Park Row Gallery News

Landscapes and seascapes by Ghent artist Beverly Ruth Bader will be on exhibit April 5 - May 19 at Park Row Gallery, 2 Park Row. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, April 5th, from 4:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M.

Bader's interest in art began in her childhood. One of her earliest and fondest memories is when she was six years old, drawing faces on large sheets of wrapping paper from her parents' grocery store. She would immerse herself for long periods of time, paying limited attention to the noise around her. As Bader grew into adolescence, she began to formally study drawing and painting at The Arts Students League of New York. There she met instructors and artists that made lasting impressions on her. She remembers saying to them around that time: "When I grow up, I'm going to be a painter and paint forever."

Soon after moving to Boston, Bader enrolled in art classes at The Museum of Fine Arts, continuing to paint independently in her private studio. More recently, she received fellowships to paint Intensively at The Vermont Studio Center in Johnston, Vermont for four consecutive years.

Memory plays a significant role in the making of her art, which often consists of expressive paintings in oils or acrylics that she draws upon from her recollections; she prefers not to work from photographs. "I'm not painting in front of the outdoor scene, but rather from the memory of how I wish to recapture the actual view." The genesis usually occurs on long walks, during which she commits the scenes to memory. Often some time passes before these paintings become realities on canvases. "For me, the expressions left to chance, the embellishments of vivid colors and strokes that I relive spontaneously, add form and texture to my images." In addition to inspiration that she gathers from communing with nature, Bader notes that she finds some philosophical parallels in her own paintings with Proust's "Remembrance of Things Past," which she often rereads for its beauty.

Bader says: "When I return to my studio, and I stand before a blank canvas, I close my eyes to recall my impressions, taking into account all the senses that were evoked at the actual viewing. I often begin in one direction, and as I continue, the painting itself leads me to where I wish to go. I trust that, although I'm not sure how it will all unfold, the painting will please me at the end. Since I paint for myself, the changes and surprises on the way engage me in a new and fresh way of 'seeing.'"