March 2, 2024

Galleries are more than just walls decorated with art. They are community spaces that create shared experiences for artists, art lovers, collectors, and curators. Cultivating that environment has been an intentional part of owning a gallery for Carol Giblin and John Suplee, the owners of Church Street Gallery in West Chester.

Suplee is a familiar face of the Brandywine Vallery art scene, but Giblin is the heart and soul of the gallery. From the start, she wanted to ensure the gallery was a positive experience for all.

“This gallery gets a lot of love from the community,” she said. They give that love back, with shows featuring local artists as well as sourcing from local vendors whenever possible. “We want to engage the community,” Giblin said. “We keep it joyful.”

The new show opening this month at the gallery, Seasons of Color from Elise Phillips, marks the artist’s fourth time showing in the space. Bringing artists back every few years allows people to see their art over time.

“We would like to think our visitors notice how Elise’s work has evolved over the years she has been showing with us,” said Giblin. “Her work (both color and brushwork) appears to be more dynamic.”

Artists frequently return to the gallery, both to show their own works and to attend the exhibitions of others.

“They come back to the artist talks, and to support the other artists,” said Suplee. He noted that over the years, they have seen more people interested in original works of art rather than prints to hang in their homes. Church Street Gallery even allows people to bring a piece home to see how it works in a space. “The art never comes back.”

Phillips agreed that the artists make this region a special place for inspiration.

“We live in such a rich art community and the camaraderie among the artists is so inspiring,” she said. “The artists before me inspire my paintings as I’m drawn to the untouched countryside as were they.”

The artworks in this exhibition celebrate pastoral scenes but also have an updated take on the classic tradition.

According to Giblin,“This show is more about the Bucks County Tradition in that it is steeped in Pennsylvania Impressionism — like many of those artists, Elise depicts the beauty that she finds in her own rural setting or personal travels.”

Church Street Gallery has shown many of the region’s most popular artists, such as Rhoda Kahler, Philip Jamison, Charles Jay, Robert Bohne, Portia Mortensen, and Suplee himself. This year is the gallery’s tenth anniversary, and a retrospective show of past artists is planned for Summer 2024. It will be an interesting look back at the many exhibitions, with the lower gallery walls lined with all the posters from each show over the past decade.

Philip Hill, a past exhibiting artist, happened to stop by the gallery, and noted, “There is nothing like the art in Chester County.” He emphasized that the curation of shows is as important as the artworks themselves. “Putting together a show is a word of art in itself,” he said.

Giblin agreed: “The installation is important in our minds, so each painting can stand on its own.” While installing this show, she frequently considered the colors, subjects, and feel of the pieces in the space, creating an overall effect that highlights each piece and the exhibition as a whole. She continued, “I hope people feel that, that it makes them feel happy.”

Phillips echoed that sentiment: “I hope people feel calm and peaceful when looking at my paintings and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us.” In this exhibition of pastoral scenes and gentle landscapes, echoes of seasons through the year invite you to take a breath and simply enjoy the view.

Seasons of Color, a solo show of works by Elise Phillips, is on view at Church Street Gallery through March 30. An Artist Talk will be held on Thursday, March 28 at 7 pm. The Church Street Gallery is at 12 S. Church Street, West Chester. More information can be found at ChurchStreetGalleryWC.com.