EARLVILLE — The Earlville Opera House will present its opening round of visual artist exhibits from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 2. According to a media release, the series features the works of three artists representing diverse and unique forms of artistic media.
Highlighted in the East Gallery will be local artist Bill McLaughlin with his “Small Wonders: Intimate Landscapes in Pastel” exhibit. He is a self-taught painter, mostly influenced by the Tonalist artists of the late 19th century. McLaughlin tries to emphasize mood and atmosphere in his landscapes, leaving room for the viewer to complete the narrative. His work as a visual artist has primarily expressed itself in his relationship to nature and the land on which he lives.
“Small Wonders: Intimate Landscapes in Pastel” is a series of diminutive works exploring the landscape through texture and color using a combination of various media including pastels, monotypes watercolor and lino prints.
Within the series are several smaller series that offer variations on a theme or process. In many of the works, the combination of pastel with other media adds a depth and tonal variation which could not otherwise be attained. The small size of each piece creates an intimacy which draws the eye and allows the viewer to immediately experience the landscape in its totality.
The landscapes in the series were mostly inspired by the rivers, fields and wooded hills surrounding McLaughlin’s homestead in upstate New York. They also draw from memories of Southwestern vistas on the high deserts of Utah and Arizona. Regardless of the terrain or media used, the subject of the landscapes remains the horizon and the conversation between earth and sky on which people are forever eavesdropping.
The West Gallery will have Deb Whitman of Norwich with her display “Two Sculpture Installations.” Whitman received her Bachelor of Fine Art degree from State University at Oswego with a major in sculpting. Her sculptures have been in such venues as “The North American Sculpture Exhibit” in Golden Colorado; “Loveland Invitational Sculpture Show” in Loveland Colorado; and “Made In NY” exhibit at the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn. Whitman’s sculptures have also been in numerous juried shows and festivals around Colorado, New York and Washington, D.C.
Her working career included self-employment as a technical illustrator, drafter, office designer and project scheduler, gallery director and documentation specialist for Norwich Pharmaceuticals.
In her retirement, Whitman enjoys carving sculptures in soapstone and alabaster.
As stated in the release by Whitman, “The human experience and my quest for meaning has been the inspiration for my sculptures. The essence of the spirit within the human form has been my focus, believing that we are more than these bodies and the social roles we were born into. Sometimes I have a concept or a word to start with, but most of the time I “get out of my way” and watch the image emerge.”
Showing in the Arts Café will be Earlville resident and artist Anna Perkins with her exhibit “Reflections/Patterns.” Perkins is interested in contemporary still life, portraiture, reflections and pattern. As stated in the release by Perkins, “Whereas bowls of fruit enticed the still-life artists of yesteryear, plasticky makeup bags, trinkets of cats, and patterned quilts inspire her. Both pattern and mirrors produce visual fragmentation through their abrupt edges, but they also stitch together areas through their repetition. Patterned fabrics as they exist in reality — not flat but crinkled, draped — also convey a cozy, serene feeling. Bringing people or animals into these scenes further imbues the painting with aesthetic and narrative function. I primarily work representationally, but I like to exaggerate colors to show how there is a little rainbow in every subject.”
Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Perkins is employed as a paint formulator at Golden Artist Colors in New Berlin where she has worked for more than six years.
She graduated from the University of Virginia with Bachelor of Science degrees in chemistry and in studio arts. Perkins is working on her Master of Liberal Studies degree at SUNY Empire.
The exhibits will remain on display at EOH at 18 E. Main St. in Earlville until April 6. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and noon until 3 p.m. Saturday.
Earlville Opera House annually presents 12 to 15 solo exhibits of regional and national contemporary visual artists in all media. Galleries also feature annual group shows highlighting regional artists as well as an annual exhibit of contemporary and traditional quilt artists. Curators may also propose group exhibits.
Visit earlvilleoperahouse.com for more information.