Take a trip overseas with Peninsula Gallery’s May exhibition, “Traveling Palette.” Rosemary Connelly, Roger Dellar, Sebastian Di Mauro, Carol Fastuca, Laura Hickman, and Brian Murphy have contributed over 30 original artworks that were started or created entirely outside the North American landmass. While Italy is the dominant subject in this show, locations such as Australia, France, Germany, and Hawaii also make appearances. The finely crafted pieces in “Traveling Palette” will have you reminiscing about your own adventures and give you the itch to start planning your next trip. 

 

    An artist reception will be held on Saturday, May 3, from 5:00 to 6:30 pm, which is free and open to the public. Meet some of the exhibiting artists and enjoy an evening of fine art and complimentary food and drink.

 

    Rosemary Connelly is a water media artist living and working in Milford, Delaware. She has shown her work at the Biggs Museum, the Rehoboth Art League, Nassau Valley Vineyards, and more. Playful use of line and color are hallmarks of her artistic style. Her layered approach to painting suggests the passage of time and human existence, and she finds inspiration in historic towns, aging factories and barns, botanicals, and the beauty she finds in her travels. Rosemary is sharing paintings from her European sketchbook for "Traveling Palette." These whimsical watercolor landscapes show scenes from Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Italy. Her ten pieces are accompanied by excerpts from her journal, providing a vivid picture of when and where these images were created. 

 

    Roger Dellar is a professional artist who works from his home studio in Surrey, England. He visits the United States frequently, and the Peninsula Gallery is his only American venue. Roger’s art reflects his keen interest in people, their behavior, and how the play of light transforms a subject. His paintings capture everyday situations in public spaces, usually done en plein air. For this exhibition, Roger uses his impressionistic style to express the mood and energy of various European countries. 

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    Sebastian Di Mauro was born in Innisfail, Australia, and lives and works between Brisbane and Lewes. Since the late 1980s, he has held over 45 solo exhibitions and participated in more than 100 group shows across the globe. The pieces included in this collection explore the complex and contested identity of a nation tethered to its colonial past. Through the lens of Australia's continued membership in the Commonwealth and allegiance to the British royal family, he interrogates the enduring structures of power and tradition that shape contemporary society. Through this series — which employs a monochromatic palette, layered line work, and written words — Sebastian invites viewers to contemplate the past’s enduring influence on the present and the potential for reimagining a future untethered from inherited legacies.

 

    Carol Fastuca received an MFA in painting from Queens College in NY before moving into teaching at various universities. After leaving the university system, she started her own design business, creating murals. Carol’s paintings are normally inspired by the Pennsylvania landscape in her backyard, but for this collection, she expanded her visual world to the open spaces of Italy. The aesthetics of each piece is dictated by the sounds, languages, smells, and ambiance of that specific place. Light and shadow play a dominant role in each of her scenes. Her use of naturalistic lighting evokes the feeling of basking in the warm glow of the Mediterranean sunshine.   

 

    Laura Hickman was born in Milford, Delaware, and grew up on Fifth Street in Bethany Beach. She attended Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, graduating with a B.A. in Art, and received an M.F.A. from the University of Delaware in Printmaking, Painting, and Drawing. She taught for several years at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and then at The Savannah College of Art and Design. For “Traveling Palette,” Laura has created three large pastel paintings that capture the seamless integration of architecture and nature in Italian landscapes. Her keen knowledge of color theory is apparent in her ability to show how the neutral colors of everyday objects are actually executed with a surprising blend of many vibrant colors.

 

    Brian Murphy has a special appreciation for plein air painting, California and French Impressionism, and the work of John Singer Sargent. His artistic creations have always been inspired by his travels. He and his wife own Murphy Montgomery Fine Art Gallery, and he teaches art classes at home and overseas. Brian’s work has found its way into hundreds of private collections nationally and internationally, as well as corporate collections. For this exhibition, Brian focused on the beauty of water. He showcases the waterways of Venice and the city’s iconic gondolas, the river flowing through Florence, as well as the rocky shores of Kauai. His pieces embrace the traditional impressionistic style of which he is so fond.