By John Chambless
Staff Writer

As a pairing, Signe Sundberg-Hall and Carol Mangano are a nice complement to each other in the new exhibit at the Barbara Moore Fine Art Gallery in Chadds Ford. In “The Nearby Wild – Impressionistic,” the two artists draw inspiration from the same region, but they have distinct approaches, and the show balances their styles in an appealing way.

Sundberg-Hall’s “Gypsy Clouds at Sunset” has a just-right glow and a huge scale, with a sweeping cloud formation reflected in the still water of the marsh below. The interplay of sky and marsh is also featured in “Across the Pond,” which gets drama out of nature in a more subtle way.

The artist works smaller in three nighttime views and one autumn contemplation, “September On the Water,” as well as in the glowing cloud view, “Sunset Over Star Farm.” “The Skies of Doe Run” is a large marshland view in which the earth and sky are evenly matched in their drama and scope.

Carol Mangano works in a bolder, splashier style. Her acrylic paintings pop while Sundberg-Hall’s oils quietly whisper. Mangano’s “Howard Pyle Studio” is a vivid floral in which the colors outside the window are nearly as eye-popping as the blooms indoors. Flowers boldly take center stage elsewhere as well, as in “Sunflower Conversations” and “Afternoon Setting on Brandywine,” “Flowers and Blue Pitcher” and “Daisies and Delphiniums.”

The fruit in “Copper Pot and Figs” has a crimson vitality, and “Nectarines at Millburn Market” revels in rich, red tones.

There’s an appealing energy when Mangano steps outside of flowers, too, as seen in the woodland views “Brandywine Winter” and “On the Brandywine.”

“The Nearby Wild – Impressionistic” opens with a reception on Oct. 23 from 5 to 8 p.m., and continues through Nov. 6 at the Barbara Moore Fine Art Gallery (1609 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford).

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email [email protected].