Carmel Fine Art Gallery is proud to present the “Ladies of Light” exhibition, featuring masterworks by female artists from both historical and contemporary periods, primarily hailing from California. This exhibition showcases the enduring legacy of exceptional women artists whose works captivate viewers with their compelling landscapes, still lifes, and portraits, demonstrating a mastery of color and composition that evokes deep emotional responses.
“Ladies of Light” Fine Art Exhibition
Carmel Fine Art Gallery, California
carmelfineart.com
Through October 7, 2024
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The exhibition includes the works of nine artists: two from the Early California period and seven contemporary artists. Among them is Mary DeNeale Morgan (1868-1948), one of Carmel’s premier plein air painters, known for her distinct style and fondness for painting Monterey cypress trees on location in oil and watercolor. Morgan’s unique approach earned her significant recognition, including being named one of the nation’s foremost women artists by Scribner’s Magazine in 1928.
Alongside her is Jennie Vennerstrom Cannon (1869-1952), another influential artist whose work is featured in the exhibition. Cannon was not only a remarkable artist but also a champion for women’s equality in art communities across northern California. Both Morgan and Cannon played pivotal roles in forming the Carmel Art Association in 1927 and were instrumental in inviting the celebrated New York painter William Merritt Chase to teach summer school in Carmel.
These two bold and visionary “Ladies of Light” paved the way for the seven contemporary women artists whose work will also be showcased.
Jacalyn Beam is a member of the American Impressionist Society (AIS), Oil Painters of America (OPA), Washington Society of Landscape Painters (WSLP), and a signature member of the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association (MAPAPA). She participates in national juried art shows and hangs in galleries across the USA.
From Pennsylvania, Jacalyn often travels to Carmel to capture the California coastline, saying, “I paint outdoors because the world is rich with beauty, and it is the optimal way to see three-dimensional objects, the subtleties of light and shadows, atmospheric perspective, and ‘real’ colors. Plein air painting is also a lot of fun! You meet new friends – animal and human, have fleeting conversations with bicyclists and joggers, and experience the sounds and smells of the outdoors.”
Cathey Cadieux describes her art process as “Capturing the sublime.” She is a member of the Portrait Society of America, a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America and a Signature Artist Member of the California Art Club. She divides her time between her art studio on her picturesque property in Malibu, and her home in Pebble Beach where she pursues plein air painting in Monterey County and Big Sur.
Her painting “Winter Sunset from my Bedroom” was selected as the cover for California Light, A Century of Landscapes: Paintings of the California Art Club, published in April 2011. Her paintings are also published in Painting California, Seascapes and Beach Towns, in April 2017.
Coraly Hanson paints her plein air landscapes as a way of expressing the infinite divine in nature, saying, “I love painting scenes from God’s majestic Creation to try to bring some hope, encouragement and rest to the viewer in this often-hectic world.”
Coraly has exhibited and won awards in numerous plein air exhibitions throughout Northern California. Following in the footsteps of master painters before her, she never tires of her frequent painting sessions capturing the magnificent views of Point Lobos and Big Sur.
Ellen Howard has won numerous awards for her tranquil and peaceful paintings. She is an artist member and VP of the California Art Club, Oil Painters of America, and the American Impressionist Society. Her work has been featured in American Art Collector, Fine Art Connoisseur, and PleinAir® Magazine, as well as in the book The Great American Paint Out published by ACC Art Books. She was chosen as an artist in the “5 to Watch” section of Fine Art Connoisseur‘s August/September 2023 issue.
About her work, Ellen says, “Monterey County is a magical place to paint. For this exhibition, I explored various light conditions to capture the true essence of the area. Painting during heavy fog allowed me to create a peaceful, serene mood, while bright sunlight brought a vibrant energy to the deep hues of turquoise and vibrant greens in the ocean. My favorite time to paint is during the sunset when the warm glow of the sun filters through the cypress trees in a cascade of color.”
Laurie Kersey’s offerings for the exhibition include her interpretations of the atmospheric changes constantly occurring along the rugged coastline, the little beaches, crashing surf, and iconic trees of the Monterey Peninsula and Carmel area, from Big Sur, Point Lobos, and Pebble Beach. She is a Signature Member of the California Art Club, Oil Painters of America, and American Impressionist Society, and a Master Signature Member of American Women Artists. She has been honored with numerous awards including Oil Painters of America National Juried Exhibition, the American Women Artists National Juried Exhibition, the California Art Club Biennial Exhibition, and the PleinAir® Salon Online Competition. In addition, Laurie has been featured in Art of the West Magazine, Southwest Art Magazine, PleinAir® Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, American Artist Magazine, USEF’s Equestrian Magazine, Horses in Art Magazine, and has been a first-place winner in the Artist’s Magazine’s annual competition.
Kim Lordier’s art examines the patterns of nature, and how light transforms the mood of an environment. Known for utilizing rich color and a tapestry-like effect in her mark making, Kim weaves her spiritual relationship with the outdoors into her work. Her art has been showcased on the cover of Art of the West, PleinAir® Magazine, Southwest Art, and The Pastel Journal, as well as featured in Western Art and Architecture and Fine Art Connoisseur.
Acknowledged by jurors and her peers, Kim has received recognition for her landscapes at major plein air events, international magazine competitions, national pastel society shows and museum exhibitions. Her paintings are in private and public collections throughout the country, and have been exhibited at the Autry Museum, Thunderbird Foundation for the Arts, Coors Western Art Show, National Arts Club, Salmagundi Club, and Forbes Gallery in New York, Haggin Museum, Irvine Museum, Hilbert Museum, and the Laguna Art Museum.
She states, “I believe authentic creativity, in all forms, is an intimately human endeavor, a way to relate spiritually with one another, a way to feel connected to the beauty of our world. My art is grounded in life’s passions and joy. Ever grateful for the opportunity to visually express my voice in pure pigment, I dance to the rhythms of nature in pastel.”
Sarah Lamb is a talented and dynamic realist painter. With classical skill—and through transparency, depth, and texture—she captures the minute details of everyday objects in her dramatic still lifes and luscious landscapes. She is influenced by iconic artists such as Chardin, Emil Carlson and Wayne Thiebaud. She draws inspiration from the world around her and has great admiration for the classical artists of the 18th and 19th centuries who were skilled in the use of the trompe l’oeil technique. She maintains a large collection of glass and silver vessels on hand, and carefully selects which will work best with each still life composition.
Sarah has achieved great success with sell-out one-woman shows in major galleries across the United States, such as the Spanierman Gallery in NY, the Meredith Long Gallery in Houston, TX, and the John Pence Gallery in San Francisco. Her remarkable talent has been featured in magazines such as American Artists, American Art Collector, and Southwest Art.
For more information about the fine art exhibition “Ladies of Light,” please visit carmelfineart.com.
