Marlene Zychowski

The Joy of Still Life 

My painting style is ever evolving, leaning from realism to impressionism. I work in oils and pastels, painting subjects that make me happy in hopes they will please others as well. My work tends to be “tight” and I am trying to loosen up my approach. Still life (food, florals, found objects) and landscapes are the subjects that interest me, especially the variety of flowers and peonies I grow from my gardens. I enjoy color and use it freely.

I work from life using my own setups and from photos I have taken. I also paint in plein air with local groups and in competitions but prefer the solace and comfort that my well-lit home studio provides. I utilize warm and cool lighting with which I am still experimenting.

As I learn and grow, my still life paintings will become more complex. I have 5 shelves in my studio with interesting objects I’ve collected including colorful glass, pitchers, plates and mugs. I strive for the greatness of Sargent and Hopper and am influenced by contemporaries such as Daniel Keys, Kathleen Dunphy, Alex Kelly and Kathy Anderson.

Carol Powley                                 

Trees, A Sense of Wonder

I am thrilled that the Seacoast Artist Association Gallery, in Exeter, N.H., has presented me with the opportunity to show my 2023 Body of Work: Trees, A Sense of Wonder.

Trees are unique drawings of nature. Each individual branch maintains its own shape, color and design. By machine drawing with silk thread on my painted cotton fabric I am able to express that trees are a harbinger of spring, their buds bursting open with lovely greens and glorious pastels. During the summer you can hear the sound of leaves rustling in the breeze. You are rewarded with blazing color in autumn. In winter the trees lift their limbs up to God to pray. “Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.” Kahil Gibran

My free motion machine embroidery on cotton is a spontaneous response to the color, texture, and design of the trees that thrive in our natural environment here in New Hampshire and Maine. I hand paint the surface of white cotton panels with transparent water color paint made specifically to be used on cotton and silk fabrics. My sewing machine is placed in front of my second floor studio window which overlooks a forest of Pine, Oak and Birch trees. The seacoast shore and Great Bay area serve as a background for my tree drawings. I have discovered an art form that I love and am able to apply my education as an artist in order to create beautiful landscapes.

  Martin Lamont 

Vicarious Dreams 

As a person who has struggled on and off throughout my life with Agoraphobia and Anxiety, the idea of traveling to other countries again is reduced to hopes and wishes. To see again those places and those birds within my paintings that are only seen in the UK and Europe, is just a dream now. My paintings are a vicarious endeavor to “experience” them again, escapism from my disabling reality while “jailed” in my home, and therefore, the theme of my show is “Vicarious Dreams”.

I’m a self-taught artist inspired mainly by the works of the Impressionists.  All my life, I was a follower of the visual arts, admiring the great works in museums and galleries around the world, during personal and business travels.  As a retired Mechanical Engineer from England, the career long pursuit of perfection and accuracy within my Engineering work seems so ingrained that I find myself trying too hard in my painting to achieve a sense of realism. I therefore would describe myself as either a realist impressionist or an impressionist realist. 

Until I retired, I had always wanted to give oil painting a try but was always too busy with life. Now, since attempting my first oil painting in July 2021, I haven’t looked back and find myself addicted to the creative process, spending many hours every week at my easels.

Angela Branon                                 

Coastal Memories

My family immigrated to the US when I was five years old. I became intrigued with
exploring family history through my art while looking at old family photos.
One of my fondest memories was the long drive from my central Massachusetts home
to the coast of New Hampshire to spend a day at the beach.
The draw of the beach continues to be one of life’s pleasures to this day. I have
explored coasts from the US, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa with family
and close friends. There is just something about the tidal rhythms and the sound of
lapping waves that never fails to calm and relax. It’s no surprise I chose to retire to the
New Hampshire coast.
These paintings represent memories of family, friends and moments of serenity that is
unique to time spent on the beach. But the ocean can also represent a powerful force
of nature as seen after a nor’easter crashes through in all her majesty.

“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.”

TS Eliot