Simple Pleasures

Joan Appel
Picnic, 2018
Painting Media, 11 x 14 in
$ 325

Rita S. Berkowitz
Constancy, 2019
Painting Media, 24 x 18 x 1 in
$ 695

Rita S. Berkowitz
Entangled Currents, 2019
Painting Media, 24 x 18 x 1 in
$ 695

Robert Brodesky
My Humming-Bird, 2019
Painting Media, 36 x 36 x 2 in
$ 2,600

Mary Ann Bushweller
Lily, 2019
Digital Art, 22 x 22 in
$ 450

Joan Collins
The Embrace, 2018
Photography, 14 x 14 in
$ 395

Rebekah Davis
The Corner of Rua das Flores, 2019
Multimedia, 28 x 22 in
$ 1,900

Rebekah Davis
A View of Trafalgar Square, London, 2018
Multimedia, 20 x 24 in
$ 1,900

Leah dePrizio
CYRILLIC I, 2019
Woodcut, 84 x 28 in
$ 2,000

Leah dePrizio
CYRILLIC II, 2019
Woodcut, 84 x 12 in
$ 1,800

Susan Dragoo Lembo
The Silence of Winter, 2018
Oil paint, 30 x 36 x 1.5 in
$ 2,800

Jeannie Fawcett
Lazy Afternoon, -24
Photography, 11 x 14 in
$ 350

Jeannie Fawcett
September in the Mountains, -7
Photography, 1 1x 14 in
$ 350

Ellen Fisher
Falling Up #1, 2019
Digital Art, 15 x 22.5 in
$ 585

Pat Foltz
Horticulture, 2016
Photography, 11 x 14 in (image size) 16 x 20 in (framed)
$ 700

Daniel Garte
Beaver Dam Pond in June, 2019
Acrylic paint, 21 x 17 x 2 in
$ 800

Sara Holbrook
Still the thrill!, 2019
Digital Art, 20 x 1 x 16 in
$ 400

Sara Holbrook
Balloon on the Metro, 2018
Digital Art, 20 x 1 x 16 in

$400

Joanne Kaczowka
Flourish, 2019
Oil paint, 18 x 20 in
$ 500

Rose Leitner
Mastering Serendipity, 2018
Oil paint, 24 x 24 x 1 in
$ 1,800

Rose Leitner
Reflections In Vermilion, 2018
Oil paint, 24 x 21 x 1 in
$ 1,800

Joni Lohr
Blowing Bubbles, 2016
Photographic Media: Inkjet, 16 x 20 in
$ 350

Peggy Roth Major
Amaryllis Lines, 2019
Photography, 16 x 20 x 2 in
$ 295

Lisa Marder
Abundance, 2019
Acrylic paint, 6 x 8 x 1 in
$ 450

Lisa Marder
Summer Stroll, 2019
Acrylic paint, 10 x 10 x 1 in
$ 600

Christine Marohn
Black Chair Number 2, 2019
Oil paint, 18 x 14  in
$ 1,000

Christine Marohn
Lillies, 10:31 on a Tuesday, 2019
Oil paint, 20 x 16 in
$ 1,500

Lindsay McGrath
Fun For Everyone!, 2019
Photography, 21 x 16 x 0.5 in
$ 300

Lindsay McGrath
Going for a ride, County Fair, 2018
Photography, 16 x 40 x 0.5 in
$ 300

Lori Mehta
Bubble Stuff, 2019
Oil paint, 14 x 18 x 0.78 in
$ 2,800

Lori Mehta
Dress in Layers, 2019
Oil paint, 12 x 16 x 0.78 in
$ 2,300

Gloria King Merritt
Painting with Chocolate, 2018
Painting Media, 24 x 36 x 2 in
$ 3,600

Kevin Mulligan
Resurrection, 2019
Sculpture: Wood, 13 x 17 x 17 in
$ 10,000

Paul Murray
Adaptation, 2019
Photography, 22.5 x 29.5 in
$ 995

Paul Murray
Enormity, 2019
Photography, 29.5 x 22.5 in
$ 995

Paul Murray
Watering with a Flair, 2019
Photography, 22.5 x 29.5 in
$ 995

Selena Nawrocki
Spiral Escape Square, 2019
Digital Art, 30 x 30 in
$ 500

John Neidecker
Early Melt, 2018
Oil paint, 10 x 10 in
$ 350

John Neidecker
Lily Meditation, 2019
Oil paint, 10x10x0 in
$ 350

Marie Peters
"Collection", 2019
Photography: Scanography, 14 x 9 in
$ 325

Marie Peters
"Way To Go", 2019
Photography: Scanography, 16 x 8 in
$ 325

Diana Barker Price
White, 2019
Photography, 19 x 14 in
$ 1,275

Betty Rogers
Farm To Table, 2019
Watercolor, 20 x 16 in
$ 950

Peter Root
Kate & Sanjiv, 2013
Sculpture: Wood, 51 x 60 x 7 in
$ 9,000

Peter Root
Marcy, 2018
Sculpture: Wood, 58 x 51 x 18 in
$ 14,600

Theresa Seelye
Free Parking, 2019
Photography, 18 x 24 in
$ 500

Theresa Seelye
Hidden Treasure, 2019
Photography, 18 x 24 in
$ 300

Fleur Thesmar
Thunder roll, 2019
Watercolor, 22 x 30 in

$ 400

Fleur Thesmar
Weeds, 2019
Watercolor, 9 x 12  in

$ 1,500

I tried to be especially selective with my choice of works for this exhibition theme. The idea of “Simple Pleasures” may seem inclusive of almost anything that brings a smile, but I believe they are the opposite--those experiences of exceptionally rare quality that stop us in our tracks when we luck upon them. Whether a distinctive flavor perfectly ripe only a few days a year, an uncanny light rare for the time of year, a texture that seems impossible, a memento that reminds you of a favorite smell, a tune hummed in your childhood, or a look that stops your heart, simple pleasures can sneak up on you when you least expect them, often when most needed. Hopefully, this exhibition will inspire close searching within--and beyond--the gallery for how we can appreciate, capture and share such moments with each other.

—Jen Mergel

Kate & Sanjiv, Peter Root
FIRST PRIZE: There is a clarity and confidence in the language of this painting that exudes pleasure in the
details of of sharing space with people over time.

Collection, Marie Peters
SECOND PLACE: The direct capture of scanography paradoxically holds the possibility of this mass like cells under a microscope—each a potential story of a life, or at least a button, lost to time.

CYRILLIC I, Leah dePrizio
THIRD PLACE: Merging the texture of natural woodgrain and silk, these figures are like glyphs from a time before history.

Free Parking, Theresa Seelye
HONORABLE MENTION: Well exposed, captured, framed and color balanced toward an uncanny humorous “look” that feels more like an inside joke in a diorama than a candid day at the seaside.

Bubble Stuff, Lori Mehta
HONORABLE MENTION: Well blocked and mixed painting to capture those layered in-between moments with seeming ease.

Thunder Roll, Fleur Thesmar
HONORABLE MENTION: Very elegant touch with the watercolor, and the cropping and title frame the image with a sense of portent.