Treasures of Trees: Christy Lemp and Sue Ellen Romanowski
By Karen Jean Smith
Gallery Coordinator
Splashes of bright and cheerful color greet visitors to the Art Gallery at Baltimore Woods Nature Center this season. “Treasures of Trees,” which features the work of artists Christy Lemp and Sue Ellen Romanowski, will be on exhibit through Feb. 28 in the John A. Weeks Interpretive Center at 4007 Bishop Hill Road, Marcellus.
There are no admission or parking fees, and all artwork will be for sale.
“I love trees,” states fiber artist Romanowski. “Like water, the sun and stars, for me, life is inconceivable without trees.”
For this exhibit, the artist has selected quilted pieces that depict trees at various times of the year. While she describes her interpretations as abstracted and stylized, the viewer will readily recognize her passion for color and joy in creating. Sue Ellen’s fondness for the beauty of everyday objects, the flow and rhythm of color and even a sense of playfulness are all reflected in the use she makes of fabrics.
The animals that live among our treasured trees are the subjects of the paintings of Lemp. These include watercolor renderings of a goldfinch in full color, a tiny hummingbird feeding its brood and a watchful owl.
Lemp portrays the essence of her subjects in loose and spontaneous-appearing brushwork along with “juicy and joyful colors” with the goal of creating a sense of energy and emotion inherent in each scene. “Watercolor painting” states Lemp “is my favorite way to capture intimate moments in all of nature’s seasons that make you stop and smile.”
A resident of East Syracuse, Romanowski has been sewing for 60 years or so, but her foray into quilting began in the fall of 1996.
She began with traditional patterns before experimenting with unconventional techniques and rule breaking, while making mistakes and having a lot of fun. Her studies include lessons from both national and international artists.
Romanowski’s design process may begin with an idea, but when she starts to tackle the actual materials her felt-covered studio walls play an important part.
The felt holds pieces of fabric without the need for pins, so colors, textures, sizes and prints can be manipulated easily, and decisions made regarding the compositions. Next, with the use of a standard home machine, she free-motion quilts. That is, the sewing is hand-guided without using a marked pattern. This not only holds the three layers of fabrics together, but adds color, texture and dimension to the work.
Lemp’s studio practice includes happy music and some warmup drawing or painting exercises, followed by the dedicated work of creating a painting.
She describes plein air (outdoors) painting as being enjoyable as well and adds that it provides another way to capture the energy of nature. She often works from her own photographs and gathers other references if needed. If the subject matter is a bird or animal, she will practice numerous sketches with a wash pencil to get comfortable and establish accurate features, such as a bird’s beak or a foxy face. Then she will play with colors, sometimes adding colors that don’t really exist on the subject but give the painting an exciting lift. Not too many pencil lines are used so the painting will have more flow and spontaneity.
Lemp has been a part of the Central New York art scene for over two decades.
She has exhibited in a wide variety of venues, given workshops and donated her work to several charitable organizations. Locally, her instructors include Gary Trento (now deceased), Richard Williams and Peggy Manring, and she has also taken several workshops with nationally acclaimed instructors. Lemp resides in Skaneateles.
