Stark Beauty in Exotic Landscapes: Larchmont Artist Exhibits New Works

Contrasting the urgency and unpredictability of an urban environment with the quiet consistency and serenity of nature unaffected by timetables or schedules, the “Outdoor Spaces/Going Places” show at exhibits the work of Larchmont artists Hilda Green Demsky and Marion Schneider.

Demsky—whose energetic depictions of natural settings both serene and forceful Larchmont Patch previously—has unveiled several new works that were completed during a recent artist’s residency at the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts in St. Croix, Virgin Islands.

Working with a local artist’s group cleverly called the “palateers,” Demsky’s paintings recall the brilliance of jewel-like island colors, from the saturated gradients of turquoise in the expansive ocean surrounding the island to the brash reds and oranges of tropical fauna to the sunwashed exterior of a former sugar plantation building, a remnant of the island’s past.

In “There’s a Song in the Air,” Demsky was inspired by the “unusual form of sugar plantation building,” with its cylindrical shape framed by cumulous clouds and brightly hued flowers punctuating the Caribbean landscape.

And then there are Demsky’s classic depictions of Westchester County, its bodies of cascading water a favorite of the painter. In “Waiting for Rowers,” she paints several boats casually lying on shore during a lazy afternoon.

“The boats are waiting for someone to come by and enjoy the beauty of nature,” said Demsky about her inspiration for the painting.

Aside from ascetic beauty, some of the locales Demsky has stayed during artists’ residences are also instilled with a certain storybook quality. For example, Demsky stayed in an old, stone cottage in Ring of Kerry that pre-dated the Irish famine, complete with a peat moss burning stove and grazing sheep in the misty distance. This inspired her painting entitled “Surf.”

By connecting others with the environment and nature surrounding us, it is the hope of artists like Demsky that we will be mindful of the impact we make on it.

Outdoor Spaces/Going Places will be at Mamaroneck Artist’ Guild Gallery from April 17 through May 5.  There will be an artist’s reception on April 21 from 3-5 p.m. at the gallery that is open to the public.  For more information, please visit the Guild’s website here.