Painterly Distractions

Watercolors created by Gail Bracegirdle and 11 of her students are on display at the Hopewell Frame Shop’s Gallery through Aug. 17.

By: Susan Van Dongen

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Above, "Trenton Downtown."


   The standard dictionary definition of "anarchy" has to do with an absence of political authority, governmental disorder and confusion, or the lack of a cohesive and common purpose. The word conjures visions of uprisings against the Establishment, lurking assassins and violence in the streets, while "Anarchy in the U.K." by the Sex Pistols plays in the background.
   Painter and teacher Gail Bracegirdle assures the public there will be no such shenanigans at her "Watercolor Anarchy" sessions at Artworks in Trenton — just a lot of rule-free creativity.
   "It’s not quite as wacko as it sounds," she says, laughing. "It’s just a group of us who get together and paint. It started as a class for people who already know the basics and have specific ideas of things they want to work on. Most of our participants are busy, professional people and ‘Watercolor Anarchy’ is a way to set aside formal painting time.
   "They can work on anything they want to –– abstracts, a still life or something experimental. When you see our work it’s obvious that we’re not all coming from the same place."
   Watercolors by Ms. Bracegirdle and 11 of her students are on display in a special exhibit titled Watercolor Anarchy at the Hopewell Frame Shop’s Gallery through Aug. 17. The group includes Carole Bleistein, Ray Buchichio, Joelle Hofbauer, Ruth Kaufman, Diana Koye, Amy Mayes, Elizabeth Murray Peck, Chuck Person, Barbara Reeder, Marian Wig and Chari Wurtzel.
   Perhaps there’s just a bit of anarchy in Ms. Bracegirdle’s classes, however. For one thing, it’s not always clear whether the students or the teacher is learning more.

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Above, "Sunsational"; below, "Cider Barn."
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   "I hope this doesn’t sound selfish, but I get so much from teaching," says Ms. Bracegirdle, who lives in Bensalem, Pa. "It’s fascinating. People ask me questions about how to do something, and sometimes I know right away but sometimes I have to really think about it."
   She says this pushes her to investigate new ways of solving problems, or remember what she learned as a student at the Moore College of Art in Philadelphia. Ms. Bracegirdle studied textile design there, and went on to design wall coverings and printed fabrics professionally. After 20 years in the field, she decided to rediscover her love for watercolors.
   "I decided I’d done it all in the (textile design) business," she says. "I worked for a wonderful woman, Georgia Webber, who encouraged us to have as many experiences as possible and learn to be versatile. About 12 years ago, my husband and I bought a house and it seemed like a good time to start something new. I decided to focus on watercolors — which I had always wanted to return to. So I started painting, taking a few classes and exhibiting on a small scale. Gradually I was asked to teach some classes, which has been a really enjoyable and rewarding experience."
   A faculty member of Artworks, the Visual Arts School of Princeton and Trenton, and Triangle Art in Lawrenceville, Ms. Bracegirdle has also taught summer workshops at the Ocean City (N.J.) Arts center and ‘plein air’ (fresh air) workshops in Chimayó, N.M., and Beaufort, S.C. The latter was an especially inspirational and gracious place to paint, thanks to the proximity to the seashore, as well as the antebellum architecture in town.
   "Eight of us stayed at the home of a board member at Artworks, someone who has a beach house on Fripp Island, near Hilton Head," Ms. Bracegirdle says. "We also went into the town of Beaufort, which is very old and quite charming. It was one of the places that wasn’t destroyed during the Civil War, because the Union Army actually stayed there. So some of the homes and churches are older than you’d find in other parts of the South."
   She’s hoping to plan a painting excursion to Maine, perhaps in the summer of 2003. Just hearing about the travel aspect of her painterly destinations makes one envious. A few years ago, she also spent a month sketching and painting near Sydney, Australia.
   "I have fun," she says. "I’ll go anywhere to paint."
   Ms. Bracegirdle says she doesn’t have to travel quite so far for visual inspiration, though — she sees plenty of it in Trenton and has conducted numerous fresh air classes in the state capital.
   "We’ve been to the Mill Hill neighborhood to paint, we’ve been to the Farmer’s Market and the Old Barracks," Ms. Bracegirdle says. "There are lots of places in Trenton that are very attractive to paint."
   Known for her use of light, bold color, texture and patterns, Ms. Bracegirdle prefers to capture a quiet moment or quirky juxtaposition of image, color, light and shadow, rather than a sweeping landscape.

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Above, "Dark Hollow Bridge."


   "I like to focus on a corner of a garden or a section of a building, to narrow down the landscape to a vignette," she says. "I’ve had the opportunity to paint in quite a few private gardens in the area. The last few summers I’ve had a class called ‘Sunday Morning in the Garden,’ which was originally set up through Pam and Gary Mount at Terhune Orchards.
   "Each Sunday, the class has gone to a different home, and everyone seems to really enjoy
it. It’s a challenge, because some of these gardens are so splendid. You have to learn to focus on a detail,
otherwise you’d be overwhelmed."
   Ms. Bracegirdle has exhibited in numerous shows throughout the central New Jersey and Philadelphia area. Juried and invitational shows include several group exhibits at the Atelier Gallery in Frenchtown, Artsbridge at Prallsville Mills in Stockton, the Perkins Center in Moorestown and the Philadelphia Sketch Club. In addition, Ms. Bracegirdle’s paintings were exhibited three times with the Philadelphia Watercolor Society — which earned her the distinction of being a signature member of the PWS — as well as the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society’s International Exhibit in Lancaster, Pa.
   With all of her experience, however, Ms. Bracegirdle is quick to point out that she doesn’t want her classes to produce a lot of "little Gail clones."
   "I encourage people in the group to paint in their own way and it’s exciting when they begin to develop their own style," she says. "I also encourage them to exhibit — that’s when they start getting some really good feedback."
Watercolor Anarchy, featuring paintings by Gail Bracegirdle, is on view at the Hopewell Frame Shop’s
Gallery, 24 W. Broad St., Hopewell, through Aug. 17. Gallery hours: Tues.-Fri. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-3
p.m. For information, call (609) 466-0817. Gail Bracegirdle’s works can also be seen at her studio in Bristol,
Pa., by appointment at (215) 638-4614. On the Web: gailbracegirdle.artspan.com.
Artworks on the Web: www.artworksnj.org