Center Gallery hosts oil painters Lombardo, Burian

From staff reports

Ohio artist Joseph Lombardo will exhibit his study of “Patterns,” plein air and studio paintings of Leelanau County, July 12-18, at Center Gallery at Lake Street Studios, 6023 S. Lake St. in Glen Arbor. The show opens with a public reception July 12 at 6 p.m.

Lombardo, an adjunct professor at Columbus College of Art and Design, first visited Glen Arbor in 2009. During that summer visit he began a series of oil paintings of the vicinity that continues to evolve. These new oil paintings are part of a series of works that explore the Leelanau landscape, the patterns — both natural and mechanical — and abstractions created by this familiar landscape.

As part of his exhibition, Lombardo will conduct a demonstration at Center Gallery, July 12, from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. This demonstration is an opportunity to watch the artist work, and to talk with him about his process and technique.

Paintings of Leelanau County’s land and water — as processed through the imagination of Grand Rapids artist Margo Burian — will be on display next at Center Gallery, with a public reception opening the show on July 19 at 6 p.m.

Burian’s lush, atmospheric oil paintings of the region are not, she says, a strict record of natural features and landmarks. “I have taken liberties with place and nature to move the painting from an accounting or laundry list to an interpretation,” Burian said. Water — and its “ability to change at a moment’s notice” — plays an important role in her painting, which begin as field sketches, then developed in her studio. This show continues through July 25.

For more information please call (231) 334-3179.