Art Exhibit: Pastels by Alexis Joseph

The Summit Free Public Library and the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey announce an exhibition of pastels by Alexis Joseph in THE GALLERY at the Summit Free Public Library, February 2 through March 31, 2012.

Alexis Joseph of Kinnelon recently returned to painting after 35 years as a retail executive. Alexis uses vivid colors and layered textures to paint scenes of the Northeast US, the Carribean, and France. With her usual humor, Alexis seeks out scenes with unusual shadows and light, and subjects and structures with lots character. “Hide & Seek” is a scene at the top of a hill painted in purples and limes. The wonderful sparkle created by light shows up in “Snow Fragments” and “Swamp Grass Blues” as multicolor patches.

Alexis says of her work:

Painting is a language like no other that offers me unique freedoms and challenges. With paint I'm able to be outspoken and opinionated or quiet and circumspect. I can “wear” bright, vivid colors that don't need to match or the subtlest of shades. I can be spontaneous, bold, and even twist and shout or as moody as I like.I can speak with complete abandon without the usual restrainsts of everyday etiquette.

Pastels are my current medium of choice. They come in a delicious array of colors, feel soft and silky, yet can look like the roughest surface, and, best of all, pastels require minmal set up.The immediacy of pastels suit my personality by allowing me to be spontaneous. I can jump right in and focus on painting rather than on getting ready to paint. I can be excited by the brightest light, the darkest shadow, or the quirky detail.

Right now I paint primarily landsccapes in two styles: soft realism and semi-abstract. Both styles are more or less represational (realistic). By using two styles, I am able to approach subjects with different energy and varied techniques and create a broader yet cohesive body of work.

The exhibit is open to the public during regular library hours. THE GALLERY is a public-private partnership. The Library is located at 75 Maple Street, Summit, New Jersey and is open Monday to Wednesday, 9:00am to 9:00 PM; Thursday to Saturday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM; and Sunday, 1-5 PM.