Serenity. The Summer Studio. Afternoon Light. Dreaming of Morning. One only needs to read the titles of the works in Summer in New England to get a sense for the season’s essence—and why artists find the region so inspiring, especially this time of year.
Presented by Susan Powell Fine Art, and on view from July 1 through August 17, Summer in New England showcases traditional realism and impressionism to contemporary works that celebrate the idyllic beauty, and coastal charm of the East Coast. Among the 30 featured artists are Carol Arnold, Del-Bourree Bach, Paul Beebe, Zufar Bikbov, Neal Hughes, Cora Ogden, Deborah Quinn-Munson, Timothy Rees, Jeanne Rosier Smith and Sandra Wakeen.
Del-Bourree Bach, Take Five, acrylic, 11 x 12"“When I walked into this room, I was immediately struck by the contrast of lights and darks, and how light poured through the large atrium windows,” says Wakeen of her painting The Summer Studio. “As the hours passed, the light became more dramatic. Filtering through the west window, the long beam of sunlight appeared across the floor. At that moment, beauty was everywhere. The large glass vase became luminous, and its colorful glow spread to the statue and crossed the room. In my imagination, the light was the guardian for antiquity, and a door to timelessness.”
Carol Arnold, Serenity, oil, 20 x 30"
Ogden also explores the lure of luminosity—and color—in her lush scene Afternoon Light. “Juicy sliced peaches suggest we’ve caught an intimate moment of someone unseen preparing an afternoon snack,” she says. “And then the eye is drawn through the window to a restful deep-green garden with sun-kissed shrubbery. The brilliant colors of flowers and fruit entice us back into the room, and then there is so much more to see.”
With Serenity, Arnold transports viewers to the rocky shores of Maine, where sailboats dot the distant sea through the wind-shaped trees. “It reminds me of the peace and serenity I felt as a child at the shore,” says Arnold, who came across the vista during a painting trip in Prouts Neck, Maine. “I walked the path and as it opened up to this glorious view, I took a deep breath and was filled with a sense of gratitude for the day,” she says, noting her delight in learning one of her favorite painters, Winslow Homer, had a studio there. Arnold had to work swiftly to capture the scene and the sentiment it evoked, using bold brushwork and a palette knife for the rocks; and sweeping strokes to convey the movement of the wind. Her plein air study laid the foundation for a larger studio painting.
Sandra Wakeen, The Summer Studio, oil on linen panel, 18 x 24"
Seascapes are an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Smith and over time she has become a master of the genre. “On the very last hazy days of summer, as the sun rises over the incoming tide, the pink sky becomes almost indistinguishable from the horizon as the ocean’s edge disappears,” says Smith, describing Dreaming of Morning. “Sunlight breaks on the very tips of the waves, while the delicate lace of the curling, foaming water unfurls in the shadows. This painting is about that transitional moment when dark is breaking into light and the world is on the edge of morning.”
Cora Ogden, Afternoon Light, oil, 20 x 30"
Jeanne Rosier Smith, Dreaming of Morning, pastel, 18 x 36"
Rees, who recently won the First Place Painting award in the 2024 International Art of the Portrait Competition, will be showing Evening Mosey at Susan Powell Fine Art, a touching rendering of his son walking on the beach, the contours of his figure lit up from the setting sun. “I am captivated by the many facets of humanity, and none more so than that of childhood; the transition from a creature barely aware into one of discovery, teetering on the cusp of growing up,” says Rees. “While the sun has set on that moment, the painting remains, a reminder to hold onto those most admirable qualities of our youth; those that may slip from us as time marches us forward into adulthood.”
Timothy Rees, Evening Mosey, oil, 12 x 9"
For Bach, summer in New England is a time of intense and saturated colors. The brilliant-colored grasses in Take Five are along the Oyster River in Chatham on Cape Cod, one of the artist’s favorite spots. “The little dinghies, which the fishermen paddle out to in their boats each day, can be found resting on the grasses or tied up to a dock, taking a break from their work,” he says. “I love the bright colors, the wear and tear and peeling paint, the paddles left casually leaning inside. They are little helpers, nothing fancy, only what is needed. They are as much a part of the summer landscape as the grasses, water and sand.” —Susan Powell Fine Art 679 Boston Post Road • Madison, CT 06443 (203) • 318-0616 • www.susanpowellfineart.com
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