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By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
Last weekend, Stone Quarry Hill Art Park (SQHAP) hosted its first pop up art exhibition, “Oil & Water,” in the John and Virginia Winner Memorial Gallery.
On display Saturday, Nov. 2 and Sunday, Nov. 3, the show featured work by professional painters Judith Haynes Levins and Deborah Dougherty Wester — two Cazenovia artists who regularly paint together with the “plein air” (outdoor) group the Mountain Air Painters.
Both artists are also members of the Cazenovia Watercolor Society and CazArts.
The exhibit showcased the artists’ unique views of local landscapes.
“Being the first to do something is always unique, but it’s also unique that this is a pop up exhibit,” said Levins. “Typically, art exhibits are hanging for a minimum of a month, [so] the fact that our show is a pop up makes it something different . . . It’s exciting, it’s fresh, it’s spontaneous. The approach for the pop up show very much mirrors the approach to plein air painting and capturing a moment. Get it fast while you can because it will vanish before you know it.”
The show’s title is a reference to the artists’ preferred media — Levins is a watercolorist, while Wester works primarily in oil.
Levins is particularly drawn to the unpredictability of watercolors.
“I actually find that to be one of its most appealing attributes,” she said. “When we allow the medium to do what it knows to do and respect it, beautiful things can happen. I’m a fast, loose, impressionistic painter, which pairs well with watercolor.”
Wester, on the other hand, prefers the results produced with oil paints.
“For me, oil painting is a tactile experience,” she said. “I’m attracted to the buttery consistency of oil paint. I like to work wet into wet achieving a richness and depth of color that only working with oil can achieve.”
According to the painters, the idea of teaming up for the pop up show arose organically.
Not only do they share similar aesthetics and artistic ambitions, they also admire each other’s work and enjoy painting together.
“Art can often be a solitary vocation, it’s unusual for two friends working in different mediums to have a similar subject matter and paint together,” Wester said. “Oil and water don’t mix well, but seeing the two mediums expressing similar subject matter does mix well.”
Levins and Wester both believe that their chosen medium combines perfectly with plein air painting.
“Plein air is spontaneous and quick like watercolor,” Levins said. “It forces one to edit and simplify shapes, to look at a scene and capture fleeting light. I would encourage all artists to go outside and paint, one needs to experience the feeling of a place in order to paint the emotion of it into their work.”
Wester added that immersing herself in a scene out in nature allows her to better convey emotion and to elevate her work to a higher level.
For over 25 years, SQHAP has offered a unique environment for artists to create and exhibit their work in natural and gallery settings. The not-for-profit organization also provides a space for the community to explore and appreciate the natural world and to learn about art.
A portion of the sales from the pop up show will be used to help support the park and further its mission.
According to Levins and Wester, the decision to partner with SQHAP stemmed from their dedication to supporting local organizations and investing in their community.
SQHAP Assistant Director Sarah Tietje-Mietz described the collaboration as a “win-win all around.”
“This pop-up exhibition is a new way for us at SQHAP to support local artists and their work — a way that is more accessible and attainable than larger-scale and long-running exhibitions,” she said “The artists have driven this exhibition, from the work that goes into it, to setting up the gallery, to the reception. The artists benefit from the use of our gallery space and institutional support, and we have another chance to showcase local artists and their talents to the community and create more dialogue around art.”
Levins is a graduate of the New England School of Art & Design in Boston.
In addition to working as a freelance illustrator and designer for many years, she also taught as an instructor of figure drawing and textile rendering at the New England School of Fashion Design.
She currently teaches painting workshops and private lessons, serves as president of the Cazenovia Watercolor Society, and sits on the board of directors of the Central New York Watercolor Society (CNYWS) — with which she has gained signature status.
Wester studied fine arts at St. Michael’s College in Vermont.
Throughout her 30-plus year career as a working artist, Wester has honed her skills through classes at the Art Students League in New York City, countless workshops, and a decade-long apprenticeship with master painter Genevieve Redmond.
The artist has had many solo and groups shows and has been represented in various galleries. Her work is held in a number of private and corporate collections.
In Cazenovia, Wester’s art is displayed at Cazenovia Artisans, where she has been a member for several years.
Stone Quarry Hill Art Park is located at 3883 Stone Quarry Rd. in Cazenovia. The grounds are open 365 days a year from dawn to dusk.
To learn more about SQHAP or to become a member, visit sqhap.org or call 315-655-3196.
Learn more about Levins and Wester at jhlevins.com and deborahdoughertywester.com.
