 | | | "White Window" by Nicole Reader Photo provided | | | | | | Orinda artist Nicole Reader has kept her eyes on her easel for the past 13 years. Now, in her show at the Orinda Library Art Gallery, she exhibits her paintings of contemplative people turning their eyes elsewhere.
The figures in these paintings are focused on their own environment, whether internal or external, rather than acknowledging the gaze of the viewer. Some are perched on literal overlooks, dramatic landscapes opening up before them; others barely look off the edge of the canvas, their vision turned inward.
Reader works in acrylic paints on canvas. Her realistic figurative paintings are based on photographs, but have an intensity and vibrancy that go beyond their source material. The artist says, "In my paintings I strike a balance: I pin down precise and specific realistic details, but I also incorporate the magic of mood and atmosphere." Many of the paintings in this show depict people in landscapes with expressive light, with settings ranging from the Yosemite Valley to Oxford, England.
Reader has lived in Orinda for over 20 years.
"Looking Out, Looking In" will be on display at the Orinda Library Art Gallery throughout the month of November. The gallery is located at 26 Orinda Way. The show is curated by the Lamorinda Arts Council. See more at www.nicolereader.com and lamorindaarts.org/current-exhibits.? |
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA