Gallery One - “Discovering Blue”

This month the artists of Gallery One are discovering Blue. “We are blessed here in Delaware
with a dominance of blue in the landscape,” states artist Lesley McCaskill, talking about her
acrylic painting, “Enjoying the Waterway.” “From the sky to all the waterways, cool,
refreshing blue is here for us to enjoy through every season.” Our sky, sea, and waterways
appear blue because as sunlight passes through the atmosphere, the blue wavelengths are
scattered more widely by the oxygen and nitrogen molecules, and bluer comes to our eyes.
This effect is called Rayleigh scattering. This effect is beautifully illustrated in the skies of
artists Laura Hickman, Dale Sheldon, and Cindy Beyer’s paintings this month. In Hickman’s
pastel, “Pomodoro in Winter,” her "January skies are a brilliant blue, reflecting the crystal-clear
light in Bethany Beach during the long winter months." Dale Sheldon’s sky in, “Blue Skies and
Blue Kayaks,” in acrylic, reverberates with the blues of the kayaks, and the reflected blue sand
shadows bouncing off the lapis sky. Cindy Beyer’s acrylic, "Blue Sailing," is dominated by her
majestic blue sky reflecting the bay on a pristine summer day. The sea is perceived as blue for
the same reason: the water absorbs the longer wavelengths of red and reflects and scatters the
blue, which comes to the eye of the viewer. The deeper the observer goes, the darker the blue
becomes. The color of the sea is also affected by the color of the sky, reflected by particles in
the water. That luminous sea is discovered and explored this month in the paintings of Michelle
Marshall, Ed Lewandowski, and Cheryl Wisbrock. In artist Ed Lewandowski’s oil painting,
“Blue Grotto,” Marshall’s acrylic, “Blue Sea,” and Wisbrock’s watercolor, “The Deep,” we
revel in the array of varying blue hues.