OCEAN CITY — The Art League of Ocean City invites the public to its First Friday opening reception on Aug. 5 from 5-7 p.m. at the Ocean City Center for the Arts on 94th Street bayside.
New paintings by Berlin-based artist Kirk McBride are featured in the Thaler Gallery throughout August. After college at the University of Maryland, McBride won “Best in Show” at the first local art show he entered, encouraging him to make painting a lifelong pursuit. He has been at it since the 1970s, part-time while teaching and raising a family, and full time since the early 1990s. A switch from watercolors to oils 18 years ago led to plein air painting. In recent years, McBride has traveled the East Coast from Florida to Maine exploring the docks and fishing shacks, the marshes and beaches, the old wooden boats, and the people who make a living from the sea. His paintings are a way of chronicling this vanishing piece of American life.
The paintings of Jonathan Nordstrom of Ocean Pines fill Studio E at the Arts Center in August. His paintings tend to illustrate his view of the universe, and many can be considered surreal pointillism. Born and raised in Michigan, Nordstrom became a firefighter in the U.S. Air Force, a career he continues to pursue. He is also the award-winning author and illustrator of several children’s books. Sometimes Sleep was awarded the Mom’s Choice Award, Gold Honoree.
Two photographers from Cambridge, Lynne Brown and Terry Melius, will exhibit their work in the Spotlight Gallery in August. They began snorkeling together on a fishing trip in the Bahamas where their early attempts at underwater photography did not reflect the magical seascapes they were exploring. After deciding they needed to learn more about photography and underwater photography in particular, they signed up for photography classes at the Smithsonian. Lynne specializes in photo processing, and Terry, in photo presentation.
Heidi Wetzel of Easton is the art center’s artisan for August. A skilled basket weaver, her materials include cedar bark, white and black ash, cane, sweet grass, waxed linen, and hand-spun yarn. Wetzel also recycles found natural outdoor objects, such as driftwood, antlers, acorns, shells, pinecones, sea glass, and seed pods, reflecting the natural surroundings of the Eastern Shore.
The Galleria hosts a limited-run exhibit of artwork created by the children who attended this summer’s Art Adventure Camp at the Arts Center.
“The goal with this show is to celebrate their creations as well as give them the experience of actually showing their work in an impressive gallery space,” Rina Thaler, executive director of the Art League, said.
The campers artwork will hang through Aug.11, then be replaced with the annual “Artists Paint OC” plein air exhibition and sale.
The exhibit of paintings by Francisco Madera as well as the collaborative mural with Ian Postley continues in the Staircase Gallery.
Offsite exhibitions continue at the Art League’s satellite galleries in North Ocean City. The main lobby gallery at the Princess Royale Oceanfront, 9100 Coastal Hwy. hosts an exhibit of paintings by Maggii Sarfaty. The Coffee Beanery on 94th St. continues a show of macrame wall hangings by Beth Deeley.
Beverages for the First Friday reception are sponsored by PKS Investments, and complimentary hors d’oeuvres are sponsored by the Dunes Manor Hotel.