Two new exhibits open at Delaware Arts Center

NARROWSBURG, N.Y. — Two new shows are coming to the Delaware Arts Center, 37 Main St., in Narrowsburg, N.Y.
“Elements of Matter,” an exhibit of mixed media paintings by Monticello-based artist Melinda Wallach, and “The Color in Everything,” an installation by Rodney White, both open with a reception from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 1.
The exhibits will remain on view through Sept. 30. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
'Elements of Matter'“Art, for me, is an intuitive process,” says Wallach of her color-rich mixed media paintings, which will be on display in the Alliance Gallery. “I begin by feeling inside for an impulse of what wants to come out, often starting with a color. I love blending many media together, pencil, paper, found objects, acrylic paint, pastel crayon, and fiber.”
Wallach’s work has been exhibited in group shows throughout Sullivan County in recent years, including at Catskill Art Society in Livingston Manor, Old Stone House of Hasbrouck, in Hasbrouck, N.Y., and the Alliance Gallery.
“This series of paintings explores abstraction through the juxtaposition of organic and inorganic elements,” says Wallach. “Some works evoke images of the macro world — galaxies, nebulae, and black holes. Still others seem to illuminate the micro world — prions, bacteria, and diatoms. Ideally, these paintings transcend concepts of ‘reality.’ To me, these works reflect elements of the vast outer universe at the same time that they suggest its invisible foundations.”
'The Color in Everything'Rodney White is building his installation at the Delaware Arts Center’s Loft Gallery.
“I have a fascination with the front, back, and middle of the picture plane and how that shallow physical presence can accommodate great depth when viewed,” he says. “I seek to maintain integrity of line, color, and shape while searching for that sweet spot when the whole becomes greater than its parts.”
The installation embodies ideas of landscape, still life, and portraiture. Large-scale and medium-scale individual works create their own world, simultaneously informing through viewer participation the pieces next to it or across the room.
White, who lives in Callicoon, N.Y., and New York City, has a bachelor's degree in fine arts from Syracuse University, which included a year of independent studio work at Saint Martins School of Art in London.
“I studied painting, but my closest affinity has always been to drawing," he said. "I've moved from work dense with drawn imagery and control to work that emphasizes surface and medium. Fascination with picture plane and the experience of viewing have been with me throughout.”
For more information about the exhibits, visit delawarevalleyartsalliance.org or call 845-252-7576.