Next month’s artist exhibit, “The Language of Color and Line”, features acrylic and watercolor paintings by Marie Davis Samohod. Her show will run June 6th through the 30th. The artist’s reception will be held on Friday, June 8th, from 5 to 7 pm at Swarthmore Borough Hall.  The event is free and open to the public. Come meet the artist and view her colorful work.

Marie Davis Samohod is a local Springfield artist that paints colorful, expressive acrylic paintings and watercolors.  Her work incorporates vibrant colors, expressive lines, and layers of texture. Her recent paintings draw inspiration from nature, life events, memories and places. They express themes of both joy, and solitude. “As I paint I make both cognitive and instinctual choices that reveal what is there and what is hidden and I also allow freedom with my materials to help create inner pictures and not necessarily a realistic portrayal.”

Marie has exhibited her paintings in juried group shows at Cerulean Art Gallery, Wayne Art Center, Community Art Center, Main Line Art Center, The Philadelphia Sketch Club, The Plastic Club, Woodmere Museum , the Fellowship shows at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, The Connelly Center,  Philadelphia Water Color Society, Chester County Art Association and Delaware County Community College Art Gallery. She has also had solo shows at The Art Institute of Philadelphia, The Darlington Art Center, Neumann University, the former Z Gallery, and two Main Line First Friday Shows.

Marie has won awards in juried shows at the Philadelphia Sketch Club, The Plastic Club, Delaware County Community College, Chester County Art Association, and from the Fellowship of The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Her work is included in corporate, college and numerous private collections.

Marie Davis Samohod is also a graduate of The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where she studied painting, and Neumann University where she studied education. Marie taught children for 24 years and has been painting for over 40 years. She continues to attend workshops to improve her craft and is a member of many art clubs and associations. Marie paints from her studio in Springfield and also plein air sites. She has had several Open Studio Events.

Exhibit hours are M-Th 9am – 8pm, Fri 10am – 7pm, Sat 10am – 3pm, Sun 1 – 5pm.

Swarthmore Friends of the Arts is the community group responsible for the rotating art exhibits at Swarthmore Borough Hall. For information about Swarthmore Friends of the Arts visit www.swarthmorearts.org,  or contact Skip Gosnell, Publicity Chair at 484-343-2728,  chilichaz13@gmail.com.

Dragonfly, by Rinal Parikh

Frog, by Rinal Parikh

Upvaan, by Rinal Parikh

Rinal Parikh’s art reflects the heritage and vibrant culture of her native India.

Rinal is Bio-Chemist by profession and Artist by Passion. She draws on a childhood fascination with color and composition, portraying spontaneity and energy with saturated color in various media. “I believe in always improving myself, learning from every stage in life and from nature. I love incorporating several mediums into my art, and especially love Indian folk art.-Madhubani from Madhubani district, Kalamkari from Andhra Pradesh, Warli from Maharashtra.”

The public is invited to the artist’s reception on Friday, April 6th, from 6 to 8 pm at Swarthmore Borough Hall.  The event is free and open to the public, an opportunity to meet the artist that should not be missed.

Another chance to meet the artist – Rinal will also be discussing her art at her artist talk Wednesday, April 11th at 10am at Swarthmore Borough Hall. 

Her subjects are influenced by life in India, and she studies the many different styles of Indian painting that vary from state to state: “Although they are from the same country,” she says, “they are very different from each other- I find it intriguing.” Rinal’s work has appeared in India in group exhibitions and on magazine covers. In the United States, she made her debut with a solo exhibit at The Creative Living Room in Swarthmore in 2009, and since than her work has been featured in many juried exhibits at venues like Demuth Art Museum, Rittenhouse Square Art Festival, Swarthmore Borough Hall, The Plastic club, The Philadelphia Sketch Club, Wallingford Community Arts Center, Mainline Art Center, Chester County Art Association, Art Association of Harrisburg to name the few. Rinal has won several awards for her work including Loos award for Works on Paper at The Philadelphia Sketch Club and 1st place award for watercolor at Art Association of Harrisburg to name the few. She does Artist talks for adults on Indian folk art and her modern take on them. Rinal’s work has been published in Magazine like Philadelphia Stories, 201, 2018 and fall issue of Rathalla Review, 2016. She teaches children’s and adult watercolor classes in Swarthmore. Rinal’s artwork are mainly found in Private collection in USA, Canada, Uruguay and India.

Rinal serves as a Treasurer for Swarthmore Friends of Arts, Board member at Wallingford Community Arts Center, Associate at Montgomery County Guild of Professional Artist (MCGOPA). Rinal is juried Professional Artist Member of Mainline Art Center. She is also co-chair for Dimensions in Art program at Swarthmore-Rutledge school in Swarthmore. Rinal holds artist memberships at Philadelphia Watercolor Society, Da vinci Art Alliance, Media Art Council, Chester County Art Association.

Exhibit hours are M-Th 9am – 8pm, Fri 10am – 7pm, Sat 10am – 3pm, Sun 1 – 5pm.

Swarthmore Friends of the Arts is the community group responsible for the rotating art exhibits at Swarthmore Borough Hall. For information about Swarthmore Friends of the Arts visit www.swarthmorearts.org,  or contact Skip Gosnell, Publicity Chair at 484-343-2728,  chilichaz13@gmail.com.

“Illusions of Reality” – An exhibition of original acrylic paintings by local artist Rochelle Myers will be on display from February 1 through February 26, 2018 at Swarthmore Borough Hall, 121 Park Avenue, Swarthmore. The public is invited to the artist’s opening reception on Sunday February 4,  from 2 to 4 pm.  Both the exhibit and the opening are free and open to the public. Ms. Myers will also be at Borough Hall for the upcoming First Friday event, February 2 from 6 to 8pm.

The exhibit presents paintings by Ms. Myers, the subject matter primarily in abstract realism using acrylics on canvas. With compositions inspired by reflective light, her work captures the contrast of bright light and dark shadows to describe form and atmosphere. “My artistic philosophy is to use color in layers that express my impression of a particular place; always using geometric shapes, planes and textures, hoping to communicate an energetic impact to the viewer.”

Ms. Myers, a retired teacher with a BA from Temple, Masters from University of the Arts and graduate credits from Tyler School of Art and Pennsylvania Academy of Art, continues developing her aesthetic learning by attending classes and workshops.

Ms. Myers’ work has been exhibited previously at the Delaware Art League, Main Line Art, Community Center, Wayne Art Center, The Mill, Penn Radnor, Muse Gallery, and Old City Art Center. She has won numerous awards and prizes at juried shows.

Exhibit hours are Monday to Thursday 9 am to 8 pm, Friday 10 am to 7 pm, Saturday 10 am to 3 pm, Sunday 1 to 5 pm.

The exhibit is sponsored by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts.