By Lele Galer, Columnist, The Times
In Kennett Square, Saturday June 4 is one of the favorite outdoor art exhibits of the year: “Abstractions” at The Scarlett Thicket Farm show, hosted by Peter Welling. If you have ever driven by those lovely barns throughout Chester County and wondered what they look like inside, this is a great opportunity to do so.
The Scarlett Thicket barn has the most spellbinding light that hits the stone walls and wood rafters; it creates a magical environment to showcase the beautiful sculptures and paintings. This year’s selection of artists include: Dennis Beach, Katee Boyle, Dev Devereux, Lele Galer, Eo Omwake, Francis Roosevelt, Stan Smokler, Vicki Vinton and Peter Willard. The exhibit is open to the public, 2-7pm and located at 284 West Street Road (route 926) in Kennett Square. It is a beautiful setting, and a friendly, fun event, with hot dogs, refreshments, and wonderful art!
The Oxford Art Alliance’s Student Art Show opens Friday June 3, and shows through June 17th at their downtown Oxford location on Third Street. Student artists from all Oxford Area School District schools (K-12), Sacred Heart School, Bethany Christian School and homeschooled students art will be on display in the Gallery which is open, Thursday and Friday 9 – 2 pm, Saturdays 11 – 4 pm. Every Saturday 11-4pm, there is “Paint Your Own Pottery” at the Oxford Arts Alliance, where you may select from a variety of bisqueware pieces to glaze and personalize. Their National Juried Exhibition deadline is coming up in July, so if you are an artist, remember to submit your application soon for this juried Fall exhibition. Last year there were 400 entries and $1850 in cash prizes.
A painting by Kirsten Bell, whose work will be on display at the Phoenix Village Art Center.
There is a lot going on at the newly re-opened Phoenix Village Art Center this month! The Center has two shows throughout June. Phoenixville painter Robert Libby exhibits “Diatonic” at the Phoenix Village Apartments on Bridge Street, and a group show of Phoenixville artists from the Village Art Center and the Coleman Artist Studios exhibit in the main gallery. It is a great pleasure to welcome back the Phoenix Village Art Center to the group of exciting galleries and art centers in Chester County! Friday June 3 is the gallery Sneak Peek, and the opening reception for the group show is Saturday June 11, 6-9pm. Their active summer art camp schedule starts up June 13, for students ages 6-15, for full day and half-day programs. The center writes, “Our engaged instructors and small class sizes will make your son or daughter feel good about themselves as they see tangible results and their abilities in drawing, painting, illustration, 2-D mixed media, ceramics, crafts, 3-D mixed media, dance and theatre improve.”
“A Day at the Shore” by Judy Goodkind, as seen at Mala Galleria, Kennett Square.
First Friday Art Stroll in Kennett Square bring two strong new gallery openings. In Mala Galleria in Kennett Square, “Imaginary Journeys” opens June 3rd 6-9pm, with artwork collages by Judy Goodkind. Judy works with found images, building her pictures from widely disparate sources. She seamlessly integrates cut-outs and paint, and creates what one critic has described as “logical presentations of illogical reality”. Her visual allusions range through epochs of art history. They are brain teasers and invitations to puzzle-solving, and we are fortunate to be able to see this wonderful exhibit throughout most of this summer, at Mala.
Fresh Warm Air by Heather Davis, will be featured at Longwood Art Gallery.
At Longwood Art Gallery, the gorgeous Chester County landscapes of Heather Davis are featured in “Bold Color, Vibrant Light” which has an opening reception Friday June 3 from 6-9pm. There will be live music by The Ladeens, as well as complimentary food and wine, and a great chance to meet this very personable and talented artist. Some of her brave stories about what she put herself through to catch a scene just right, are incredible!
At Church Street Gallery in West Chester, renowned artist Martin Campos exhibits his beautiful paintings through June, with an opening reception Friday June 3, 5-8pm. Gallery owner Carol Giblin and her husband artist John Suplee are particularly excited to present the work of this esteemed artist and PAFA teacher to the Chester County community. This exhibit will be the first at Church Street to show nude studies in the main gallery. Masterfully rendered, these figures appear as compositional components, surrounded by energized ,abstract strokes or emerging in bits and pieces from mysterious dark spaces. As John Suplee describes, “A second, equally exciting aspect of the show is the inclusion of more than 60 small but brilliant plein air studies, mostly unframed and direct from the artist’s Germantown studio. They approach this increasingly popular method of painting with truly unexpected energy and freedom. The results are tiny gems of near- abstraction which demonstrate the skill and dedication of this emerging and important Painter.” With the weather finally turning sunny and warm, it couldn’t be a better time to showcase a brilliant plein air painter, and get inspired to some out-of-doors creating!
Summer classes start up for most of the Art organizations in our area, including, The Chester County Arts Association, Oxford Arts Alliance, Phoenix Village Art Center, Center for the Creative Arts and may more. The wineries in the County will be celebrating the Art of Music as the Brandywine Artisan Wine Trail theme for June, with many wineries highlighting various local music artists at their winery locations. Art classes and art shows will also be a part of the winery experience at Wilson Vineyard in Oxford, and Galer Estate Winery in Kennett Square.
