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Water+Light: A Coastal Introspective in Abstract and Impressionist Art
Friday, January 22, 2021, 10:00 AM to Saturday, February 20, 2021, 4:00 PM EDT
Category: Events

The Burgwin-Wright House welcomes artists, Bergen DeLeeuw and Jessica Hand, for their show Water+Light: A Coastal Introspective in Abstract and Impressionist Art.

Their artworks will be on exhibit through February 20. Admission is free, masks are required on-site. Gallery is open Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm.

From the artists:

Bergen DeLeuw- “Life is cause for rejoicing! In my art I celebrate the life and beauty God has provided through His magnificent creation. By layering soft, organic tones, I bring nature’s small intricacies to the forefront. I seek to create pieces that invite the viewer to reflect on the simplicities that make life beautiful.  Painting has been a lifelong source of joy, and I treasure the gift of being able to share that joy with others. Being able to create custom work for clients that exemplifies their taste and shares my heart has been more rewarding than I ever could have imagined.

I paint from my home studio in North Carolina with my husband and two children, who both add happy little strokes to all of my paintings. I love having their tiny hands in all of my work. It reminds me to not take myself too seriously, slow down and enjoy life’s fleeting moments, and reminds me that nothing great is achieved alone.”

Jessica Hand: “My work reflects on the natural colors, textures, sights, and patterns of the places I cherish most in the Southeast. The driving forces behind my art are my love for water and the feelings of serenity and peace I have whenever I am near the coast.

I want to share through my artwork experiences I've had–like what it feels like to be floating deep underwater, or that indescribable feeling you get when you breathe in the salty air blowing in off the ocean, or those mornings so dense with fog you can hardly see across the Cape Fear River. These subtle moments are what inspire my current body of work.

My abstract painting method is intentional, because I want my audience to experience what I have felt more so than the actual places I am painting. I work on many paintings at a time with each one often taking many days to complete. I apply multiple layers of paint with the intention of discovering something totally new. These many layers create lots of texture with a sense of depth. I often scratch, scrape, and sand away paint to reveal colors in the layers below. It is much like diving beneath the surface of the water. This editing process is exciting for me since I never know what will be unveiled beneath those top layers of paint.

For me, painting has always been a way to escape. I have found that when I paint, the entire world goes silent and I find a sense of calm and serenity that I cannot find anywhere else. It is much like when I am underwater. I dive deep into a painting and seemingly float away.”