Regarding the View: Paintings and Prints by
E S DeSanna
JULY 4-28
Regarding The View, an exhibit of landscape paintings and prints by Olivebridge artist E S DeSanna, will be shown at Arts Society of Kingston, 97 Broadway, in the Rondout area of Kingston. The exhibit includes work inspired by travels in Italy, Maine, and, close to home in the Catskills and Hudson Valley. The show will open with a reception on July 4 from 5-8 pm, and continue until July 28th.
DeSanna paints mostly landscapes en plein air. Pastel is her primary medium, the splendor of the Hudson Valley her sustaining inspiration. Wanderlust has often taken her to Europe, where she has painted in England and across northern and central Italy. She prefers a rural landscape for her paintings, often playing natural forms against manmade – roads, fields, structures - and she usually paints in the hours when shadows are long, and light is soft and warm.
DeSanna says: “I paint outdoors to force concentration, to achieve a rapid, lucid response to the parameters set by the changing light... I sometimes travel to distant locales, paints in hand, to use the novelty of location to insist on a more intense concentration. A change of scene sharpens my vision and forces extreme focus. But every outing is an adventure. Atmosphere and light effect a mood and sense of place that I try to capture in my work. Even the most familiar sight can be especially alluring in certain weather or light conditions.”
Though she works in soft pastel, she applies her pigment thickly on a coarse ground, giving a painterly effect. The artist also translates her study of the landscape to print. She has long loved the spontaneous aspect of monotypes, and several years ago, embarked on an exploration of more formal printmaking.
DeSanna has received awards for her work in printmaking and pastels, and shows extensively throughout the Hudson Valley. She earned a degree in art from SUNY New Paltz, and has studied at School of Visual Arts in NYC, Woodstock School of Art, and Il Chiostro in Tuscany. She served as vice-president of the Hudson River Watercolor Society, and is an active member of Woodstock Artists Association, The Woodstock Guild, Marbletown Arts Association and Arts Society of Kingston. She has taught pastel workshops at Mohonk Mountain House, for small groups around the valley, and in Italy, and is currently offering classes in pastel through the Art Society of Kingston.
