LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Art Around Town |
Rod Cook's "Botanicals, Etc." at Blue Moon Restaurant Artist Rod Cook and partner Charlie Browne, together 15 years this month, had a dream of owning a house at the beach. Three years ago, they built a house in Rehoboth. Now Charlie has a house to play in and Rod has a yard. Unfortunately, Rod's yard was mostly sand, so lots of time, energy, and water have been spent to turn this pile into a beautiful garden. In the process Rod developed a renewed enthusiasm for painting flowers and gardens. Those watercolors of growth and beauty and life were the basis of last year's show at the Blue Moon. It was an unqualified success. Clearly the sweet smell of that show encouraged Rod to dive back into the lush gardens of orange and red canna lilies and paint until the winds turned cold and the sun set early. Those paintings are as much about the leaves as about the flowers: blue green leaves with purple stripes, yellow green leaves with red borders, reflective leaves of pale yellow and cobalt blue. These are leaves of spirit and energy. It was an easy transition in the late fall to step from the outside gardens to inside the conservatory. This delightful space was filled to the brim with tropical plants, but the orchids stole the show. The first paintings were close examinations of individual plants and their body parts. Orchids with names like Tetra, Vesuvius, Fong Yuen give only a clue to the incredible diversity in color and form of these plants. These orchids presented the opportunity to create illusions of great delicacy or illusions of dark color intensity and mystery. The conservatory proved far richer than he had first imagined. The greenhouses of the conservatory offered an abundance of plants but the welcome and hospitality of the people working there created a most pleasant atmosphere for painting. Tim, Melissa, Chris, George, Tyrone, Kenny, Kate, and Bill (listed in order of appearance) are the plant people at Baltimore's Conservatory in Druid Hill Park. They are as diverse as the exotic plants they tend, but they share a kindness for the world and great respect for all of life. Rod has been known as an energetic teacher for many years. He currently teaches drawing, painting, and design at Maryland Institute College of Art, Villa Julie College, Loyola College, and Dundalk Community College. Managing seven courses at four institutions made every minute painting in a greenhouse an intense, but private and relaxing pleasure. Rod Cook's watercolors will be on display August 1-25 at the Blue Moon, 35 Baltimore Avenue, Rehoboth Beach. Artist's reception from 3-5p.m. on Sunday, August 6. For more information call 302-227-6515 or 302-227-4070. Ann Kathan Show at Dream Caf Dream Caf, 26 Baltimore Avenue is currently exhibiting the oil paintings of Ann Kathan. Ms. Kathan who says that she "is an artist trapped in an attorney's body," paints in bold, fun colors on large canvases that allow unrestrained creativity. Many of her paintings have an ocean theme. Originally from La Crosse, Wisconsin, her first introduction to the beach took place here in Rehoboth. She says, "Being used to the chilly, snowy, and often dreary climate of Wisconsin, I was overwhelmed by the unique beauty of the ocean. The blue brilliance of the water and the radiance of the sun compelled me to move to the East Coast to be close to the ocean and inspired me to recreate it on canvas. I have tried to capture the colors and the spirit of fun and festivity that surrounds the beach on my canvas." Ms. Kathan's works will be on display through August 24. Sea Creatures at Edward Carter Gallery The Edward Carter Gallery announces the opening of its second summer photography exhibition, Henry Horenstein: Sea Creatures. A photography instructor of 30 yearsthe last 17 at Rhode Island School of DesignHenry Horenstein is a respected photographer whose work has been widely exhibited in museums and galleries. Henry is best known for his widely used academic texts especially the classic text, Black-and-White Photography: A Basic Manual. Images from two of Mr. Horenstein's most recent books, Creatures, a collection of animal images made in zoos and aquariums, and its companion book for children, A is for ?: A Photographer's Alphabet, is the focus of Mr. Horenstein's exhibition at the Edward Carter Gallery. Creatures, a book of more than 50 striking animal photographs is Horenstein's twenty-fifth book and combines his love of animals with his eye for fine art photography. The stunning pictures of land and sea animalsserene bottlenose dolphins, the tail of a whale, a school of carp, the nose of a bear, a bullnose raywere photographed both in the wild and in aquariums and zoos. The public is invited to attend an opening reception and book signing for Mr. Horenstein on Saturday, August 5th from 4-7 p.m. The Edward Carter Gallery is located in the Inn at Canal Square at 122 Market Street, Lewes. For more information call 302-644-7513. Milford Artist Shows at Legends & Lore The paintings of John-Mark Gleadow, a native of Milford, Delaware will be on display at Legends & Lore Gallery, through the month of August. John-Mark, whose early influences were Dali, Magritte and Vermeer, describes his work as "realism with a twist." Gleadow seeks not to astound the viewer with his technical proficiency but wants to engage them and challenge them by what they see and have to work to understand "the evidence of things unseen." Legends & Lore Gallery is located at 169 Rehoboth Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, 302-226-1693. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 10, No. 10, July 28, 2000. |