Skip to main content

Chester County Press

'Everyday Moments' made special in Kennett Square

05/07/2018 10:51AM ● By J. Chambless

'Jammin'' by Cheryl Schlenker.

By John Chambless
Staff Writer

The first exhibit at the Square Pear Fine Art Gallery (formerly Mala Galleria) in Kennett Square is titled “Everyday Moments,” and it's a good enough umbrella under which to gather a rich collection of paintings and sculptures.

Among the sculptors, Kathleen Friedenberg shows her usual dazzling sense of motion and character in her animal bronzes. They are technical marvels, with animals suspended on the merest points of contact, such as a dog clinging to a ball being held aloft by a playful horse in “Ball Game,” and the three-legged pose of the cow in mid-scratch in “Summer Days.”

Olga Nielsen has several very fine sculptures as well, including the graceful stretch of a woman in “Yoga Pose,” and the serene yet forceful bust “Julia,” both of which show Nielsen's skill in capturing the body and expression in dynamic ways.

Cheryl Elmo has several watercolors that reflect her distinctive style – what she calls “colored puddles” – in several views of people in proximity but not necessarily interacting, leaving the viewer to fill in their narratives or relationships. They are energetically painted and have a soft-focus look that expresses details without being overt.

Cheryl Schlenker's watercolor cityscapes in the front gallery have masterful touches of collage in them, adding just the right bit of color and texture. Her three pieces focusing on jazz combos are pure collage, and they have a vibrant, playful look that perfectly suits the subject matter. Along the same musical line, Al Moretti is a professional musician who captures the motion and energy of music and dance in his attention-grabbing “The Dancers” and the portrait “Zitkala Se.”

Kennett Square painter Daniel Chow gets a showcase of small paintings that perfectly encapsulate a time and place. His paintings of seemingly inconsequential places near his home have a quiet calm that draws you closer. “The Recycling Bin” brings an intriguing complexity to a pile of random items in a back yard. And the aqua roof of a home in “Cape Cod” is particularly beguiling.

Kimberly Hoescht has a wall of still lifes that pop with vivid colors, but her long view of row homes, “Bays on North Clayton,” is a standout. It captures a satisfying range of sun-warmed surfaces with grace and elegance.

Matiko Mamaladze has a selection of greeting cards with her paintings, and two originals. There's also a selection of glazed ceramic bowls, cups and serving pieces by Susan O'Hanlon that have an attractive blue-green palette.

Square Pear Fine Art Gallery is at 200 E. State St., Kennett Square. Call 484-883-5429 or email [email protected] for more information.

Down the street at State and Union in Kennett Square, paintings by Bob Voynow are tucked in between the merchandise, and they are well worth seeking out. Voynow works magic in the smallest of spaces. The tiny landscapes – some of which are hung way up by the ceiling – are consistently fine, if a bit hard to appreciate at their height. But other pieces, such as “Snow Day,” are wonderful little slices of well-selected details, barely two inches high.

The even smaller “Full Moon” is an understated feat that packs acres of dark water and a hint of a reflected moon into less than four inches square. “Front Row” has a suggestion of a seated figure surveying a tree line. The much larger oil, “The Hive,” is a view of a solitary bee hive in a meadow that has something of the somber contemplation of an Andrew Wyeth painting, but is nevertheless distinctively the work of an original – and very skillful – artist.

Works by Bob Voynow will be on display at State and Union (103 W. State St., Kennett Square) through the summer. Call 610-444-9484.

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