Wallkill River School Gallery Exhibition Nurtures ‘A Revival of Realism’

MONTGOMERY, N.Y.—The Wallkill River School gallery is currently running an exhibit entitled “Realism: An Academic Approach,” featuring works by local artists and students. Exhibition pieces were selected by Tony Conner, an award-winning watercolor artist from Vermont, said Walkill River School executive director Sarah Fortner Pierson.

“We put out a call to the public to submit works, he [Conner] reviewed all of them anonymously and made a selection.” Pierson said, “Our organization was founded on plein air painting, with a realist emphasis. So, this is a nice revival of the realism.”

For the “Best of Show” title, Conner selected the oil painting “In Transition” by Hudson Valley painter Melissa Small Cooper. He wrote, “exquisite composition! Softly balanced over the center line with a delicate curve. Excellent technical handling of the medium. Bright color in just the right places.”

Two out of the three Honorable Mentions went to Lixuan Ding, a third-year art student at Fei Tian College Middletown.

Ding’s “Still Life Combination” impressed Connor with its “superior drawing, and well-balanced composition.”

Of Ding’s oil painting “Memory of Rome,” Conner said “I was enamored with the combination of high key values and low-intensity color. The limited palette speaks to the idea of memories. Good composition.”

Honorable mention also went to New York-based artist Judith Greengus for her watercolor, “Cityscape.”

‘Excited to See New Artists’

Pierson said she was delighted that the competition drew works from new artists, especially students at nearby Fei Tian College. She said she got to know about the college through Penny Zhou, who is a teacher at the Middletown campus’s Department of Fine Arts.

“Penny took part in the plein air festival last year. That was the first time I had contact with her and knew about the Fei Tian College. It’s exciting to get some submissions that were from new people, always exciting to see new artists.” Pierson said.

Zhou’s oil painting “First Snow of 2018” was also selected as an exhibition piece. “It’s a depiction of the street scene I pass by almost every day going to work. It was the first snow of 2018, so I decided to paint it.” Zhou said.

Traditional Art Skills Training Emphasized

Ding studies under Zhou, who said she is proud of her student. Zhou said that the art department at Fei Tian College emphasizes building a solid foundation in traditional painting skills. “We have two majors, oil painting and graphic design. Our first-year students receive standardized and formal training in basic art skills, including basic drawing, color, anatomy, perspective, composition theory, and art history. Students will master the basic skills and theories of the art profession, regardless of their major.”

“Upon completion of the basic training, the students and teachers work together to choose between the oil painting major and the graphics design major according to their skill mastery and future development potential.”

While the small college has been recognized for its outstanding fine arts program, it emphasizes the development of the whole person. Ding said, “as a student at Fei Tian, painting is a process of personal growth. To produce good painting, one’s personality, characteristics, and inner moral standards all need to mature.”

The exhibition runs from Sept. 2 to Oct. 9 at the art gallery of Wallkill River School, Montgomery, New York.