In the Moment - Gail Bracegirdle and Doug Sardo

"In The Moment"
featuring Gail Bracegirdle and Doug Sardo

Oct 7 - Nov 6, 2011
Opening reception: Saturday, October 8, 4-7pm

You might think you know Gail Bracegirdle's and Doug Sardo's work. Perhaps you've enjoyed Bracegirdle's elegant florals or light-handed still lifes of sun-dappled fruits and vegetables. Once you've seen them you will immediately recognize Sardo's luminous landscapes emerging from calligraphic swirls of mauve, emerald, ocher, and scarlet.

Well, forget what you think you know, because both artists are eager to show you something new.

"I hope my work is always evolving," says Sardo, a plein air painter who works in pastels. "It should evolve." By way of evidence, the calligraphic lines of his previous paintings have morphed into softer surfaces in his latest work.

"The technique is called 'sfmuato' from the Italian word 'to smoke'. It means that there are no harsh outlines, areas blend into one another which makes for a slightly hazy, more realistic, depiction of light and color", explains Sardo.

"I'm always looking for a new approach," exclaims Bracegirdle, who notes she is adding a new wrinkle to her watercolors.

"I call it 'crinkle paper,'" says Bracegirdle, describing the results she gets by soaking and crumpling her watercolor paper. When the paint is applied, it will take to the paper in unexpected - and uncontrolled - ways, somewhat like batik in fabric.

"I like the spontaneity of it," she says. "You never know quite what you'll get."

Please join us at the opening reception for "In the Moment" on Saturday, October 8 from 4 to 7pm. A closing reception will be held on Sunday, November 6 from 1 to 4pm.

Artists' Gallery, 18 Bridge Street, Lambertville, NJ - map & directions
Gallery hours: every Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11 am - 6 pm
www.lambertvillearts.com