“Impressions of Nature” Exhibit

Donna EdmondsWatercolorist
Angela HardwickWatercolorist
Cheri Lee Anderton-YarnellPotter
Kathleen G. ChovitOil Painter

Artistic Quartet

Allegheny RiverStone Center for the Arts and the Red Brick Gallery proudly announces its next exhibition – “Impressions of Nature: An Artistic Quartet” on display from Friday, July 15 to Sunday, August 21.

This multimedia exhibit will showcase a panoply of colors and textures and nature subjects by three Red Brick Gallery Cooperative Members: Donna Edmonds, watercolorist; Angela Hardwick, watercolorist; and Cheri Lee Anderton-Yarnell, potter; and guest artist Kathleen G. Chovit, oil painter.

The historic Gallery on the bank of the Allegheny River in Foxburg is an ideal venue for this exhibition that showcases the arresting natural beauty of Pennsylvania. Each artist is adept at handling the organic subject matter with sensitivity and grace. The show is a collection of works by four unique artists, offering art pieces in different media and subjects that are knit together in perfect harmony.

The Meet the Artists Opening reception on Sunday, July 17 from 4 – 6 PM, immediately following ARCA’s concert at 2 PM by internationally acclaimed pianist Alec Chien in Lincoln Hall, gave gallery goers an opportunity to meet and visit with the four artists.

Four Artists' photo-Exhibit opening
Donna Edmonds, Cheri Lee Anderton-Yarnell, Kathleen G. Chovit, Angela Hardwick

Donna Edmonds

Edmonds - Ground nut & nest
Ground Nut & Nest

As a life-long gardener and nature lover, the typical focus of Donna Edmond’s watercolor paintings is botanical subjects, although she has also painted insects and pollinators.  Her interest in native plants has inspired her to observe the extraordinary beauty and diversity of the Western Pennsylvania countryside. These observations have introduced her to other delights, most recently our feathered friends. Several paintings in the exhibit will feature native birds and their nests.

Edmonds - Black capped chickadee
Black Capped Chickadee

Donna studied Botanical Art and Illustration at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden and is now an instructor there, teaching classes for the Botanical Art and Illustration Certificate Program. Her work has been exhibited at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens as well as the Phipps Garden Center in Shadyside and other Pittsburgh venues. She is a member of the Allegheny Highlands Botanical Art Society and The American Society of Botanical Artists. Donna currently resides with her husband in Parker, PA.

“It’s a gift to share my creative wanderings with others at the Red Brick Gallery and a privilege to participate in an exhibit with other artists whom I respect,”  Edmonds said.

Angela Hardwick

Wisteria Tree
Wisteria Tree

Watercolor artist, Angela Hardwick has traveled and painted beautiful garden scenes, landscapes and lovely vignettes of her travels throughout the British Isles, Europe and western Pennsylvania.  Sometimes feline friends make an appearance!

A native Londoner, Angela had a thriving career in the music business. She spent much of her free time singing and touring with the London Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Also, she managed international conductors. Her work as Assistant to the Pittsburgh Symphony’s Music Director, Andre Previn, brought her to Western Pennsylvania, where she met her husband, Charles, a violinist with the Pittsburgh Symphony.

After retiring, Angela has had the time to indulge in her love of painting. She produced a watercolor series including the four seasons of the Frick Cafe and the Frick Greenhouse, which were on sale at the Frick.  She has been commissioned to create watercolor paintings of homes and estates.  She and her husband live with their three cats in Wexford, PA.

50_Montefalco

“I’m delighted to be part of this quartet of artists. My fellow exhibitors are indeed gifted artists in their fields and it will, I’m sure, be a most interesting show.   For my part, I spent numerous happy hours on my new watercolours!   I do hope many guests will visit the Red Brick and enjoy this exhibit.”

Cheri Lee Anderton-Yarnell

Frog Teapot

For potter Cheri Lee Anderton-Yarnell, playing in the mud as a child began her lifelong passion for clay. Today her work is both a reflection of her concern for our planet and fellow humans as well as a celebration of earth and of a spiritual path.

“I enjoy weaving images in a variety of clay vessels.  I am particularly drawn to the plight of amphibians and endangered and threatened species,” said Anderton-Yarnell. “These have become the signature images in my work. From the playful to the profound, I intend for each vessel to evoke a sense of the beauty and peril of our world.”

Her work is primarily high fired porcelain or stoneware. Cheri creates each piece individually, from wedging the clay, forming each vessel on the potter’s wheel or hand building.  Some pieces receive surface treatment using handmade stamps, pieces of crochet or tatting for texture. Much of the work involves alteration through manipulating and through sculpting.

Green bowl

Cheri’s work is in several galleries and she participates in a few juried shows each year.  A juried member of the Pittsburgh Guild of Craftsmen, she has taught ceramics for 25 years and has had her work published in two Lark Books, 500 Teapots and 500 Animals.

Kathleen Chovit

The Summit by K. Chovit, Oil on Linen, 20 x 16 Inches
The Summit

For over 20 years, Kathleen Chovit’s paintings have been inspired by the landscape of Central Pennsylvania she encountered while hiking countless miles over hill and dale with her dog. Alas, as her dog aged and she suffered an ankle injury, so Kathleen has had to slow down and observe of nature from a different angle.

“I became captivated by the richness of color, texture and shadows,” Chovit stated. “Straddling the line between impressionism and realism, my subjects are realistic looking from a distance, however, closer inspection reveals loose strokes. I move beyond painting just the visual qualities of a landscape to painting the invisible pulses and rhythms of our planet. Whether I paint a landscape, animals or fruit, I want them to reverberate with life. For me, painting is the language of the soul.”

Winter Blues by K. Chovit, Oil on Cradled Museum Board, 16 x 20 Inches
Winter Blues

Kathleen’s paintings have been featured in many juried, solo, and group exhibitions over 17 years.  Her work was published in Landscapes of Central PA in 2015 (Timeless Art Productions). She is a member of the Oil Painters of America and included in the Artist Registry at the Bellefonte Museum.  She currently resides in State College, PA.

Red Brick Gallery is located at 17 Main Street in historic Foxburg, PA. Gallery hours are Fridays, 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM, Saturdays, 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM and Sundays, Noon to 4:00 PM.