The Arts Council for Wyoming County Invites the public to the Opening Reception for Farms & Fields and Travels in Fiber Exhibitions
The ACWC is pleased to welcome the public to view and celebrate new work by artist Phil Hewitt in his Farm and Fields Exhibition opening reception on Friday, April 8, at 6:30 pm.
Phil has been attuned to the natural world around him all his life. He explains, “I was born on a farm, and we moved to a small town when I was still young. My brothers and I were always outside in the woods or playing in the hay fields. We had an area just outside of town that we used to call Six Valleys, a combination of woods and fields, and most days, you could find us there until almost dark. Even as a young boy, I loved looking at the roll of the hills and the cows in the pastures. I could feel the spirituality in the woods among the trees.” Phil began painting seriously in 1996, and although not formally trained, he has devoted himself to becoming a skilled painter with the help of books and DVDs.
It is easy to hear the echo of Phil’s voice through his paintings as they do indeed reflect what he has to say about his painting style: “I try to paint things that I have a feeling for — old, smaller farms in my area that are disappearing as a way of life, and places that I’ve seen as we travel around.” Phil loves painting with oils but also enjoys creating beautiful bucolic scenes with acrylics. Working with these two mediums give him the freedom to paint loosely, and as he notes, “with a bit of energy in a brushstroke.”
He refers to his style of painting as “impressionistic representational. “Phil says, “The longer I paint, the more I try to simplify, to find the feel of a place. I try to think about how it feels to walk across a plowed field or a field of waist-high grass.”
Opening in conjunction with Hewitt’s Farms and Fields is Author and Fiber Artist Nancy Kraus’s exhibition, Travels in Fiber.
Her abstract and realistic images created using a needle felting technique will display in the ACWC’s Members’ Gallery until April 30.
Nancy says, “Although I became an elementary teacher and children’s librarian, I took art classes throughout my adult life and studied and practiced children’s book illustration, silk painting, and most recently felting”. She also explains, “Several years ago, my husband and I took a trip to Southern France where I was wowed by the many colors and textures of hundreds of year-old buildings. When I came home, I tried to turn some of our photos into silk paintings. It just didn’t work. I needed something more dimensional to capture the feeling of the nubbiness of ancient wood and stones. So, I began needle felting and haven’t stopped since. I design my pieces to recapture the feeling of the textures and colors that moved me to take a photo”.
The ACWC invites the public to come and meet these two artists on Friday, April 8, to see the beautiful but contrasting media represented in each exhibit and hear brief artists’ talks that will take place at 7 pm.
Due to COVID -19, receptions have been shortened to one hour, with minimal individually wrapped refreshments.
The ACWC also wishes to remind the public that visits to exhibits at the gallery are free, but the experience is invaluable.
Website: www.artswyco.org
Event Email: info@artswyco.org
For over forty years, the Arts Council for Wyoming County (ACWC) has created opportunities to bring arts into their rural communities through programming, grants, and art events. Located on Main Street Perry, the ACWC has produced the Letchworth Arts and Crafts Show, one of the largest and highest-rated shows in the region.
Funding for the ACWC is made possible in part with support from the New York State Council on the Arts with support from the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. The ACWC’s mission and work align with NYSCA’s goal of “impacting a broad, diverse constituency in New York State.” We are also committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion with a deep commitment to supporting local and regional artists whose investment of their time and talent play an important role in the health and vitality of our community.
For more information on membership or advocacy in the arts, please visit www.artswyco.org.
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Jacqueline Swaby
Executive Director
Arts Council for Wyoming County
31 South Main Street
Perry, NY 14530
585-237-3517
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life” – Picasso