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The City of Gaithersburg presents “Mixed Media of Contemporary and Ancient Influences,” featuring the works of Patricia Di Bella-Kreger and Nadia Azumi. This unique exhibit of oil, collage and silk painting runs from November 16, 2012 through January 13, 2013 at the Activity Center at Bohrer Park, 506 South Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg, Maryland. Viewing hours are Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The public is invited to a free Artists’ Reception on Tuesday, November 27 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Born in Egypt, Nadia Azumi is of Italian heritage whose husband is Japanese. She was influenced by her mother’s artistic talents that she acquired in Tuscany when she was young, and has also worked and studied with Japanese artists for over 30 years. When she sees something she likes, be it in colors or nature, Azumi tries to transfer it onto silk paintings. She can often be found painting on silk from eight to ten hours a day, branching her two worlds of Italian Renaissance and the beautiful colors and lines found in Japanese kimonos. Azumi uses a number of techniques and colors to create a variety of silk paintings, including rich colors inspired by the frescoes in Pompeii and the Renaissance painters of Florence and Venice. Vibrant colors are used to depict floral arrangements from Japanese Ikebana, and different chemicals, acrylics and techniques help create different types of textures and lines. Influenced by her cultural background, her art is also inspired by colorful birds, animals with detailed patterns, and landscapes. Azumi is the local chapter president of Silk Painting International and has exhibited at the Greenbelt Courthouse. She also teaches silk painting at her studio in Rockville. To view her work, visit www.absolutejapan.com.
Painter, teacher, costumer, and performer, Patricia Di Bella-Kreger is a native of the New York/New Jersey region. For Kreger, who has dual Master in Fine Arts Degrees, this exhibit entitled "Festivities" depicts subject matter and settings drawn from personal memory and experience. The characters in these narrative works are seen in "special" circumstances; at parties, weddings, and holiday gatherings. Such events evoke a heightened sense of the moment and a greater temporal awareness, as each occasion is marked, celebrated, and, inevitably, passes. The compositions also reference themes found in western art history and in European painting from the Baroque era onward. Scenes of peasant weddings, fashionable parties and picnics, and celebrations can be found in the work of masters from Bruegel to Picasso. Such scenes possess a dual layer of meaning, for although they are a familiar aspect of human experience, festivities loom a bit larger than everyday life, and are often etched more sharply in memory. Her award-winning work in oil and pastel has been displayed in solo and group exhibitions in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland. Selections of her art can be seen at www.dibellart.com.
Please note that all images are copyrighted by the artists. For more information please visit the City’s website at www.gaithersburgmd.gov or contact Andi Rosati at 301-258-6394 or arosati@gaithersburgmd.gov.
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Nadia Azumi, Fisherman at Sea
Patricia Di Bella-Kreger, World's Fair Opens
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