The colorful silkscreen prints of two accomplished artists and the annual Beverly Bassford Memorial Juried Show are the featured gallery shows at the Ocean City Center for the Arts in July.
The public is invited to the free opening reception at the Arts Center on First Friday, July 5, from 5 to 7 p.m. to meet the artists and enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres. The shows will run until July 27.
“Regional Pop,” a show of colorful silkscreen prints – or serigraphs – by Erick Sahler and Joseph Craig English, is featured in the Thaler Gallery in July. A serigraph is an original silk screened image that is labor-intensive to create. A separate screen is created for each color, and the artist hand pulls the color onto the paper, making each print individually.
Sahler is the artist behind Erick Sahler Hand-Pulled Serigraphs of Salisbury with the motto: “Eastern Shore art for the rest of us.” His designs borrow heavily on the WPA posters of the late 1930s and the travel posters of the mid-20th century. “My inspiration remains to celebrate all those things that make life around here unique, be it scrapple or log canoe races or rocket launches or ponies on the beach,” Sahler said.
English was introduced to silkscreen printing in his ninth grade art class, opening the door to a lifetime career as a printmaker. A graduate of the School of Art at VCU in Richmond, he lives and works in the historic community of Washington Grove, Md. Early on, the artist took his brightly colorful original serigraphs to the streets, and since 1972 has been showing and selling his work at arts festivals throughout the country.
The Beverly Bassford Juried Show is an annual memorial event named for a former Art League of Ocean City board member who was passionate about the need for a new art facility, a passion realized in the Ocean City Center for the Arts. After her death in 1999, Bassford’s family established a prize in her name, which grew into the annual memorial show, featuring fine art by local and regional artists and awards still sponsored by Bassford’s family. Jinchul Kim, assistant professor of art at Salisbury University, will jury the entries.
The work of fiber artist Heidi Wetzel of Easton hangs in the Spotlight Gallery during July. Originally from Germany, she uses a wide variety of mediums such as sisal, yarn, ribbon and other weavable items to craft baskets, sculptures, and more.
Patricia Dubroof occupies Studio E in July. The Director of Community Relations for Assisting Hands Home Care in Bethesda, Md., she formerly consulted with the National Center for Creative Aging on the plan for arts and healing at the Veterans Medical Center of Washington D.C. and created an Artist In Residence Project for the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington and Iona Senior Services, linking healing and art for elders. Dubroof will also teach a class in her technique at the Arts Center on Tuesday, July 2 from 6-8 p.m., and give a free talk about her artwork and creative process on Friday, July 12 at 6 p.m.
Marge Bradach of Gargatha, Va. is the artisan in residence during July. Her expressive jewelry combines earth, wind, and fire to form a visual adornment meant to inspire the wearer. Her surroundings of fields, sea breezes, and hot summer days influence her creations.
The Art League of Ocean City is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing the visual arts to the community through education, exhibits, scholarship, programs and community art projects. Financial support comes primarily through membership dues from individuals and corporate sponsors.
More information is available at 410-524-9433 or www.artleagueofoceancity.org.
