OCEAN CITY — The Art League of Ocean City will hold an opening reception of the June exhibits on Friday, June 6 from 5-7 p.m. at the OC Center for the Arts on 94th Street. Complimentary refreshments will be served and admission is free.
“Journeys into Abstraction” in the Thaler gallery, explores the work of artists Richard Alan Fox and Jonathan Spivak.
The Galleria will showcase a photography and digital media exhibit by ALOC members and local artists with judge Dean Peterson, Professor of art at Salisbury University.
Sandra Esham will be the artist in residence in Studio E, and Olivia Kershaw Smith will serve as the Member’s Spotlight artist.
Fox will be exhibiting a grouping of paintings collectively titled “Stochastic Spirals”. Stochastic is defined as randomly determined; having a random probability or pattern that may be analyzed statistically but may not be predicted precisely. His paintings are statements of color and form, yielding to the subtleties of tonal harmony. Each three-foot canvas contains a spiral that starts in the right hand corner and continues to the center. The negative space is painted in tones of blue green and yellow. It is a simple formula, but as the artist demonstrates, there are infinite results.
This is the first time the New York-based artist has exhibited in Maryland. His work can be found in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Woodmere Art Museum in Philadelphia as well as private collections throughout the country. He earned a BA in painting from The City College of New York and his MA in Photography from San Francisco State University.
Spivak is an abstract artist based out of Bethany Beach, Del. He uses liquid acrylics and acrylics mixed with water as his medium. His paintings have been featured in the Phillip Morton Gallery and Gallery 50 in Rehoboth Beach and the Bethany Beach restaurants “Off the Hook” and “Café on 26.” His work is in private collections throughout the United States.
Born and raised in New York, he began to experiment with painting in the late 70’s and has painted seriously since the late 80’s. He moved to Bethany Beach in 1993 and opened “Sedona,” the first of his three celebrated restaurants. The other two, “Fusion” and “Salt Air,” were opened in 1996 and 2009, respectively.
Sandra Esham, June’s artist in residence, developed her love for art at an early age. She loves to paint evocative portraits, luscious still life arrangements and light filled landscapes. She is constantly looking for the light of everyday scenes, always desiring to emphasize the momentary vision of time and place. After retiring as an educator and counselor, she has been painting full time. Her work has been exhibited in both galleries and private collections.
Photography and Digital art will be featured in the Galleria, as Art League members and local photographers compete for prizes in this show judged by Professor Dean Peterson, who teaches photography and digital art at Salisbury University. He holds an MFA from Eastern Michigan University.
Member’s Spotlight artist, Olivia Kershaw Smith is a watercolor and acrylic painter. She also enjoys incorporating collage in some of her paintings. She earned her BA in art from the University of Maryland and has taken many classes in Roanoke, VA at the Studio School.
The Ocean City Center for the Arts galleries are open daily 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.