“Sunday Afternoon” by Mark Gansor
“Bold and Bright” is our newest exhibit with fresh new works by long-time gallery artists, Mark Gansor and Gale Smith. Mark is a landscape painter using impasto surfaces to capture fleeting moments caught in the light. His works are playful and full of color! Complimenting Mark’s paintings are the sculptural metal works by, mixed media artist, Gale Smith. Gale’s work in this exhibit is about the transformation of sheets of copper into complex assemblages that create a distinctive visual impact while allowing the intrinsic beauty of the metal to shine through. Vibrant colours dance across the copper pieces and create abstract geometrical shapes. These intricate works contain rich textures and reveal extraordinary manifestations of colour and formations.
About the Artists
Mark Gansor is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Out of several decades of work as a decorative finisher and classical musician, Mark Gansor’s career as a painter was born. Entirely self- taught he is now secure enough to tell people that he is an artist. He works in acrylics thickly applied to the
“Here Comes the Sun” by Gale Smith
canvas with knives, fingers, and occasionally brushes. Since moving to Wilmington five years ago he has been caught up in the artistic vibe of the city, and the historical structures, nature, and the downtown all figure in his work. He has painted or restored original work in several structures on the National Registry which have added to his love of all things old or unusual. The beautiful old churches speak to him, bringing his love of sacred music and the pipe organ back time and time again. For several years he has been painting works on canvas and hopes that this can be his career in retirement. His work is available at Art in Bloom Gallery. He has also recently become Director of Music Ministries at St Andrews Covenant Presbyterian Church in downtown Wilmington. Mark Gansor is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Having studied at UNC Chapel Hill, Gale Smith considers painting as an ongoing study. She has found a new interest in working with copper. As a plein air painter, she began using copper panels as her canvas and loved how the copper made her colors warm and vibrant. She experimented with different gauges of copper and mediums and discovered that inks and oils on copper made colors radiate vibrantly. Never quite sure where the colors and copper will take her, Gale paints, cuts and weaves two abstract paintings together to create a dimensional piece of art. The soft gentle curves that she cuts into the copper, allows her to form the piece into soothing and thought provoking structural designs. It is her desire that the viewer will experience a personal interaction with her art. Often, she writes small quotes, prayers or poems that relate to the piece of work on the back of the copper strips and weaves them into the design. Gale donates a portion of the proceeds from her sales to various organizations and charities. Gale is an award winning artist with her works exhibited in galleries, private collections and corporate installations.