Still Lifes and Whimsical Styles

By admin on February 8, 2018

This week we will be taking a closer look at our new artist members who paint in the still life genre or in whimsical styles. These five new artists, who are featured in New Members Show 2018, add charm and beauty to their study of inanimate objects.

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Hannah Cole Dahar, How Our Love Blossomed, oil on panel, 12 x 12”

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Hannah Cole Dahar, Mother’s Harbor, oil on panel, 12 x 12”

Artist Hannah Cole Dahar typically inserts toys into her paintings as a nod to children who leave their toys in curious, everyday places. Taking inspiration from this phenomenon, Dahar’s paintings are delightfully quirky and fun or sentimental and sweet.

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Amy Surman, Invitation, oil on linen, 18 x 21”

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Amy Surman, Hidden Gardens, oil on linen, 18 x 21”

Amy Surman carefully plans her paintings before applying her first brush of paint. To ensure that a painting will be successful, Surman will practice different angles, backgrounds, and light. From this practice, her still life studies display her admiration for the beauty found in life.

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Ellen McGill, White Begonias, pastel, 26 x 21”

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Ellen McGill, Red Hydrangeas, pastel, 31 x 25”

Ellen McGill loves nature, and especially loves to paint it. In particular, Ellen McGill enjoys painting close-ups of plant life like flowers or leaves. McGill finds beauty in light, in small details, in color variances, and magnifies them with stunning effect.

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Debra Keirce, Snug as a Bug, oil on panel, 23 x 26”

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Debra Keirce, Create Your Journey, oil on panel, 20 x 24”

Debra Keirce specializes in miniature paintings, which can measure as small as 2 inches. Using magnifying lenses or close-range binoculars, Keirce is able to paint with such fine detail on a small area. Working in a realistic style with fantastical and Trompe L’Oeil influences, Keirce’s work inspires awe in such a small scale.

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Serena Bates, Charlie Horse, bronze, 10 x 5 x 14”

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Serena Bates, Head Over Heels, ceramic, 10 x 10 x 12”

Serena Bates wants to tell a story through her art. Her sculptures take the shape of anything meaningful to her, whether it be animals, people, or plant life. Her sculpture art, which is formed in bronze, stone, copper, and ceramic, may range in a variety of subjects, but they share the common thread of storytelling.

View these delightful pieces of art at the Co|So gallery in “New Members Show 2018,” which is open through February 22nd.

 

Banner image: Serena Bates, Charlie Horse, bronze, 10 x 5 x 14”

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