Reception Saturday December 14, 2-4 PM

Marie Welch

Marie Welch will show miniature landscapes, marinescapes and animal studies in oil ranging in size from 2 inches x 2 inches to 8 inches x 8 inches. As a painter she is inspired by the effect of air, light and atmosphere on her subjects.

Karen Iglehart

Karen Iglehart's evocative oil and graphite paintings explore form in the landscape. She creates space and atmosphere through the use of color and the immediacy of paint and line. Karen has lived in the Southwest, the South, Nova Scotia and New England. These various climates,atmospheres and landscapes remain as memories and influence her current work. She cites her 25-year study of Shambhala Buddhism as an influence as well.

Karen Leveille (10/31/1951 - 7/7/2013)

Karen Leveille of Florence, Massachusetts was a watercolorist for over 30 years. A graduate of Smith College, she studied watercolor techniques with many local painters, notably Nava Grunfeld and Lou Currin. Leveille was a self-proclaimed Francophile, and she spent part of recent years painting out of a studio in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés. She contended with plasmocytic leukemia for three years before she passed away in July 2013. She painted prolifically for the duration of her illness.

Leveille's studio watercolors are realistic, detailed and careful, with layer upon layer of translucent pigment built up to replicate the effect of light passing over and through color. The objects in her paintings glow on paper like they do in sunlight. Her plein air sketches, by contrast, are joyous and fast. Without time for carefully detailed layers, her paintings quickly capture the play of sunlight, the effect of clouds, seasonal colors, and the mood of the moment. A collection of more than 30 of Karen's paintings will be on display at the Hosmer Gallery at the Forbes Library through the month of December. The exhibit will debut Leveille's most recent paintings, colorful scenes of French open air markets, Provencal windows, and the sparkling Marne River. Leveille booked the Hosmer Gallery exhibit many months before her illness took her life, and it was her dying wish that her paintings still be displayed for the December dates. The show is curated by her loving family to honor her accomplishments as an artist.