Brooks and Gemmecke featured at Main Street Art Gallery

The MWV Arts Association’s Main Street Art Gallery is highlighting the paintings of Terri Brooks and Don Gemmecke on Friday, August 18th from 5-7 pm with an Open House.

Both Brooks and Gemmecke have been painting and selling their work for many years in the Mt Washington Valley and beyond. Seeing the display of these two artists is quite a lesson in contrasts – subjects, style, colors and size. Come in and see for yourself.

In Brooks’ own words, “ Sparkle, glow, reflections. That is what I paint. Even though there are figures in my work, what prompts me to stop the car or continually return to a favorite spot to take a photo or make a quick sketch to work from, isn’t as much about the people, but about the quality of light that they are in. That is why there is usually water (or snow) in my paintings. I love that early morning, late afternoon light that creates the glittering sparkle on the lake, or those colorful reflections. Night time street scenes, night skiing are also favorite subjects and for the same reason- the glow of the street lights, the color reflected on the snow is what calls my attention even more so that the people, whose shapes are just an excuse to paint that light. I even find that when painting other subjects, I am constantly searching to feature those things – a recent portrait of my dog shows the sparkle of his drool. My most recent series of bicycle racing features those bright shiny helmets and glints of light on the bikes.”

In Gemmecke’s words, “I was a self taught landscape photographer for more than 30 years but eventually put that aside and became a self-taught landscape painter. Painting has given me the freedom to expand the color range of my work without suffering the well meaning criticism that the scenes are too bright or too colorful. As a painter, I enjoy the artistic freedom and wide range of color that I can use in my landscapes. I do not title my paintings. I have found that people-as am I- are influenced by the title of a painting. Though a painting may depict a particular scene from my memory or experience, the same scene will likely recall a different place by the viewer.Titling the piece tells the viewer that it depicts “this” place, not the similar, favorite “that” place in his/her memory. Therefore, my “title” for each painting is the date on which it was completed. I leave it up to you to title it. Finally, I found through my  photography that smaller is, in many cases, better. It has taken several years to learn to paint on a small canvas so now I am comfortable with the size. Therefore, work is done on 8×8 inch canvases, framed to a final size of 10×10 inches. Small paintings will fit and brighten nearly any nook or cranny in the home or office without overwhelming the space so not having enough space isn’t really a reason to not take one home.”

The public is welcome to meet the artists and enjoy the fine arts gallery. Refreshments will be served. Main Street Art Gallery is located next to Sawyer River Trading Company, behind the MET Coffeehouse, 16 Norcross Circle,  North Conway Village. For more information, call 603-356-2787.