Cazenovia — A visitor to the Cazenovia Public Library Art Gallery once commented, “It’s so nice to be able to enjoy good art without driving to a museum and spending an entire day in the process.”
And good art is what visitors to the Cazenovia Public Library Art Gallery will enjoy with a remarkable exhibition of abstract paintings by award-winning artist Barbara Bickford currently on display.
“It’s a pleasure to paint,” said Bickford. “Having painted, designed and created art all of my life, I find acrylics, watercolor and water-based paints the most interesting to use. I love the mixing, the dripping, the brush strokes and usually the surprises that water media creates.”
Included in her show are three award-winning pieces — “Inspiration,” an acrylic water media piece, won an international exhibit award; “Sea Radiance,” an acrylic composition that was a national exhibit award winner; and “Vibrant Harmony,” also a water media piece that received a Central New York Watercolor Society juried exhibit award.
Joining these is the illusive “Mystic Aura,” the lively “Fire Dance,” the collision of colors in “Carnival,” the swirling dark forms of dancing “Night Spirits,” the soothing hues of “A Warm Imagery,” and “Sunny Spirit” that is just as sunny as the name suggests. These and others will be on display in the Library Art Gallery through Jan. 30, for all to enjoy.
A graduate of Syracuse University, Bickford recently participated in several exhibits in Utica; Old Forge; Cooperstown; Canajoharie; Harrisburg, Penn.; and Blue Hill, Maine. She has also exhibited locally at Stone Quarry Art Park in Cazenovia and Rose Cottage Gallery in Fayetteville as well as at Hospice, the Tech Gardens, nearby libraries and other locations.
A member of the Cazenovia Watercolor Society, Onondaga Art Guild and a Signature member of Central New York Watercolor Society, Bickford said painting is her lifeline. “Whether a painting is a planned design or one that evolves from the blending of colors, shapes, and lines, it is happily rewarding,” she said.
The Cazenovia Public Library Art Gallery is open during regular library hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays.
For more information, call 655-9322 or visit cazenoviapubliclibrary.org.
