Returning this June after their nearly-sold-out partner show in 2020, pastel artist Laura Hickman and acrylic artist Steve Rogers use their highly-skilled talent to create original paintings of the beautiful Delmarva waterways. “View from the Water” gives Laura and Steve the opportunity to depict the landscapes we encounter every day through their own unique style, allowing us all to see our iconic peninsula in a new light. 

 

    “Laura and Steve are probably two of the most well-known artists in Southern Delaware. Their styles are wonderfully compatible together, making them a great pair to share our exhibition space. We’re delighted that they are working together again,” says Tony Boyd-Heron, co-owner and exhibitions director at the gallery. 

 

    Laura Hickman was born in Milford, Delaware and grew up on Fifth Street in Bethany Beach. She was profoundly influenced by her life at the beach, which is evident in her artwork. 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 and 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. Laura’s hometown beckoned for her return in 1988 when she realized her dream of becoming a full-time artist.

 

    For “View from the Water”, Laura’s paintings are all inspired by a trip she took down the canal from Rehoboth Bay to Roosevelt Inlet in late October 2021. Despite the autumn setting, Laura’s images capture vibrant shades of cyan, turquoise, ultramarine, cobalt, and midnight blue, imitating the lush hues found throughout the Delmarva region all year long. Her pristine pastel paintings embody the quietude and tranquility one finds while perched by the water on a sunny day.   

 

    Steve Rogers, a resident of Lewes, has loved boats and water all his life, centering his art career around them. He works in acrylics to paint traditional working boats in precise realism. He is a nationally recognized ship model builder, winning a certificate of commendation at the Modelbuilders Competition in 2000. Steve is also a signature member of the American Society of Marine Artists. He is the recipient of the 2005 Established Artist Fellowship from the Delaware Division of the Arts and has been honored with the title "Master" in the 2015 Delaware By Hand Masters Exhibition.

 

    Steve’s boats are not pampered fiberglass yachts, but rather hard-bitten and over-worked oystermen, crabbers, and menhaden steamers. His paintings capture the toughness and durability of everyday working boats and the beauty and terror of the weather in which they work. Steve’s depictions are incredibly accurate, down to the materials and construction of each particular type of vessel. His palette is rich with natural tones of ochre, umber, and rust set off by shadows in cool blues and stark blacks. His lighthouses glow with an ethereal aura, beckoning the shipmen back to shore.