NEW BERN — New Bern ArtWorks Fine Art Gallery opened a new exhibit Saturday entitled “Coastal Views,” a body of works by landscape painters, Barbara Hesketh, Ken Wallin and Karen Crenshaw.
The exhibit will be on display through July 6 at the Pollock Street gallery.
Painting landscapes in oil has become a main focus for artist Hesketh, with an interest in beach scenes, skyscapes and seascapes. She has expanded her subject matter to include scenes from around North Carolina.
Emotion, sunlight and passion are frequent observations made by people observing the oil work of artist Wallin. With his life on the coast, Wallin captures the beauty of the ocean and the marine life of coastal areas.
Crenshaw’s painting palette shows the influence of the Impressionists with her use of high-keyed hues — soft cobalt and cerulean blues and deep, rich greens and violets. The play of light is reminiscent of Edward Hopper, yet the mood and image are warm and comfortable.
Crenshaw said she is fascinated with open spaces and vast water vistas. She is particularly intrigued by the pinkish-blue tones of the early morning and the amber light of late afternoon. When the sun is low on the horizon, it creates wonderful contrasts of forms and oblique angles and shapes.
Hesketh has lived in New Bern since 2001. She is originally from Long Island, N.Y., where she works as an art director for an advertising agency for 25 years.
After retirement she still works on a freelance basis. She started painting in watercolor in 1998. She has won awards in both New York and North Carolina. Her work can be seen and purchased in the Carolina Artists Studio Gallery in Morehead City; the Mattie King Gallery in Beaufort; The Craven Arts Council and Gallery; and Ballantyne’s Frame Shop and Artworks in New Bern.
She is a member of the Twin Rivers Artists Association, a signature member of the North Carolina Watercolor Society and the Southern Watercolor Society.
Wallin’s oil paintings reflect his passion for life as seen through his many travels throughout the U.S., Europe and other destinations of interest. He and his photographer wife, Judy, have taken many travel adventures and captured their experiences on canvas.
With his life on the coast, Wallin said he tries to captures the beauty of the ocean, living on a small island and the marine life of coastal areas. His travels in France and Italy have inspired a series of bright, cheerful views of vineyards, villages and the people.
Ken began his career in the fourth grade painting dinosaurs on the classroom mural. Since then, he has pursued training in the U.S. and France through many workshops, college experiences and individual study. Parallel with his art, he obtained a Ph.D in psychology and has worked with adults and children who experience conflict and adjustment problems. He combined his work in art and creativity to develop therapeutic teaching materials in anger control, positive thinking and conflict resolution.
He now operates his own gallery on St. Simon’s Island, Ga.
Crenshaw was born in South Dakota and reared in West Virginia, where she obtained a B.S. in Art Education from Concord University. After teaching in Rockbridge County, Va., she returned to her studies at George Washington University. She now maintains her studio and resides in Jacksonville with her husband and children.
Her paintings have been exhibited and have won awards throughout West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina, along with, Washington, D.C.
“Having grown up in a sheltered valley in the mountains of West Virginia, I am fascinated with open spaces and vast water vistas,” she said.
New Bern ArtWorks & Company, 323 Pollock Street, has exhibit hours of 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.on Saturdays. For more information, call 252-634-9002, or on the web at newbernartworks.com.