Deep into Nature

Saturday, September 25, 5-7 p.m.We will also celebrate First Friday on October 1 with a demonstration by Jonathan Shaw and a visit with his birds of prey!Deep into Nature features the work of artists Bart Walter, Jonathan Shaw, Carol Rowan and Linda Richards. The show opens on Saturday, September 25 and continues through October 24, 2004. We invite you to join us for a reception to meet all of the artists on Saturday, September 25, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Bart Walter, a sculptor of international renown, has a deep respect for the natural world. The title of our show – Deep Into Nature – was suggested by him and comes from a quote by Albert Einstein.

“Look deep into nature, and you will understand the meaning of everything better.”

Walter’s art evolves from a passion for all living things. “I strive to capture the essence of a living being: to explore some kernel of truth that may have gone unnoticed and to depict an otherwise elusive moment in time.”

We are exhibiting a series of new bronzes based on Walter’s observations of animals in the jungles and plains of Africa. He is also bringing work inspired by studies of wildlife on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and a group of new charcoal drawings completed during his recent stay in Africa.

Jonathan Shaw, a transplant to the Eastern Shore from his native England, is exhibiting work in oil, acrylic, gouache, watercolor and pencil. He has traveled to Malaysia, Indonesia, the Middle East and throughout the United States in his quest for subject matter for his accurate and detailed wildlife paintings. Mr. Shaw is also an accomplished falconer and uses his dual talents in painting and falconry to support numerous groups concerned with conservation and the environment.

Carol Rowan was the 1993 recipient of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Drawing Award, granted by the National Arts Club in New York. She was also honored with a retrospective in 2002 at the Ward Museum. Ms. Rowan is showing her stunning, highly detailed graphite-on-paper portraits of “man’s best friend” and a series of graphite, gouache and oil paintings representing her new passion – the horse. In addition to her studies of horses and dogs, both she and Mr. Shaw will feature paintings of exotic plants – from orchids to poppies.

Einstein looked “deep into nature” but Linda Richards also lifts her eyes to the heavens for inspiration. One of a select group of artists chosen to create work for NASA, Richards’ paintings have toured the US with special exhibitions sponsored by the Smithsonian. A naturalist, she combines her interests in the simplest and the most complex of life forms to create the highly detailed clayboard paintings she is exhibiting. The week after the opening Linda is relocating to Mexico. She will be missed. In addition to her fame as an artist, she is known throughout the area as a caregiver to wounded creatures both wild and domesticated. As a farewell gesture, Lanny Parks, an accomplished writer and owner of The Compleat Bookseller, will give a reading of her poems inspired by Linda’s paintings at the close of the reception on September 25.

Deep Into Nature will be the Gallery’s featured exhibit for Chestertown’s October First Friday. Jonathan Shaw will bring “Mr. O,” his European eagle owl and “Obiwan,” his Saker falcon, to entertain and educate the revelers on Friday evening, October 1, from 5-8 pm. We will also participate in the Chestertown Wildlife Exhibition & Sale. The gallery will be open for the Preview Party on Friday, October 15 from 7-9 pm and for the all day event on Saturday, October 16 from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. Additional work by Jonathan Shaw and Carol Rowan will be exhibited in the Gallery during the Wildlife Show and Mr. Shaw will once again entertain the participants with painting demonstrations and his feathered friends.