Inside, Outside: Interactions Between Buildings and Spaces

This September, the Peninsula Gallery welcomes an architectural painting show, featuring five unique painters. “Inside, Outside” explores our interactions between buildings and spaces, using different artistic styles and mediums.  The works in this show depict famous locations like the skyline in New York City and St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. But the majority of the pieces pay homage to familiar places found in small towns all across the world. From ballet rehearsals to ice cream dates, local diners, and nostalgic motel signs, these works will transport you to a new location far beyond Lewes.  “While this show does focus on the geometric design of architecture, the true essence behind each work is the “lived-in” quality of the spaces. You can feel, in all the artist's works, the quality time spent both in and out of these buildings,” says Shelby Cooke, our public relations manager.  Born and raised in the New York City metropolitan area, artist John Aquilino has been a working artist for 20 years. His work has earned many accolades, including five grants, four awards from the Maryland State Arts Council’s Individual Artist program, and an individual artist grant from the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County. John’s work brings a graphic element to cityscapes, creating an intimate connection with buildings through intense precision and detail. Roger Dellar is a professional artist, who works from his home studio in Surrey, England. He visits the United States frequently, and the Peninsula Gallery is his only American venue. Roger’s art reflects his keen interest in people, their behavior, and how the play of light transforms a subject. His paintings capture everyday situations in public spaces, usually done plein air. For “Inside, Outside,” Roger has painted iconic locations like the historic Petworth House in Southern England, as well as scenes known all too well for Britons: drinks in the pub.   Christine Heyse is self-taught in watercolors, having earned a bachelor's in Nursing Science and worked as an Emergency Department Nurse early in her career. But she has been drawing and painting her whole life, with her love of art having been encouraged by her father, who was an industrial designer in New York. During a hiatus, while raising her three children, she took classes in oil portraiture and became a Registered Copyist at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, before discovering watercolor. Christine paints common subjects, transforming them through colorful light and shadow. Emily Thompson attended the prestigious High School of Art & Design and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York. She is a nationally recognized, award-winning artist. Through her painting, she documents the iconic, the disappearing, and the abandoned elements of the American identity. Emily’s pieces in this show are filled with wonderfully nostalgic buildings and signs. Her street scenes take you back to the post-WWII years with their vintage automobiles and motels.  C. Mercedes Walls grew up in New York and New England, eventually settling in lower Delaware, and raising a family with her husband Bill. She received a BA in Sociology from SUNY Stonybrook and worked as a probation and parole officer for ten years, all the while pursuing her passion for painting. Mostly self-taught, her biggest fan and first teacher was her maternal grandfather, a shoemaker. A signature member of the Delaware Watercolor Society, a Delaware By Hand Master Artist, and a founding member of the Mispillion Art League, Cathy exhibits widely in the region, winning numerous awards. The works featured in “Inside, Outside” are populated with families and friends, reminding us of the space where we share togetherness.  “Inside, Outside” is on display from September 3rd to 25th. Works from the show can be previewed at www.peninsula-gallery.com and are available for pre-sale.  A reception will be held on Saturday, September 3, from 5 to 6:30 pm, with some of the show’s artists in attendance. Call (302) 645-0551 or email peninsulagallery1@gmail.com for further details.  The gallery is located in the Village Shoppes at the Beacon Inn, 520 East Savannah Rd. Lewes, DE, and is open Tue-Sat 10-5, and Sun 11-3. Venue: Peninsula Gallery.