New Peninsula Gallery exhibit opens with Oct. 5 reception

Peninsula Gallery will present Into the Night, a new exhibit of haunting imagery and nocturnal landscapes, from Oct. 5 to 27, at 520 East Savannah Road, Lewes. 

The crisp air and chilling darkness of autumn serve as the backdrop for these new paintings from Howard J. Eberle, Bradley Hendershot, Katharine Krieg and Joe Milligan. From remote buildings and forgotten objects to rich orange and midnight blue hues, the pieces of Into the Night embody the essence of October.

An artists’ reception will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 5, and is free and open to the public. Attendees will have the opportunity to mingle with some of the artists. Call 302-645-0551 or email peninsulagallery1@gmail.com for details.  

One of three watercolorists featured in this exhibition, Howard J. Eberle is a self-taught artist who has been painting in transparent watercolor since 1973. He started painting professionally in 1990 after a career in retail display. He describes his style as “abstract realism” and considers himself a portrait painter of objects, being drawn to simple, weathered subjects ravaged by time. Oval gourds and round moons dominate Eberle’s paintings. He uses his dry brush to effortlessly capture the texture of rusting steel on weather-worn lighthouses, decaying wood on old barn doors and the porous skin of voluptuous pumpkins. 

Bradley Hendershot grew up painting alongside his father, artist Ray Hendershot, who was his earliest teacher and guide. Taking inspiration from the Brandywine School, his style puts an emphasis on realism, crafting scenes inspired by his daily life. Hendershot has earned signature membership status in various national and international artist societies, and his work appears in public and private collections nationwide and around the world, including numerous museum and corporate collections. For Into the Night, Hendershot has painted scenes of the rolling hills of rural Pennsylvania surrounded by overcast skies, early dusk and full moon nights, evoking secluded farmhouses that exist in a place where time appears to have stood still.   

Katharine Krieg is a professional artist creating works of marine and rural landscape and narrative still life for more than 30 years. Her works are done primarily in oil paint, but she is also accomplished in watercolor and charcoal, and has been recognized in all three mediums. Her list of publications includes books and national magazines, and her work can be found in collections throughout the United States and beyond. A quiet sense of introspection and the passing of time are themes that recur in the oil paintings Krieg has chosen to feature in this exhibit. From still landscapes at twilight and cliff-top houses emitting a single warm light, to wise birds beckoning viewers with their mysterious aura, Krieg is diverse in her imagery and stories. 

Joe Milligan’s watercolors evoke a sensitive and emotional feeling of time and place, attributed to his keen observations of the subjects and their surroundings. His work is featured at galleries in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey, has received awards at regional art shows, and has appeared in books and magazines about the New Jersey coast. Milligan’s architectural subjects include isolated houses on the beach, docked boats, glowing lighthouses and abandoned buoys. His nautical scenes are intensely atmospheric, using the ocean, sand and skies to offer a sense of Mother Nature’s many personalities.

Works from Into the Night can be previewed at peninsula-gallery.com.