Travis watercolors at RAG
“Mine is a very personal view with clear sympathies. I find
compelling subjects nearby and my paintings usually reflect my immediate
surroundings. Though it is not necessary to travel far, when I do,
painting has become my way of recording the journey. I take no photographs—only
make my paintings.” This is the philosophy of painter Alix
Travis, who will exhibit her watercolors at the Old Bank Gallery of The Roxbury
Arts Group from July 28 through September 3. There will
be an opening reception on August 4 from 4-6 pm.
Travis, who has a seasonal home and studio in Halcottsville, has exhibited her work in solo and juried group shows in New York City, Woodstock, several galleries locally, Pennsylvania and Ohio. She is a signature member of The New York Plein Air Painters. She describes her process as follows:
“I am always found outside, en plein air, painting those familiar subjects that we all know but have ceased to notice because we see them everyday. With my painter’s eye I am constantly looking for the shapes, angles, light effects and interesting lines that take a landscape beyond the ordinary. Often, a series of my paintings develops a community of tangential spaces with a strong sense of the history of human endeavor. I am drawn to American vernacular architecture and landscapes that have been arranged and rearranged by man’s activity. Though people are seldom included in my paintings, signs of their labors are everywhere.
I paint quickly, in broad strokes with only passing attention to detail. My subjects are transformed by light and the paintings are expressive, full of high key color, and emotional. I react quickly and paint using large brushes. A few graphite lines indicate basic shapes. Soft edges outnumber hard; paint is rarely layered and there are few special effects. The result is vivid and striking paintings that appear to be effortlessly created.“
Travis’ palette
is stong and powerful; there is nothing merely pretty or generic about her
appealing landscapes. Their immediacy and sense of the specific place in her
work is transporting.
The Travis
show will run concurrently with “A Family in the Arts, “ a
retrospective of the work of 5 members of the Hopkins Family at the Walt
Meade Gallery on Vega Mountain Road. Gallery hours are: Mon.-Fri. 10
am – 4 pm; Sat. 1-4 pm; Sun. 10 am -2 pm and by appointment. Call
(607) 326-7908.