When an artist who has shown with us asks if he can show again, we are pleased but when he asks if he can show with a specific artist, we are ECSTATIC! So in July our featured artists are Barry Mason and Deborah Rolig (Barry’s choice.) They met in February 2017 through the abstract show. Barry was drawn to the artistic “voice” that drives Debi’s expressive paintings. Similarly Debi was inspired by Barry’s constructed paintings. The opening reception for Debi and Barry is First Friday, July 5 from 5 until 8.
Debi’s paintings in July will echo the creative stimuli she uses in her large and smaller paintings. As she says, when she starts a painting “images seem to pop right out of my head” reflecting personal feelings and thoughts. Recently Debi has been curating an annual show for the Art League of Ocean City focused on the creative work of women who she feels also integrate their feelings and thoughts in their work – both 2 and 3 dimensional. This year’s show, Rise, opens in October.
Barry’s work in the show will continue his fascination of constructing canvases on wooden frames to make them float. This approach makes the shape as important as the actual paint on the canvas. As a native of Snow Hill, Barry’s attraction to the vast scenic landscapes, the beaches and islands along the Eastern Shore blends with the work ethic taught by his ancestors as a lifelong source for his creativity. A graduate of the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, DC, Barry now lives in Mt. Vernon, New York, and is a successful photographer, artist and teacher. It is always a pleasure when he comes to the gallery on family visits and a bigger pleasure to have him showing with us.
