Enthralling Expressions on Paper at Perkins Center

Within the ateliers of , the varied and dynamic collection of the 24th “Works on Paper” is now on view.

The juried show opened with a reception on Sunday, Oct. 2, showing 71 works of art by 69 talented artists from New Jersey, Florida, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

Each year, the show celebrates a diverse range of talents in unique and speckled themes using variegated mixed media on paper. And though it doesn’t feature any jaw-dropping famous names, perusing the exhibit of mostly modern and contemporary material is both appealing and enjoyable.

This year’s exhibit highlighting both professional and amateur artists presents more pencil, charcoal and sketching than prior years, said Phillip J. Carroll, associate curator of Perkins.

“In previous years, we had seen a tremendous amount of watercolors and pastels,” said Carroll. “It was nice to see a shift in design.”

Six artists won Juror’s Awards for their poignancy, intensity and depth of design, said juror Kelly Baum, who judged the show.

“These works demonstrate the incredible skills and representations of these developed artists,” said Baum, who is the Haskell Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at Princeton University.

Mary Kane’s Juror’s Award piece, Falling I, is a large colorful mylar collage, which was inspired by waterfalls.

“I did a series on gravity,” said Kane, who lives in Chester Springs, PA. “At that time, I imagined a colorful waterfall. Just like my piece.”

An untitled, thought-provoking watercolor from Eric Kennedy of Philadelphia also won a Juror’s Award. The left side of the paper is dark and gloomy with a murky explosion, while the right side shines with rich yellows, blues and corals.

Inspired by Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, Richard Gabriele of Langhorne, PA, painted a large gray whale against a desolate ocean using watercolor and tempera.

“I imagined what the captain may have envisioned by the moonlight on the water as he paced the deck of the ship alone at night,” said Gabriele of Ahab’s Dream.

Milkweed Branch, an intricate rendering of fragile leaves delicately sketched with graphite on Stonehenge paper—a thin flawless surface that is slightly mottled to resemble velum—won a Juror’s Award for Csilla Sadloch of Yardley, PA.

A somber but patriotic oil captures an African-American female soldier saluting against an American flag backdrop in Remembering, by Kavion Robinson of Trenton, whose work is a reminder of the adage “We will never forget.”

“Since 9/11 I have seen so much sadness and heartfelt images,” said Robinson. “But, I have also seen a country that has shown pride.”

Curators from the Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington, DE, chose Folded Arms, a Juror’s Award, by Thelma Grobes of Philadelphia, for its permanent collection.

The drawing features two Rubenesque women, one standing, one sitting, each with arms folded. While both are nude and similar in characteristics, the attractive ladies appear to be disengaged and unaware of one another.

“This drawing is one of the sleepers in the exhibit,” said Baum. “The lack of connection between the two women provided an exotic charge to the work.”

If You Go

”Works on Paper” runs through Dec. 11. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday and Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.