Oil painter Felippo to show works at Matthies Gallery
An oil painter with a flare for vibrant color and lively figures will exhibit at the Evelyn Matthies' Porthole Gallery in Brainerd, starting Friday.
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"Recurring Elements of Daily Farm Life," a compilation of oils by Esther San Felippo, will run through October, with a meet-the-artist reception from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Sept. 26 at the gallery at 712 Washington St.
A graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute, San Felippo draws her inspiration from her Minnesota surroundings, including rural landscapes, garden flowers, horses from her Arabian herd, and friends and relatives, Matthies said.
Who: Esther San Felippo
What: Oil painter
Where: Evelyn Matthies' Porthole Gallery, Brainerd
When: Friday-Oct. 31; meet-the-artist reception 6:30-8 p.m. Sept. 26
Expect to see large-format oils dominated by primary colors and a drawing style that borders on caricature.
Esther San Felippo will show her compilation of oil paintings Friday through Oct. 31 at the Evelyn Matthies Porthole Gallery in Brainerd.
"The way the oil blends together and stays wet long enough to work a different color into one that is already laid down suits how I paint," the artist said in a gallery release.
"The fluidity of oil paint permits easy shifting while the painting progresses as perception shifts and deepens," she added.
Matthies, who operates her gallery as a not-for-profit, is a long-time Central Lakes College art instructor and a successful painter in her right.
The gallery is open 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the week, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays or by appointment Sundays.
San Felippo said her works will show her fascination for the "way the waxing and waning of natural light seem to change the physical properties of objects.
"Sometimes the barn seems to shimmer and float in the distance, as if it were a ghost or mirage," she said, "while the lace, dancing tunnel of trees and brush leading up to it seem incredibly dense.
"I follow another excellent work habit that the Kansas City Art Institute instructors impressed on us," she said. "That is to see how each object being observed wants to be painted, rather than imposing one rigid painting style onto all paintings."
The artist reception is free and open to the public.