Louisa Gould

54 Main Street

Vineyard Haven, MA

(508) 693.7373

www.louisagould.com

Press Release (Martha’s Vineyard)

The Louisa Gould Gallery European Show, European Subjects Painted by Island Artists, runs from 14 to 29 June 2010. The opening reception at the Gallery is on Saturday, June 19th, from 5 to 7PM. The public is invited to come to see the art and to listen to live music and enjoy refreshments.

Please join us to view European Paintings by four artists; Anne Grandin, Jules Worthington, Donna Blackburn, and Louisa Gould. This is the first show of its kind at Louisa Gould Gallery. Many of the Gallery artists love to paint in beautiful places with special light and spectacular architecture similar to the Island. This show allows the gallery a chance to showcase a diverse body of work for the Gallery.

Anne Grandin, a graduate of the Moore College of Art, Philadelphia, Pa., has exhibited throughout the country. Her work hangs in private collections in Europe and the U.S. Anne gets her inspiration from her many travels to Italy, where she finds endless fascination with landscape painting. Anne is a member of the Copley Society in Boston. She collaborated with Vineyard students on a 45-foot mural which was unveiled last summer at the Stop & Shop in Vineyard Haven.

Anne’s work is fluid and flowing, which is evident in the Italian landscape painting titled Stonecone . The Circle of Life found in Native Culture influences the artist's paintings. Anne uses circular and organic shapes to connect all elements of nature. Her paintings are based on Native American spirituality and the belief that all life forms depend on each other and live in harmony with one another to exist peacefully within the Circle of Life.

Anne has lived on the Island for decades and is a well-known and popular painter. Anne will teach a landscape painting workshop on August 9th at the Gallery's new program, the Martha's Vineyard Workshops. If you are interested, please call (508) 693.7373 or visit www.marthasvineyardworkshops.com.

Jules enjoys the challenge of always being a student of nature. He has captured the light and colors of his plein air painting trips. While in Germany, he spent time viewing German Impressionist art. That experience has inspired his present style, painting the brilliant light with color. The newest creations are from a trip to Greece in September 2009. “Europe has been a special experience, giving a deep sense of the creative energy in the art, architecture, and the special attention and preservation of their antiquities.” Jules and his wife reside up-island in beautiful Chilmark, where his studio overlooks the sea.

Donna Blackburn has been inspired by French Impressionists. Donna travels to painting workshops every other year in France, most recently painting on the French Riviera. Donna’s work is very detailed and magnificently captures the feeling of a day at a European cafe. She found herself painting where Matisse, Cocteau, Cezanne, and Picasso had painted before her. The colors are breathtaking in the sharp sunlight; subtle shifts of hue and value bring forth an endless fascination.

Donna paints primarily in oils and acrylic watercolors. She found the best painting approach was to paint a chosen scene as quickly and accurately as possible in acrylic paints on canvas panels. As the acrylic paints dried, she could work on a couple of scenes at once. This can be seen in Nice, France in the Afternoon. Donna is a graduate of the Art Institute of Boston. She says “the more I travel and paint, the more I want to travel and paint.” She and her husband reside on Martha’s Vineyard.

Louisa Gould, a lifelong painter and photographer who studied at The Art Student League in New York, chose a diverse range of paintings from Europe. “I love the spring and fall light in Europe as it is similar to the Vineyard light at the same time of the year. Southern Europe and the Vineyard are on the same latitude. The light is so special a month or two before and after the Summer Solstice.”

Louisa lived in Spain in 2007and 2010 while shooting for The America’s Cup Races. Gould says, "Spain is wonderful, the afternoon light in 'La Mancha' is simply gorgeous, and I feel as if I am there, driving down the road." The setting sun in Cyclades, a painting from a trip to Greece in 2009, typifies the wonderful hues of white stucco homes and churches of the Greek Islands and the changing colors of the other end of the Mediterranean Sea." In Montenegro, Louisa captures a bright, bold, clear day of the Mediterranean juxtaposed with white buildings and vibrant flowers. Louisa says “I was inspired by my recent trips to Europe to paint, and while talking to other Gallery artists who felt the same way, this show was born.”

We hope you enjoy the show as much as the artists had creating their works.

Please join us for this unique show opening on June 19 ^th from 5 to 7 pm. The show runs from June 15 - 29. Louisa Gould Gallery is located at 54 Main Street in the historic town of Vineyard Haven on the island of Martha's Vineyard. The show may also be viewed online at www.louisagould.com .