PRESS RELEASE (Martha's Vineyard) The Louisa Gould Gallery welcomes everyone back to the Vineyard to kick off another artful season on the island. Please join us for an artist opening reception for the group show Sail into Summer on Saturday May 24th from 5 - 7 pm. Refreshments will be served. Please welcome new and returning artists to the gallery for our sixth season: Ovid Osborn Ward, Caryn King, Donna Blackburn, Louisa Gould, William Buckley, Alan Eddy, Maya Farber, Rani Connor, Lynette Goric, Russell Carson, and Margot Datz.

Ovid Osborn Ward is a photo realist painter. Ovid is a member of the Copley Society of Artists in Boston, The Maritime Society of Painters among others. Ovid's highly collected work often depicts the sea surrounding the Vineyard. Ovid will have a two-person show at the gallery on August 23rd.

Christopher Pendergast's two new oil paintings on canvas are studies of Martha's Vineyard island. The Tree on Beach Road places the viewer right at the Beach. The strong composition leads the eye to the beach. The use of light and contrast along with the realistic tones and hues makes this a strong painting. According to Christopher, "I find that on very sunny days scenes dissociate towards fields of color. It is a lot easier on these days to see 'color' representing space rather than 'line' or 'perspective.' In paintings like this I tend to find realism in moments of articulation, like the yellow stripes running down the center of a road or a cast shadow." Sails in Vineyard Sound is another painting viewed from Gay Head beach looking toward the Elizabethan Islands with two schooners heading up the sound. "Viewed from the westernmost point on Martha's Vineyard, on the beaches of Aquinnah. Cloud cover cleared after morning rain to reveal this very pleasant moment" says Pendergast.

Caryn King's popular paintings of animals range from chicks to rooster, kestrels, chickadees, and sheep. The detail and use or color makes the Kestrel seem alive. The paintings are framed with barn wood, giving each piece a farm-like feel. Mrs. King used to reside on Martha's Vineyard, but now calls southern Vermont her home. Her work was chosen for the Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society's Fair poster for 2008.

William Buckley’s two bright oil paintings place the viewer on the 14th hole of Farm Neck and at sunrise at Philbin Beach with the Gay Head Light and cliffs. In the small work, the Fourteenth Hole, the artist tried to get the feel of the fairway approaching the green on one of the prettiest holes at the Farm Neck Golf Course. The setting was early morning and few golfers had played the hole at this point. The scenic hole runs down to Sengekontacketpond Pond and was a favorite place to see President Clinton when he played golf on the Island. The work is done in acrylic and the small size canvas is somewhat new for Buckley, who usually works in a larger format. In the second piece, The Cliffs from Philbin Beach, the artist captures the brilliance of the setting sun blasting on the clay cliffs of Gay Head (Aquinnah). Buckley says, “The setting is a beautiful Fall night when all the crowds have gone home and the gold of the sunlight hits the cliffs." Buckley has been exploring plein air painting and painted the work on location in acrylic.

Alan Eddy, a well-known marine artist, has new realistic paintings that set the tone for the show, Sail into Summer. Alan's paintings make people feel as if they are there with the wind and waves cutting through the water on the classic schooners.

Maya Farber's new landscapes are a change from her large flower still lifes in the previous show. Here she has captured farm scenes from the Island and the Catskills. Maya lives and works out of her studio in New York City but frequents the Island where her daughter lives year round.
Margot Datz's fun, whimsical, and artful originals and prints will be on view along with a display copy of her new book published by Simon & Schuster, The Survival Guide for Landlocked Mermaids.

Louisa Gould's four new paintings are all from Vineyard locations. Ms. Gould says “The most recent works are from scenery I've experienced first hand that day. For example, for Vineyard Pond, I took a photograph of the sunset over Sengekontacket Pond at the time I was driving home from the gallery. As soon as I got home I painted that image as it was fresh in my mind--the color of the sky, the feel of the wind on the water, and the passing clouds. For Vineyard Haven Harbor at Dawn” I took the photograph when I was heading off island on the 6am ferry for an appointment. Luckily I had my camera, and I painted the image upon returning to the Island that night. Fleeting moments in nature can be captured with a camera and then explored and enlivened on canvas."

Sail into summer with us this Saturday May 24th from 5-7pm and visit the show until June 13th. The gallery is located at 54 Main St., on the left-hand side past the movie theater. Please call for directions at (508) 693-7373 or visit the show online at www.louisagould.com.