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Waverly native Abby Warman's oil on canvas "Geraniums & Pears" will be part of an exhibit of her work opening today and running through July 17 at the Everhart Museum. | |
It's not surprising that Abby Warman is an artist — it runs in her family.
Her mother was a talented organist and choir director. One of her brothers is an art director for an advertising agency. The other is a musician who has performed at the White House and before Queen Elizabeth II. An uncle was an architect and painter, and two cousins are artists as well.
During her childhood in Waverly, Mrs. Warman discovered a talent and a love for drawing that was encouraged by her parents. It was a culturally rich environment in which to grow up.
“People just talked about music and art,” she recalled.
Growing formally
She went on to study art at Skidmore College, and then dabbled in painting on and off through various careers and raising a family in New York and Connecticut. Along the way, she studied with renowned artists such as Charles Reid and Wolf Kahn. Upon returning to Northeastern Pennsylvania in 1980, she picked up painting on a more serious basis, immersing herself in portraits, still life and landscapes.
Mrs. Warman and her husband, Sandy, moved to Naples, Fla., about a year ago, but still have family ties here.
And she is back in town this week for an exhibit of her paintings at the Everhart Museum. It opens today and runs through July 17.
She submitted a large selection to the museum, and the curatorial staff selected 28 for the show. There is, for instance, “Bridge at St. Savin,” an Impressionist landscape. And “Geraniums and Pears,” a happy, colorful still life.
“The act of painting, for me, becomes a search to integrate various elements in a visually exciting and pleasing whole, along with an attempt to capture the play of light on my subject,” Mrs. Warman said, adding she is constantly challenged to continue to grow as an artist, and “to keep a fresh eye and an open mind.”
Originally interested in figure drawing and portraiture, Mrs. Warman went on to explore the genre of still life.
“You can arrange your subject matter. You can control it, and you can control the lighting,” she said.
In recent years, she took up “en plein air” painting — working outdoors to create landscapes.
“It's fast, it's spontaneous, it's fresh,” she said.
Recognition
About a year ago, she studied in France with C.W. Mundy, an Impressionist painter.
Her work has been exhibited at the Salmagundi Club in New York City and the American Women Artists National Juried Show in Santa Fe, N.M., among other places. She was a winner in the Hilton Head, S.C., National Juried Exhibition and a finalist in The Artist's Magazine's 23rd annual competition.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
