This October’s monthly exhibition is presented by two native Lebanon County painters of very contrasting styles and methodology. Though stylistically the pair could not be more varied, the featured artists, Cecily Joyce and Jim Rudegeair, share an uncontrollable drive to create that has been present since childhood. Conceived from opposing emotional spectra, the two distinctive bodies of work meld together into one striking visual experience at the Lebanon Picture Frame & Fine Art Gallery, 847 Cumberland Street, Lebanon, PA. The artists’ opening reception is Friday, October 6th, from 5 to 8PM.
Abstract figural painter Cecily Joyce described this particular group of work as a tribute to the memory of her mother, who passed away after a period of illness. Both her parents were instrumental as sources of inspiration to Joyce, as she strives to document her emotions and sought healing through her work. Joyce likened her paintings to children “born of struggle and expression”. Her creative process is evolutionary; the painting begins as one color, which then reveals to the artist the hauntingly subtle lines of the human figure. Joyce received training in art at Columbia University, SUNY Purchase and LVC. Her last solo exhibit was in 2005, after the death of Joyce’s father.
Finding inspiration in underappreciated beauty, still life and landscape painter Jim Rudegeair documents the “pearls that nature throws our way” in works teeming with vibrant realism. Before committing to a painting, Rudegeair ruminates over the images that interest him, and then captures the moment with acrylics and watercolor as his primary medium. Aside from painting realistic forms, Rudegeair is interested in the exploration of symbolism through drawing, which he described as thoughts of “songs, reading, hearing a random conversation and sometimes just because.” Rudegeair was a graduate of the Fine Art program at Pennsylvania School of the Arts.