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Far and Near

Oil paintings by Shirley Mersky
March 20, 2010 - April 24, 2010

Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania — Canal Frame-Crafts Gallery announces its spring
exhibition titled “Far and Near”, featuring paintings by Shirley Mersky. The show opens
March 20 and continues through April 24.

Shirley Mersky, a resident of Newtown, draws inspiration from local sites in and around the
Delaware Valley. Her studies with local artists and at the Pennsylvania academy have guided her evolution as an artist and given her an impressive body of work. Mersky describes her approach to painting as both a meditative and a visual process. Mersky admitted that sometimes she will study her paintings in progress for an hour or more before beginning to paint. "I need the time to think about what I am trying to say beyond portraying a specific place or group of objects”. She paints both plein-aire and from her studio but due to a year of inclement weather Mersky found herself returning to still life painting.

This recent body of work titled “Far and Near” grew out of a challenge that is created by switching back and forth between close objects and distant landscapes. Painting intimate objects in a still life close up requires different observations then capturing the vast space in a landscape painting. There are also physical limitations to painting on location rather then in the studio.

Shirley Mersky has a BA in English literature and Art History from Dickinson College. She has
exhibited her work in many juried and invitational shows throughout the region including the
Philadelphia Sketch Club.