship model-builder and has written five books on the subject. Rogers is a signature member of the American Society of Marine Artists.
Staby, a fabric artist, creates decorative, one-of-a-kind pillows featuring her colorful designs. A self-taught artist, Staby’s work is sold through galleries and at juried craft shows. Her work, both pillows and wall hangings, are in private collections throughout the United States, Europe and Australia. She has won numerous first-place awards at the Rehoboth Art League member’s craft show.
Doran is a painter whose work covers portraits, animals, flowers, lifestyles, landscapes and furniture – not paintings of furniture, but paintings on furniture.
Her love of nature is often displayed in paintings, with a recurring theme of nature enhancing man’s work – man-made objects that are softened by being in the midst of a natural setting. She holds a bachelor’s degree in fine art from the University of Maryland.
Von Dreele, a fiber artist, works in her Harbeson studio using small strips of fabric, natural materials and found objects to create landscapes that, viewed from a distance, appear to be paintings.
She is a graduate of Drew University and the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and also studied at the Textile Institute of Rhode Island School of Design.
The show will feature as many as 30 pieces by each artist in a variety of sizes, Rogers said.
“There will be plenty of work to choose from,” he said.
After the Friday opening, the show continues 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 16, and noon to 4 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 17 at Rogers' home, 328 W. Market St. For additional information, call Rogers at 645-9030.
