Upstate artists Patrick DeCrane and Gale Roberts want visitors to their joint exhibition, “Falling Hard,” Sept. 3 through 28 in Gallery III at the Artists Collective | Spartanburg to see nature through the eyes of the artists.
Two artists’ receptions will be held Thursday, Sept 19 – an afternoon tea reception from 2 to 4 p.m. and reception from 5 to 8 p.m. as part of Spartanburg Artwalk. All events are free and open to the public. Artwork will be offered for purchase throughout the exhibition.
“The exhibit will be bright and colorful with an invitation for visitors to stop and enjoy their perspective of mother nature in the fall,” DeCrane, a watercolorist, says. “They will see color, nature and the way the artists have captured the different shades of light. The settings of the artwork could provide a calm and comforting feeling of mother nature.”
Roberts, who works in acrylics, adds: “Autumn is the natural follow up to our spring exhibition at ACS, ‘Spring into Summer’ presented in May. Autumn is another time of the year when nature provides us many opportunities to express her beauty. This gives a chance for the viewer to enjoy autumn through the two artists’ eyes.”
This is the fourth joint exhibit for Roberts and DeCrane. “Our individual interests in the arts drew us together,” says DeCrane. “Consequently, we have shown our work jointly for over three years. Our history of exhibitions at ACS is substantial proof that it is home for our artwork. These exhibits show how two artist friends enjoy working together creating a visually satisfying exhibition.”
They hope the enjoyment of this exhibit will bring visitors back to ACS to see more artworks.
“As members of ACS, we have many opportunities to show our artwork and enjoy comradery with other artists,” says Roberts, a member of ACS since 2022. DeCrane joined in 2016.
Roberts, a native of Erie, Pennsylvania, says she enjoys “bringing brush to paint to capture people, places and things that mean something to me when I see them. I like the bright colors that catch my eyes and the happy smiling faces of my grandson or my two golden retrievers. If you look very closely, life will talk to you. The singing of the birds, the movement of the trees, the color of the flowers, the rush of falling waters and even the silence of an old building about to be torn down. I hope you get a taste of the vastness of the colors and the life of our surroundings both indoors and out through some of my art.”
DeCrane, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, has been painting and drawing most of his adult life, using acrylics, pastels and watercolors, his favorite. “I also find great satisfaction in drawing with pencil and charcoal. My subject matter generally includes flowers, trees and still life.” He began formal art classes in high school. A graduate of Park College and retired from the U.S. Army, he spent 11 years working for the Military Officers Association. Prepared for a new adventure, he then opened, owned and operated a bed and breakfast for 10 years with his life partner, Michael Thomas.