Collins Galleries | 7/18-8/7 | Orleans, MA

A Summer Showcase

Collins Galleries presents a summer showcase of 80 works by its finest artists

By Sarah Gianelli

This summer, Collins Galleries is presenting a group show featuring 40 of their world-class artists and roughly 80 works that include oil paintings and ink drawings, as well as several bronzes. Summer Exhibitionopens at the Orleans, Massachusetts, gallery on July 18 and runs through August 7.

Sarah Siltala, Song of the Bluebird, oil on panel, 12 x 12 in.

Participating artists include Joseph McGurl, Marc Dalessio, Carmen Drake, Gianluca Corona, Justin Wood, Wendy Prather Burwell, Sarah Siltala, Andrea Collesano, Noemi Zavoli, Daniela Astone, Jonathan Koch and many other notable contemporary realists.

Among the still lifes on view is Wood’s Apples, for which he drew inspiration from the 18th-century master of the genre, Chardin. “[He] could arrange and paint in such a way that the various items in the scene would come together to form a larger harmonious unit and become something else entirely,” says Wood. “I try to take and apply the lesson his paintings offer in my own work to achieve beauty and balance.”

Justin Wood, Apples, oil on linen, 12 x 16 in.

Elevating his subject matter is a primary concern for Wood. “A good artist has the ability to see something in the world that may be commonplace but then transform it into something special…I wanted to compose and paint apples in such a way that they would be noticed, contemplated and appreciated,” Wood says.

McGurl will be showing his exquisitely executed Light on the Water, Cape Cod, which depicts a small cove in the harbor where the artist lives. Relying on memory and imagination, McGurl set out to catch the afternoon sunlight. “I added the boat to make a more interesting composition and because I love the beautiful shapes of classic sailboats,” says McGurl. “Their graceful lines add another dimension, bringing a sense of scale and contemporary reality to the scene.”

Gianluca Corona, Black Tulips, oil on canvas, 15 ¾ x 15 ¾ in.

Carmen Drake, Harper with Bucket, oil on mounted linen, 20½ x 16 in.

Song of the Bluebird by Siltala was inspired by a memory of her mother. “[She] was an artist who also trained to be a classical pianist in her youth,” Siltala shares. “I also had a deep love for classical piano and went on to study music in college. She passed away recently, and I rediscovered very old music that she and I both played. I wanted to include the vintage pages in my painting, tattered and worn with time gone by. It’s a memory of our time together.”

Also on view is a figurative work by Drake called Harper with Bucket, an impressionistic rendering of a small girl viewed from behind; and a dramatic floral by Corona titled Black Tulips.

Summer Exhibition opens with a reception on July 18 from 5 to 7 p.m. —