Upstairs Gallery at Sand Castle Winery Displays Shona Sculpture

An exhibit of Shona sculpture is on view at Upstairs Gallery at Sand Castle Winery. The opening reception is scheduled for Saturday, June 12, all day.
Steeped in the legends and traditions of an ancient African civilization, contemporary Shona sculpture is a profound expression of the human condition that transcends geography and time. Sculpting with simple tools, these self-taught artists carve stones that they illumine with more than five hundred colors. The diverse work embodies spiritual themes that strike the wellsprings of our shared consciousness. Also inspired by present-day events and folklore, the sculptures maintain a direct link with ancient carvings done centuries ago.

Upstairs Gallery at Sand Castle Winery is located at 755 River Rd., Erwinna, PA. Gallery hours are Thurs. 11am-4pm; Fri. & Sat. 10am-6pm; Sun. 11am-6pm. Call 267/ 374-6001 or visit www.sandcastlewinery.com.

The Lovers, 60 lbs., black serpentine by Nash Snemore at The Upstairs Gallery at Sand Castle Winery, Erwinna, PA

Studio Incamminati Artists Featured by Gratz Gallery

Gratz Gallery & Conservation Studio is hosting Studio Incamminati’s Annual Artists’ Exhibition, which runs from June 6 through July 11. An opening reception, with many of the featured artists in attendance, including Nelson Shanks, is scheduled for Saturday, June 5, from 6 to 9pm. A catalogue of the show is available at the gallery’s website prior to the event.

Located in Philadelphia, Studio Incamminati is an advanced art academy known as an atelier. It is distinguished by its rigorous curriculum and teaching methods, which fuse the classical traditions of the Renaissance-era masters, the luminous color of the Impressionists and a fresh contemporary sensibility. The nonprofit institution, which was founded in 2002, specializes in the aesthetic and philosophical principles of humanist realism and the techniques espoused by Nelson Shanks, the school’s founder. Shanks is a world-renowned artist who is famous for his portraits of international luminaries ranging from Pope John Paul II to Princess Diana. Studio Incamminati emphasizes mastering the drawing and painting of both the human form and still lifes, as well as working with light and shadow, form, shape and color.

“Exhibitions such as this one place our work in the public eye,” says Jay Pennie, Executive Director of Studio Incamminati, “and help us fulfill our mission of producing not only highly accomplished artists but artists who have sustainable careers.”
Gratz Gallery & Conservation Studio is located at 68 S. Main Street, Doylestown, PA. Hours are Wed.-Sat. 10am-6pm; Sun. noon- 6pm; and by appointment. Call 215/ 348-2500 or visit gratzgallery.com.

Loni, 20" x 16" oil on canvas by Nelson Shanks at Gratz Gallery & Conservation Studio, Doylestown, PA

Artists’ Gallery Hosts Patricia Lange and Jennifer Cadoff

Artists’ Gallery is hosting sculptor and ceramicist Patricia Lange and artist Jennifer Cadoff in an exhibit titled Mud & Ink, which extends from June 11 through July 4. The opening reception is Saturday, June 12, from 5 to 8pm. There is also an opportunity to meet the artists for coffee and conversation on Sunday, June 27, from 2 to 4pm.

Patricia Lange, of Hopewell, NJ, loves to feel the earth in her hands, using clay to mold her unique, organically shaped, nature-inspired pieces. She is drawn to the subtle colors of the earth, its textural variations, its simple beauties. All of the sculptures in this exhibit—some stoneware, some terracotta; some intended to be hung, others free-standing—reflect this passion. Gourd-shaped clay globes sprout jaunty real twigs Lange collected from her yard. A tall, proud, totem-like sculpture is built from dozens of small bone-shaped pieces. Several wall hangings have been smoked, a process that adds variation to the clay’s natural richness and further enhances the complexity of their surfaces.

“I see my work as a process of experimentation,” says Lange. “Some of my favorite pieces have been, essentially, accidents, and I love that spontaneity in making art.” Her work, which also includes large outdoor pieces in metal, has been installed by a number of major corporations and is held in private collections.

Jennifer Cadoff, of Princeton, NJ, builds striking large-scale drawings out of tiny ink marks made on watercolor paper. The tactile forms and intriguing textures of these works play off each other.

Cadoff’s work for this show has moved in a new direction: abstraction. “Even while I worked with representational subject matter over the past few years, making the marks on the paper, building the composition line by line, dot by dot, scribble by scribble, abstraction has always been an integral and in some ways a primary consideration,” she says. “For this show, I stripped away the subject matter even as my mark-making techniques remained exactly the same. It’s been exhilarating—like stepping onto the high wire without a net.” In addition to the ink drawings, some of the works on display are paper-on-paper collages, in which each element or layer is entirely hand-drawn.

Jennifer’s work is part of the permanent collection of the Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission, and she is a signature member of the Philadelphia Watercolor Society and a full member of the Garden State Watercolor Society.
Both artists’ works are frequently selected for prominent juried shows in the tri-state area, and both have received numerous awards for their work in regional and national exhibitions.

Artists’ Gallery is located at 18 Bridge St., Lambertville, NJ. Hours are Fri.-Sun. 11am-6pm; most holiday Mondays; and by appointment. Call 609/ 397-4588 or visit lambertville arts.com.

One Thousand and One Nights, smoke-fired stoneware by Patricia Lange at Artists’ Gallery, Lambertville, NJ

A Night in Paris at BOI’s of New Hope Art Gallery

One highlight of the current show at BOI’s of New Hope, A Night in Paris, is the work of Chantal Roux. This French painter and sculptor is known for the familiar figures she depicts. They are packed with bright and vivid colors that express the sentiments of everyday life. Her style is not exacting, but the emotions she captures on her canvases are beautifully touching. The show continues through June.

During their recent trip to Paris, gallery owners Lonn and Bruce were excited when they stumbled across Roux’s work in a small gallery. The artist, a Parisian painter, likes to reflect all human emotions on her paper or canvas, but those she likes best are feelings of love and friendship.

She is quoted as saying, “I selfishly paint for me. I want to affix to the paper or canvas the sensations, impressions and emotions in the essence of their volatile and present reality, to transcribe the absurdity of these things.

“It’s impossible to circumvent the loneliness and...distress of the fleeting one, the human, in total. I want to evoke the other, this one that I see before me and that makes me exist...and exposes me.”

Roux, though well-known throughout the art world of France, is humble about her paintings. When she works, she becomes a dreamer immersed in the emotions of life, as common or as strange as they might be. She uses surrealism to express these sentiments, though none of her works are that far from reality. Her subjects tell a lifetime of stories through just a few strokes of her brush.

Along with the art of Chantal Roux, the exhibit contains works from the owners’ private collection. They are all either from Paris or of Paris and include works by César Villacres Erté, Michel Koulich, Robert Lebrón and Gruppé, as well as works local artists.

BOI’s of New Hope Art Gallery is located at 9 W. Mechanic St., New Hope, PA. Hours are Fri.-Sun. noon to late evening; and by appointment. Call 215/ 862-8292 or visit BOIsofnewhope.com.

Dos à Dos, oil on paper by Chantal Roux at BOI’s of New Hope Art Gallery, New Hope, PA

James A. Michener Art Museum Shows Ellis Island Photographs

From June 12 through September 12 the James A. Michener Art Museum hosts Ellis Island: Ghosts of Freedom in the Fred Beans Gallery. It’s hard to imagine a place that says more about the American experience than Ellis Island. For twelve million people, it was the doorway to a new life, and there are few American families who can’t trace their heritage back to someone whose first footsteps on American soil were taken on Ellis Island.

For five years, renowned photographer Stephen Wilkes had free reign of the island’s hospital complex. Neglected for nearly fifty years, the buildings were in an extreme state of disrepair: lead paint peeled from the ceilings and vines and trees grew through the floorboards of once cramped wards. In these long-abandoned spaces, Wilkes discovered an unyielding solitude, yet also found undeniable evidence of life, not only in the implicit remembrances of the people who resided there but also in the radiant, beckoning light in which these scenes were captured.

Organized by the Michener Art Museum with the cooperation the George Eastman House, Rochester, NY, and ClampArt Gallery in New York City, this exhibit presents a selection of Wilkes’ evocative images of Ellis Island as well as a group of vintage prints from the Eastman House collection by the legendary photographer Lewis Hine (1874-1940), who began documenting the immigrant experience around 1904 and produced a major body of work focusing specifically on Ellis Island.

The James A. Michener Art Museum is located at 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown, PA. Hours are Tues.-Fri. 10am-4:30pm; Sat. 10am-5pm; and Sun. noon-5pm. Call 215/ 340-9800 or visit michenerartmuseum.org.

Isolation Ward, Curved Corridor, Island 3, Ellis Island, circa 1998-2003 by Stephen Wilkes at the James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, PA.

New Hope Art League Exhibits at The Upstairs Gallery

The New Hope Art League returns to The Upstairs Gallery for its 7th Annual Summer Art Exhibit, June 25 to July 30. An opening reception with the artists takes place on Friday, June 25, from 6 to 9pm.

Each year the show encompasses a variety of styles and techniques, and the artists participate in galleries and juried and invitational exhibitions in the tri-state area.

Since 1974, the members of the league have shared their talents and experiences at monthly meetings where they network, and they attend a variety of programs, including lectures, demonstrations, sketch nights, critiques and field trips. In addition, the league provides a scholarship for a New Hope-Solebury High School senior who is pursuing further education in art (www.newhopeartleague.com).

The Upstairs Gallery is located in the Courtyard at Peddler’s Village near Earl’s Restaurant. Hours are Mon.-Thurs. 10am-6pm; Fri. & Sat. 10am-9pm; and Sun. 11am-6pm. Call 215/ 794-8486 or visit theupstairs gallery.com.

Cuttalossa Roosters, 16" x 19" watercolor and pastel by Deb Hoeffner at The Upstairs Gallery, Lahaska, PA