Summer Art Scene

Arts & Culture in the Community Summer Art Scene What’s hot at Art Plus Gallery

There’s always something new at Art Plus Gallery, 604 Penn Avenue. The exhibit in the main gallery changes every two months to showcase new work from all 25 members of the artist cooperative. On top of that, each month their Featured Exhibit Gallery is devoted to a single artist or group. Art Plus Gallery is open every day except Monday. For hours and special events visit www.artplusgallerypa.com.

JULY FEATURED EXHIBIT

Plein Air West Reading 2022 The center stage of Art on the Avenue gets an extended show at Art Plus

The 7th annual Plein Air West Reading competition drew artists from six states to capture the character of Berks County on canvas. Following the Patrons Preview and Awards Ceremony on Friday, June 17, the exhibit moves out to the heart of Art on the Avenue, in a 50’ tent in front of the Olympian Ballroom.

And the show goes on. Following Saturday’s street festival, the exhibit will be showcased in three 600 block venues through the remainder of June and the month of July: the Gallery Room at Say Cheese! Restaurant, the main dining room of the West Reading Tavern, and as the featured exhibit at Art Plus Gallery.

Another new feature of this year’s event will be the first “West Reading Paint Out!” On Friday afternoon, all 50+ artists who applied for the juried competition will be given three hours to start and finish a painting anywhere in between the 400 and 800 blocks of Penn Avenue and Cherry Street. The exhibit will open to the public at Art on the Avenue, in a tent in the 400 block. The entries will be judged by Allison Shannon, artist and owner of Allison’s Clothing Company at 522 Penn Ave.

Following Art on the Avenue, the artwork will join the juried Plein Air paintings for the extended show at the West Reading Tavern. Extended exhibit runs June 21 through July 31 at Art Plus Gallery, Say Cheese! and the West Reading Tavern. Reception: Friday, July 8 at Art Plus, 5-8pm.

David Finnell’s watercolor “Cherry Street Sunrise” earned a first place award in the 2021 competition.

AUGUST FEATURED EXHIBIT

Double Exposure: The Real and The Surreal Photographs and Paintings by Jay Ressler

Long known for his award-winning multilayered pictures, encaustic works and infrared photographs, Jay Ressler introduces yet another dimension to his artistic repertoire: oil paintings.

With a characteristic penchant for total immersion in a new passion, Jay spent much of the last year developing his painting skills in workshops, his studio and the field. His tenacity quickly produced results. In April, his oil painting “The Tales Old Houses Tell” was awarded first place in Oil/Acrylic/Watercolor at the Keystone Fine Art Juried Exhibition at the Walk In Art Center Schuylkill Haven. Juror Jason Travers “found this painting to be captivating and likely the most engaging piece in the exhibition…An exceptionally moving piece.”

Among the surreal paintings in Double Exposure are several derived from earlier composite photographs, along with newer photographic manipulations reflecting his surreal aesthetic.

Double Exposure traces the continuity of evolution of Jay’s work over the years. During the show’s August 12 reception, Jay will discuss influences by Impressionist and Surrealist painters and photographers.

Exhibit runs August 2-31. Reception: Friday, Aug. 12, 5-8pm at Art Plus Gallery.

SEPTEMBER FEATURED EXHIBIT

Memories of Distant Lands Mary Burke’s watercolors and oils, inspired by the coasts of Ireland and Maine.

Originally scheduled for March, Mary Burke’s “Memories of Distant Lands” is making its much anticipated splash on the Avenue in September.

Though she is often landlocked in her Pennsylvania studio, the sea has always been another home for the Ireland-born artist.

“The primary influence of my work comes from the landscapes and coastal regions of Ireland and Maine, but especially Ireland, where I grew up,” explains Mary. “There is a raw beauty to that landscape that never fails to touch me at a deep level. It is almost a mystical or spiritual experience.”

The creative process has become increasingly important to Mary. She has shifted her focus from highly realistic oil painting and illustration to watercolor and multimedia, often combining abstraction with realism.

Each piece starts from a combination of images from sketches, drawings, and photographs.

“These are starting points as I am not trying to capture the physical image precisely but trying to express the mystical experience and the essence of a landscape or the mesmerizing quality of the sea. This way of working is very liberating and exciting, where the process of the painting itself is becoming as important as the idea, “ says the Art Plus Gallery member.

The results have been stunning, earning such descriptors as “vibrant energy,” “ethereal air,” and “hauntingly beautiful.”

Mary belongs to the National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society, Oil Painters of America, Lancaster County Art Association, and Studio B Gallery.

Show runs September 1-30. Reception: Friday, Sept. 9 5-8pm at Art Plus Gallery.

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