"Side by Side" Exhibition: Soulmates in Life and Art

Three couples share their artworks “Side by Side” in Peninsula Gallery’s August exhibition. This show, which is on display from August 5th to 27th, allows viewers to compare the artistic styles of coupled artists, seeing how a personal connection between two professionals influences their creative output. “Side by Side” includes original paintings from Kristin Blanck and Dan Graziano, Jean Brinton-Jaecks and Harry Jaecks, Emily Thompson, and George Thompson.   “Side by Side” is an exhibition with no specific theme, allowing the partners to decide how they represent their shared vision. Known for her highly detailed still life paintings, Kristin Blanck’s images feature various alcohol bottles that correlate with Dan Graziano’s motion-filled bar scenes. The Brinton-Jaecks both focus on waterways and landscapes, with Jean opting to depict places across the European countryside and Harry finding inspiration in working docks and boats. While the Thompson’s subjects differ, with Emily being inspired by vintage signs and homes and George painting mainly landscapes, they both share a similar painterly style that allows their works to feel complimentary.   Kristin Blanck is a realist painter working with traditional techniques to capture the beauty of the ordinary and elevate it to the inspired. Before becoming a full-time artist, Kristin worked as an award-winning fashion designer for 25 years. Largely self-taught, she paints in a highly detailed style that is influenced by historic and contemporary Dutch artists. Working primarily in oil, Kristin finds voice in minimal compositions and familiar subjects coupled with a strong sense of light and shadow to establish a counterpoint between the classical and contemporary. Dan Graziano is an award-winning, nationally exhibited artist, whose paintings capture the hidden beauty found in the unexpected places and fleeting moments of everyday life. Incorporating dramatic light, shadow, color, and perspective, his compositions feature a diversity of subjects — from a simple still life to rugged coastlines, active urban life, lively cafes and bars, small rural towns, and forgotten roadside relics. His work has been featured in numerous publications and is in the collections of private and corporate collectors throughout the world. For “Side by Side,” Dan’s exquisite bar scenes perfectly accompany Kristin’s bottles, with her pieces providing the liquids used by Dan’s bartenders.   Jean Brinton-Jaecks is a plein air landscape painter, who received an MFA from George Washington University. In 2016 Jean received the Annie Award for Fine Arts from the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County. She was a recipient of the Alfred and Traord Klots International Program for Artists Residency in Brittany, France. Jean has taught plein air painting on the Amalfi Coast, Sonoma, San Diego, New England, and the Brandywine River Valley. She is a painting instructor for St. John’s College Annapolis, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the US Botanic Garden and Corcoran, and the National Arboretum.  Harry Lloyd Jaecks produces figure studies, landscapes, and portraits in oil, egg tempera, watercolor, and graphite. His work is focused on the people and landscapes of California, coastal New England, his native Chesapeake, and rural Piedmont. He has exhibited at various locations around the U.S. including the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Easton Maryland Academy Art Museum, the Washington Society of Landscape Painters Plein Air Exhibitions, and the Baltimore Watercolor Society Mid Atlantic Regional Watercolor Exhibitions. Original works by H.L. Jaecks are represented in corporate and private collections throughout the United States. Although they both use watercolor as their primary medium, Harry and Jean’s “Side by Side” works showcase their contrasting vision, with Jean’s landscapes capturing the opulent colors and lush scenery of Europe and Harry’s embracing the brutish environment of working fishermen. Emily Thompson attended the prestigious High School of Art & Design and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York. She is a nationally recognized, award-winning artist. Through her painting, she documents the iconic, the disappearing, and the abandoned elements of the American identity. Emily’s pieces are filled with nostalgic buildings and signs, taking the viewer back in time with classic motels and beach cottages.  George Thompson earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Pratt Institute in New York and also studied painting and drawing at The Art Students League. He specializes in landscape, portrait, and figure painting in a contemporary, traditional style. His nationally recognized, award-winning work has been exhibited at the Woodmere Museum in Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Sketch Club, and The Trenton City Museum in New Jersey. His paintings are part of the permanent collection at The Art Students League and Doylestown Hospital, as well as collections throughout the United States. While the subjects of Emily and George’s “Side by Side” paintings vary, their painterly technique and style create a type of surreal appearance to their realistic scenes. “Side by Side” is on display from August 5th to 27th. Works from the show can be previewed at www.peninsula-gallery.com and are available for pre-sale.  A reception will be held on Saturday, August 5, from 5 to 6:30 pm, and attendees will have the opportunity to mingle with some of the artists during the evening. Call (302) 645-0551 or email peninsulagallery1@gmail.com for further details.   The gallery is located in the Shops at the Beacon, 520 East Savannah Rd. Lewes, DE, and is open Tue-Sat 10-5, and Sun 11-3. Venue: Peninsula Gallery.