PLACE/DISPLACE – Points of Connection
Phyllis Bryce Ely: Shorelines & Skylines
Patrice McPeak: Streets of DC
Show runs September 2 - October 28, 2022
Opening Reception on Wednesday, September 7, 2022 from 5-7pm
ROCHESTER, NY, AUGUST 18, 2022 — Artists Phyllis Bryce Ely (Ontario, NY) and Patrice McPeak (Rochester, NY) announce the opening of their exhibit PLACE/DISPLACE: Points of Connection on view September 2 to October 28 at at the Geisel Gallery, Bausch+Lomb Place, Rochester, NY. The exhibit is free and open to the public. All are welcome to attend the artists’ reception Wednesday, September 7, 5:00–7:00 PM. Gallery hours are Mon–Fri, 7:00 AM–7:00 PM.
At first glance, visitors to the exhibit will notice that the work of the two artists differs greatly in subject matter, but they will soon recognize that both are inspired by powerful connections to places in their worlds.
For Phyllis Bryce Ely, “place” is expressed through energized observations of regional landscapes, especially her daily exposure to Lake Ontario in all its seasons and conditions. She employs gestural shapes, lines, and bold color to capture the spirit of the places she paints.
Phyllis paints en plein air and in the studio using oil, encaustic wax, and has recently done a series of graphite drawings that are included in this exhibit. She has had a lifelong attraction to painting the shoreline, skies, and dramatic storms of Lake Ontario and also goes on painting adventures throughout Rochester and the Finger Lakes region with fellow members of the Genesee Valley Plein Air Painters. Her plein air paintings often become source material for studio work in oil and encaustic wax, as seen in this body of work.
Patrice McPeak deftly connects us to places by way of the people who occupy them. She shows us that the iconic setting of Washington, DC is a place where people can belong, aspire, and engage. But she also shows us that our relationship to a place can be fragile and impermanent, leading to displacement. McPeak, working skillfully in pastel, brings viewers along on her daily walk to work on the streets of DC and introduces us to the people she discovers in her orbit.
By engaging with these individuals, McPeak uses informal portraiture to help us recognize people we may otherwise fail to see--and she makes us want to know more about their stories. Four portraits in this exhibit do just that. McPeak also delivers the vibe of DC in her paintings of people as commuters, protestors, and solemn visitors. Although her prominent subject matter is people, McPeak leverages place to give context to the stories she tells.
Phyllis and Patrice share a personal connection through their friendship that began as art students at Rochester Institute of Technology, where they earned their BFAs in Painting in 1981 and 1982, respectively. In the forty years since graduating, both have continued to work in creative careers. Phyllis has established herself in Rochester, NY where she is represented by the Oxford Gallery and works from a studio at The Hungerford. And after more than 30 years living and working in Nashville and Washington, DC in film production and broadcast news design, Patrice has recently resettled in Rochester, making this exhibit an important creative reunion for the two painters.
Paintings in the exhibit may be purchased directly from each artist but must remain in the gallery for the duration of the exhibit.
For more about the artists:
Phyllis Bryce Ely: https://www.phyllisbryceely.com
585.944.6846 – pbryceely11@gmail.com
Patrice McPeak: https://www.patricemcpeak.com
202.302.4102 – pmcpeak@me.com
Artist Statement - Phyllis Bryce Ely
If, like me, you’re from the Rochester area, you may share my connection to the waters that surround us. For as long as I can remember, the presence of Lake Ontario and its distinctive skies taught me where to find “north.” The blues and glacial edges of the Finger Lakes define my personal “south,” and our Genesee River with its very own green gives me the feel of a deep line as it cuts its way south to north into Rochester, tumbling and churning up new colors. The work I present in this exhibit comes from my orientation to our home.
My paintings have been inspired by landscape for more than 40 years. Working directly outdoors connects me to nature as I learn the shapes and colors of a place. In the studio—working in oils and encaustic wax—I continue to work with my compositions. I rely on line, form, and color to describe the energy I feel from a place. I’m not interested in rendering a scene, instead I hope to distill it down to its bones and rhythms and invite you into the experience.
Lake Ontario is the subject of much of my work. It’s a place I’ve watched my whole life. I now live on its shoreline and observe the lake every day of every season—the sky always steals the show. Although winter can be severe, it brings sculptural shoreline ice that fascinates me, as do sudden squalls and storms. I’ve yet to witness a waterspout, but when I do I will paint it.
I paint all around Rochester; favorite spots include Durand and other parks, farmland, and the Genesee Brew House roof deck. In the fall I paint in the Finger Lakes. I use my plein air paintings as references for more developed paintings in my studio at The Hungerford in downtown Rochester.
Earlier this year I retired from my work life and found I needed a creative reset, so for a few months I worked only with pencil and paper and burned through a fistful of Ebony pencils. Those drawings of stormy waters and skies are included in this exhibit. And, because of their connection to this very building, I’m showing a few oils of the Rochester skyline as I saw it one hot summer night.
I hope you enjoy my shorelines and skylines.
Artist Statement - Patrice McPeak
After graduating from RIT in 1982 with a BFA in painting, I started my work life in Rochester. In 1990, I set off for Nashville then Washington, DC, building a decades-long career in film production and broadcast news design. Earlier this year I retired from my last professional job as the art director for C-SPAN in
Washington, DC. Now, after more than 30 years, I’ve returned to Rochester, settled into a house, and established my painting studio.
When living in DC, I would walk to work, iPhone in hand. I’d often find interesting people and situations to photograph, and these images would find their way into my paintings. On my daily route I’d walk past homeless people. One day I decided to stop and say hello. Over time and many conversations, I asked my new friends for their permission to photograph and paint them. In this exhibit, I introduce you to four of my friends who lived on the streets of DC.
Bus stops were another of my favorite subjects—especially when the backlit promo signs were as eye-catching as the movie promo for “Lincoln” in its first release.
And snowstorms caught my eye because the city that was usually teeming with people became deserted, allowing the landscape to reveal itself.
Marches and protests are common events in the capital. Over the years, friends and family would come to DC to join in some of these marches, and they too showed up in my paintings.
The iconic Vietnam Memorial is the second-most visited memorial in DC after the Lincoln Memorial. In my painting “The Wall,” I show you the intimate moment when the sister of a fallen soldier reacts as her son locates her brother’s engraved name.
All in all, Washington, DC is a beautiful city that draws people from all over the world for every kind of purpose, dream, and goal. This is my tribute to that great city.
Please RSVP to the event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/640794217439526
At first glance, visitors to the exhibit will notice that the work of the two artists differs greatly in subject matter, but they will soon recognize that both are inspired by powerful connections to places in their worlds.
For Phyllis Bryce Ely, “place” is expressed through energized observations of regional landscapes, especially her daily exposure to Lake Ontario in all its seasons and conditions. She employs gestural shapes, lines, and bold color to capture the spirit of the places she paints.
Phyllis paints en plein air and in the studio using oil, encaustic wax, and has recently done a series of graphite drawings that are included in this exhibit. She has had a lifelong attraction to painting the shoreline, skies, and dramatic storms of Lake Ontario and also goes on painting adventures throughout Rochester and the Finger Lakes region with fellow members of the Genesee Valley Plein Air Painters. Her plein air paintings often become source material for studio work in oil and encaustic wax, as seen in this body of work.
Patrice McPeak deftly connects us to places by way of the people who occupy them. She shows us that the iconic setting of Washington, DC is a place where people can belong, aspire, and engage. But she also shows us that our relationship to a place can be fragile and impermanent, leading to displacement. McPeak, working skillfully in pastel, brings viewers along on her daily walk to work on the streets of DC and introduces us to the people she discovers in her orbit.
By engaging with these individuals, McPeak uses informal portraiture to help us recognize people we may otherwise fail to see--and she makes us want to know more about their stories. Four portraits in this exhibit do just that. McPeak also delivers the vibe of DC in her paintings of people as commuters, protestors, and solemn visitors. Although her prominent subject matter is people, McPeak leverages place to give context to the stories she tells.
Phyllis and Patrice share a personal connection through their friendship that began as art students at Rochester Institute of Technology, where they earned their BFAs in Painting in 1981 and 1982, respectively. In the forty years since graduating, both have continued to work in creative careers. Phyllis has established herself in Rochester, NY where she is represented by the Oxford Gallery and works from a studio at The Hungerford. And after more than 30 years living and working in Nashville and Washington, DC in film production and broadcast news design, Patrice has recently resettled in Rochester, making this exhibit an important creative reunion for the two painters.
Paintings in the exhibit may be purchased directly from each artist but must remain in the gallery for the duration of the exhibit.
For more about the artists:
Phyllis Bryce Ely: https://www.phyllisbryceely.com
585.944.6846 – pbryceely11@gmail.com
Patrice McPeak: https://www.patricemcpeak.com
202.302.4102 – pmcpeak@me.com
Artist Statement - Phyllis Bryce Ely
If, like me, you’re from the Rochester area, you may share my connection to the waters that surround us. For as long as I can remember, the presence of Lake Ontario and its distinctive skies taught me where to find “north.” The blues and glacial edges of the Finger Lakes define my personal “south,” and our Genesee River with its very own green gives me the feel of a deep line as it cuts its way south to north into Rochester, tumbling and churning up new colors. The work I present in this exhibit comes from my orientation to our home.
My paintings have been inspired by landscape for more than 40 years. Working directly outdoors connects me to nature as I learn the shapes and colors of a place. In the studio—working in oils and encaustic wax—I continue to work with my compositions. I rely on line, form, and color to describe the energy I feel from a place. I’m not interested in rendering a scene, instead I hope to distill it down to its bones and rhythms and invite you into the experience.
Lake Ontario is the subject of much of my work. It’s a place I’ve watched my whole life. I now live on its shoreline and observe the lake every day of every season—the sky always steals the show. Although winter can be severe, it brings sculptural shoreline ice that fascinates me, as do sudden squalls and storms. I’ve yet to witness a waterspout, but when I do I will paint it.
I paint all around Rochester; favorite spots include Durand and other parks, farmland, and the Genesee Brew House roof deck. In the fall I paint in the Finger Lakes. I use my plein air paintings as references for more developed paintings in my studio at The Hungerford in downtown Rochester.
Earlier this year I retired from my work life and found I needed a creative reset, so for a few months I worked only with pencil and paper and burned through a fistful of Ebony pencils. Those drawings of stormy waters and skies are included in this exhibit. And, because of their connection to this very building, I’m showing a few oils of the Rochester skyline as I saw it one hot summer night.
I hope you enjoy my shorelines and skylines.
Artist Statement - Patrice McPeak
After graduating from RIT in 1982 with a BFA in painting, I started my work life in Rochester. In 1990, I set off for Nashville then Washington, DC, building a decades-long career in film production and broadcast news design. Earlier this year I retired from my last professional job as the art director for C-SPAN in
Washington, DC. Now, after more than 30 years, I’ve returned to Rochester, settled into a house, and established my painting studio.
When living in DC, I would walk to work, iPhone in hand. I’d often find interesting people and situations to photograph, and these images would find their way into my paintings. On my daily route I’d walk past homeless people. One day I decided to stop and say hello. Over time and many conversations, I asked my new friends for their permission to photograph and paint them. In this exhibit, I introduce you to four of my friends who lived on the streets of DC.
Bus stops were another of my favorite subjects—especially when the backlit promo signs were as eye-catching as the movie promo for “Lincoln” in its first release.
And snowstorms caught my eye because the city that was usually teeming with people became deserted, allowing the landscape to reveal itself.
Marches and protests are common events in the capital. Over the years, friends and family would come to DC to join in some of these marches, and they too showed up in my paintings.
The iconic Vietnam Memorial is the second-most visited memorial in DC after the Lincoln Memorial. In my painting “The Wall,” I show you the intimate moment when the sister of a fallen soldier reacts as her son locates her brother’s engraved name.
All in all, Washington, DC is a beautiful city that draws people from all over the world for every kind of purpose, dream, and goal. This is my tribute to that great city.
Please RSVP to the event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/640794217439526
The Geisel Gallery is located on the Second Floor Mezzanine Floor of Legacy Tower
One Bausch + Lomb Place, Rochester, NY 14604
One Bausch + Lomb Place, Rochester, NY 14604
