Gallery 1261 | 7/18-8/6 | Denver, CO

Open Air Sanctuaries

Adrienne Stein’s new works being showcased at Gallery 1261 are inspired by her love of gardens.

The 20 new pieces that oil painter Adrienne Stein will be showcasing this summer at Gallery 1261 were inspired by her time spent in botanical gardens, experiencing the pure beauty of nature.

Golden Hour II, oil on linen, 35 x 60"

“To me, a garden is an open air sanctuary—a place of healing beauty and prayer and contemplation,” she says. “The Denver Botanic Gardens has been a special and inspiring place for me over the years, so many of the paintings depict scenes from there.” Stein adds that last year, she and her husband, prominent artist Quang Ho, were the 2023 Artists in Residence at Ladew Topiary Gardens in Maryland, and that many of these paintings were inspired by the couple’s time there as well.

The paintings in the Gallery 1261 show, titled The Enchanted Eye, capture a sense of serenity. Lily pads rest upon the surface of rippling pond waters in Golden Hour II; bright sunlight reveals the intricacies of the rose petals in Queen Elizabeth Roses; and the mesmerizing colors and movement of koi are explored in Ladew Koi.

Ladew Koi, oil on canvas, 28 x 22"

“The overall feeling of these works is one of joy and exuberance, inspired by the happiness of becoming a wife and mother in recent years,” says Stein.

The artist’s work is highlighted by its rich, saturated color, as well as that undeniable sense of softness. “I juxtapose certain colors intentionally that make each other ‘pop,’ and I don’t use black or brown or any earth tones on my palette, so I’m always using a full chromatic range. I’ve experimented a lot over the years to see which colors and brands work best for what I want to express,” she explains, adding that she now exclusively uses Sennelier oils. “Their synthetic pigments in particular pack a big punch! I often work in glazes using thin delicate layers of paint to create soft luminous passages.”

Queen Elizabeth Roses, oil on canvas, 30 x 24"

Swan Fantasy I feels especially magical and luminous, with vivid blooms and foliage contrasting against the white feathers of two swans at rest.

“Swan Fantasy I felt like a miracle the way it came together,” says Stein. “I had dreamed of painting a pair of mated swans. One of my favorite paintings of all time is Frank Brangwyn’s The Swans. I love the colors in that painting and the swans in dappled light. I had been trying to find some swans to observe and photograph and I ended up finding the perfect pair at the Broadmoor resort in Colorado Springs. I photographed them over the course of two days, and in the final hour, they were shaded by a tree so I had the beautiful dappled light I dreamed of! I [had] painted that swan couple three times already.”