Exhibit to Feature Trio of Local Artists
A trio of local artists will present their work in a summer exhibit running from Thursday (May 28) through July 19 in Wilmington College’s Harcum Gallery.
Artists Katelyn Wolary, Brad Davis and Doug Davis will be honored at an opening reception Thursday, from 6 to 8 p.m. The public is invited free of charge. Normal gallery hours are weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(ABOVE) WC students Stryker Stock and Callie Eberhart got a sneak peak of the new exhibit that opens Thursday at Harcum Gallery.
Hal Shunk, professor of art, is gallery curator.
Wolary said her artistic influences and inspirations are anchored in nature.
“The quietness of the unadulterated landscape and the sublime moments between person, self and nature, are concepts that I strive to emulate through painting, drawing and even sculpture,” she said.
Wolary added that the human form and nuances of individuality inspire her — “as do the universal struggles we all encounter with identity and how we seem to fit in the often cold, yet beautiful world.”
Brad Davis’ paintings seek to emphasize the beauty found in overlooked people and places in his surroundings.
“I focus on aspects of urban culture, while simultaneously engaging with more traditional practices, including portraiture and still life,” he said. “As an artist, I see myself as a sponge to my surroundings and I filter my perspective through a language of paint.”
Shadowing the tradition of American realism reflected by Thomas Eakins, Jamie Wyeth and Bo Bartlett, Davis pursues “a monumental truth that is defined by who we are, how we behave and how we perceive.”
Doug Davis believes that art can communicate ideas visually that cannot be communicated through any other medium, as he sees the world in terms of shapes, colors, textures and forms.
He is interested in the “little scenes,” those objects or places that otherwise go unnoticed such as cars, old buildings and windows.
“There is nothing exceptional about my subject matter, however, at a closer look, there is a certain beauty and familiarity that, for me, becomes exciting and fascinating,” he said.
Interestingly, he creates his artwork using a medium known as egg tempura, in which the yolk of an egg is separated and mixed with distilled water, which becomes a binder for dry pigments and exhibits an opaqueness and ease for working from dark to light colors.
“By layering thin colors one on top of the other, I’m able to get an almost atmospheric quality to my work,” he added.