By John Chambless
Staff Writer

Fitting well into the calendar, “Autumn Awaits” at the Square Pear Gallery in Kennett Square is a feast of fall scenery.

The front room in the gallery has three large, russet-toned landscapes by Barbara Grant. The blazing red foliage and golden-tan fields have a rich, painterly texture that evokes leaves and grass not only in the colors, but the surface of the canvas as well.

Kristen Bell works on a smaller scale, but her watery textures and misty, dreamlike landscapes are just as immediately likable as those by Grant, but in a more subtle way.

Joe Milligan's watercolors of barns in farm fields are more traditional Chester County style, but Monique Sarkessian has a large, vivid landscape, “Tuscan Sunset,” that has a nearly sculptural surface. Her lovely, glowing vineyard view, “Fruitful Vine-4,” pops with vivid light and color. Sarkessian's pastel, “Brandywine Sunrise,” is a departure in medium, but it has a cool, shadowy, almost abstract look that suggests much without being too literal.

Sandra Severson has a wide selection of warm, expressive oils of farm animals and wildlife, and Susan B. Myers has four lovely pastels of fields and trees with an autumn tone. Her view of pine trees under glowing clouds, “Dusk,” is particularly fine, and makes the most of its small size.

Ann Guidera-Matey turns one wall of the gallery into a contemplation of autumn light, particularly the grassy hillside draped with tree shadows (“Ridges Shadows”), and her striking use of dazzling red leaves in “Seeing Red” and “Red Mirrored.”

Matiko Mamaladze gets a lot of color and texture out of sunflowers in her three big still lifes, and Alecia Miller has a nice arrangement of small panels that blend collage, floral shapes and intricate patterns. Her “Vernal Equinox,” the largest of the works, is fascinating.

And don't miss the fanciful multi-media creations by Roberta Little. They are multi-faceted and often wonderfully witty.

“Autumn Awaits” continues at the Square Pear Gallery (200 State St, Kennett Square ) through Sept. 30. Call 484-883-5429 or visit www.squarepeargallery.com.

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