Artists are busy these days as they prep for the Chester County Studio Tour. Sure, there’s more to think about this year given the concerns around health safety, but folks are confident things will go smoothly. This year is Downingtown artist Joanne Orth’s first time participating and despite the obvious concern, she is getting excited about the tour. Her realistic works will be Pam McKee’s Studio in Downingtown, Studio -#11 on the map.
Orth will be showing a wide selection of her work; many of which were done recently. “My paintings often focus on subjects from Chester County, frequently including interesting older structures and animals in their natural surroundings. I work mostly in acrylic or pastel, two mediums I enjoy equally. Most of my paintings share a common thread, a focus on contrasts – light and shadow – that define the subject and can help create a mood.” Orth’s peaceful settings evoke quiet contemplation.
Her studio is in her home, so spending a lot of time there in quarantine provided her with new opportunities. “With more free time, art publications that tend to accumulate are getting read, and I have more time to think about my goals. I’ve also spent more time looking at the work of other artists, examining approaches and materials I’ve never had time to try.”
Asked about generating interest in her work during a pandemic, Orth said, “I’ve always availed myself of social media and other online resources to promote my work, but during this unusual time these avenues have become more important. I moved into a new community just before the pandemic began, so I’ve opened my studio to my new neighbors – with precautions - and used our online community presence to generate interest in my work and in Chester County art in general.” Orth also donated several paintings to a local women’s shelter for an online auction for which she used online resources to promote the event and the group’s work in the community.
She doesn’t think sales via virtual viewing will ever replace seeing art in person, but during quarantine, online resources have helped keep art in the forefront. “I do believe that it’s opened a new avenue to help support public interest in art, making it easy to see original pieces.” However, after participating in several online shows, she is looking forward to a live event, not just to show work but also to catch up with fellow artists and friends. “This is the aspect of art presentation that I personally miss the most – chatting with people about how I approach a subject and seeing how they respond to the resulting painting.” Orth has been represented by Hardcastle Gallery in DE and has been featured at Darlington Fine Arts Center in Garnet Valley, PA. For more on her work, visit her website here.
Glenmoore artist Lin Webber, also a realist painter, uses watercolors to capture landscapes, seascapes, still life, and flowers. Webber is fond of painting farmsteads of the Brandywine Valley. She is also captivated by wood sailing vessels and unassuming buildings lining the shore of New England. Webber, who is also showing at Studio #11, spent her time during quarantine trying out new techniques and subject matter, including painting portraits for the very first time. Interestingly, she used a neighborhood yard sale event to share her work, displaying it in her garage.
Webber is a founding member of The Artists Circle, a group in the Philadelphia area who have been painting together for over 25 years. She is also a frequent contributor to Healing Art Works, a non-profit committed to improving the well-being of patients by placing donated artworks in medical centers and outpatient facilities. Both Orth and Webber are members of Flying Colors, a group of women Chester County artists who paint and exhibit together.
Both Orth and Webber have shown their work at various local venues including Historic Yellow Springs and Malvern Retreat House. For more details about Chester County Studio Tour, being held on September 19th and 20th, visit here.
Other events worth checking out: In Philadelphia, see “Touching from a Distance”, a group show opening at Fleisher/Ollman Gallery on September 17th. This exhibition, the gallery’s first in its new space at 915 Spring Garden St., will feature work by 20 artists including eye popping fiber pieces by Jesse Harrod, paintings by Becky Suss, who garnered well deserved attention when she created a series of vigorous paintings based on Wharton Esherick’s house/museum’s interiors in 2018 and incredible works by Kambel Smith, who also received quite a bit of attention in 2019 for his constructions of iconic Philadelphia landmarks. Visit fleisherollman.com for all the details.
Whatever you do this week, support the arts!!
About Constance McBride
A native of Philadelphia, Constance McBride lived in Arizona for 16 years, where desert observations made a transformative impact on her work as a research based visual artist. Passionate about contemporary art, she was actively engaged in the local arts community. She served as a board member for several art organizations, managed an artist collective/gallery space, curated and juried several exhibitions and wrote for two arts publications in Phoenix. She taught ceramics at Shemer Art Center and Museum and exhibited her work both locally and nationally. McBride returned to Pennsylvania in 2018 and resides in Chester Springs with her husband and two dogs. In West Chester, she serves as a board member at The Art Trust Gallery at Meridian Bank and teaches ceramics at Chester County Art Association. She also teaches at Clay on Main in Oley, PA. She is a member of American Craft Council, Philadelphia Sculptors, and Women’s Caucus for Art, Philadelphia Chapter.
(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...
Comments