The cry of gulls, the boom of surf exploding on rocks, sun drenched ancient slabs of granite, wind roaring in from the ocean — Schoodic, Maine, is a magical place. “Landscapes Near and Far” presents paintings inspired by the ocean and tidal pools of Maine, as well as more familiar places closer to home. This show contains both small works done quickly on location, as well as larger works done in the studio from photos and oil sketches. Traveling with paint has become a regular part of the year for Ozolins. The rigor of painting in unfamiliar surroundings leads to only one rule — no preconceptions, no mulling over what or where, just find what strikes the eye and rivet it to the canvas. Returning home always lets her see the local environment with fresh eyes, whether it is the sunrise over East Hill, the snow on a forsythia bush, or rain over the inlet.
Ozolins’ works have been familiar to gallery goers in Ithaca since the early 1990’s. She works with either palette knife, or brush; fragmenting the light and shadow into a splintered burst of color, or gently caressing the folds of rock and swirls of water.
“Landscapes Near and Far” runs through April 26 at State of the Art, 120 W. State Street in Ithaca. A reception for the artist will be held Friday, April 3, 5-8pm. Gallery hours are Wed.-Fri., 12-6pm, Sat. & Sun., 12-5pm. In addition, work by gallery artists will be exhibited in the Members’ Gallery all month. Information: 607-277-1626, www.soag.org, diana@ozolins.com// The gallery is ADA accessible with curbside parking available.