February 5th through March 26th, 2005

THE WALLKILL RIVER VALLEY EN PLEIN AIR
AT JAMES DOUGLAS GALLERY
Opening Reception Saturday, February 5th, 3 to 6 pm.
Closing Reception Saturday, March 26th, 3 to 6 pm.

The James Douglas Gallery is pleased to announce its first show of 2005 entitled "The Wallkill River Valley en Plein Air," featuring more than 50 paintings by three local artists. The two-month show runs from the Artists' Opening Reception on Saturday, February 5th, through the Closing Reception on Saturday, March 26th. Both receptions will be from 3-6pm and feature music, hors d'oeuvres and Whitecliff Vineyards Wines.

Shawn Dell Joyce, Gene Bové, and William Noonan depict the open spaces, farmlands, and historic sites that make up our region's rich history and beauty. Following the footsteps of the Hudson River School, these three painters add their signature styles to cultural landscapes in the plein air tradition, capturing the moment and mood of the landscape as artists have in our region for over two hundred and fifty years. The three have painted together all over Orange and Ulster Counties as demonstrating artists for "Landscapes on Location" plein air painting class. It is not uncommon to see their easels dotting plowed fields, or parked on rocks in the middle of the Wallkill River.
"Plein Air," a French term, means "open air" or "out-of-doors," and is defined as painting or drawing done predominantly outside. According to Shawn Dell Joyce, plein air style of painting began in Italy, established a footing with the Barbizon School in France, and was popularized by the Impressionist Movement in the second half of the nineteenth century. Today, the plein air movement is more popular than ever to artists and collectors alike.

"When standing in a cornfield in the shadow of the Shawangunks, or near the banks of the Wallkill, I cannot help feeling deeply connected to our verdant valley," reveals Shawn Dell Joyce. "Who wouldn't be inspired by the sweeping vistas and patchwork fields? I would say that we paint on location to foster a greater connection to the land that sustains us. We strive to capture the beauty and essence of the region before it is gobbled up by suburban sprawl."

"I have never really thought of myself as a landscape painter," admits William Noonan. "Painting this past summer with the plein air group has made me feel more at home with the landscape. I have learned not to let it overwhelm me, but rather to express my experience of it without being slavish to the particulars. I find I am not so interested in the leaves on the tree as much as I am in sharing the environment with that tree at that moment. A good landscape painting invokes not necessarily a visual memory, but rather the other senses of touch and smell and sound. I also find myself drawn to the human story so often present and poignant in the landscape. The landscape is, after all, nothing more than the world we share."

Gene Bové gets excited when speaking of our local landscape. "We've got one of the greatest mountain ranges in the world — hills, valleys and plains abound! Add to this the quickly changing cloud patterns and you understand why I feel so fortunate to be one of the plein air painters who endeavor to capture it all on canvas."

The show is sponsored in part by Century 21 Ed & Margaret Williams Realty. Gallery Hours are Thursday 10-7, Friday and Saturday 10-5, Sunday 11-5, and by chance and appointment.

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Shawn Dell Joyce is a visual artist with fifteen years of art experience showing nationally in group and solo shows. Her work is included in major museums like the Georges Pompidou Centre in Paris, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. She has been featured in national magazines and newspapers including the New York Times. She leads a series of popular workshops in the Hudson Valley, and is an “Artist In Residence” at the Hudson Valley Materials Exchange (an environmental-educational program). She has received many prestigious awards for her community art projects including the Puffin Award.

Shawn uses art as a tool for social change, and has been the center of many controversies around women’s issues and political dissent. Shawn's website is www.ShawnDellJoyce.com.

Hodgon's Farm by Shawn Del Joyce

William Noonan is an artist living in the Hudson Valley of New York State. After a career in publishing at The Village Voice in New York City, William has returned, full-time, to his first love – fine art. He has a BFA from SUNY Purchase and has since studied at the New York Academy of Art, the Woodstock School of Art, The International School of Art - Umbria Italy, and the Art Students League of New York.

A major theme in William’s work is the human figure. With a special interest in portraiture he explores the figure in its unique and its universal implications. A deep love of Italian art and the investigation of his own Italian heritage, through travel and study, inform his work. While drawing on European traditions, his work is clearly part of the continuum of American Realism, from Homer to Hopper to Hockney. William’s website is www.williamnoonan.com.

Newburgh Landing by William Noonan

With an advertising career that spans over forty years, Gene Bové is directing his talents towards the top of his dream list...painting and illustrating. His sense of design and whimsy which has served him well in his advertising career is now seen in his illustrated children's book, Uncle Gene's Breadbook for Kids. But his main passion is painting in oils.

Whether painting still life in his studio or painting on location, Gene tries to capture the three basic elements of painting — color, light and composition. Gene has regularly participated in many regional shows and is a member of the Pine Bush and Garrison Arts Councils. He studied plein air painting under Frank Ferrante. His work has been shown in numerous exhibits, and recently one of his paintings was purchased by Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. Gene's website is www.GeneBove.com.

On Lippincott Road by Gene Bové