On May 14th Rockland Center for the Arts opens two exhibits centering on light, color and potential in all things. The exhibits are meant to be a relief on the senses and a feeling of joy, from the past year of isolation, and weary worry. Much like these paintings, the parts or fragments of each of us make a beautiful whole when combined with varying and different parts of other cultures or races. And as we see the light of gold in each other’s hearts we bring about a more equitable and beautiful humanity for all. It’s hoped that these exhibits bring a moment of pause and welcome to the new dawn that is slowly ushering in some normalcy.

Diane Churchill explores the pigment, reflectivity and symbolic meanings of gold. Gold: Pages From A Lost Book suggest something precious, reminiscent of ancient documents with a form of writing unknown to us. Churchill uses the interplay of languages – the artist’s mark and the marks of codified writing. Writing and Drawing use the same tools for different forms of communication.

Churchill originally used gold for its shimmer. With these works, she is drawn to gold for its reference to the divine, the transcendent, the inexpressible and the permanent. This is seen in the piece “Meditation”, truly a pandemic piece, the artist needed to paint light and to paint an aspirational piece during these twelve dark months. In her paintings, Gold is often accompanied by red, the two pigments enhancing the vitality of each other. To achieve a durable red color in stained glass, gold metal was and still is used.

The “writing” in her pages is fake, but are based on years of studying alphabets from various cultures. Gold, in her work, does not suggest material wealth. Rather, Churchill hopes these “writing” speak to peoples’ minds and hearts. In the end, Gold reminds us of the brilliance of light in a heart of gold and the potential in all humanity.

Diane Churchill is a painter living in Nyack with a studio at the Garnerville Arts Center in West Garnerville, NY. She is an abstract painter whose primary passion s harnessing the power of color, most recently the color gold.

She exhibits frequently in Rockland County and New York City. Her most recent solo show was at the Ray Lagstein Gallery, Nyack. Since the pandemic, she has participated in virtual shows at the Hammond Museum, Westchester Art Guild, New York Artists Circle, Soho 20 Gallery, PFlag, and the Arts Council of Rockland.

The exhibit is open, free to the public, Monday through Saturday 11am – 4pm. Masks are still required in the exhibit spaces and building for the safety of everyone.

Rockland Center for the Arts is the oldest and largest arts organization in Rockland County, presenting outstanding programming in the arts for over 70 years. RoCA is located at 27 S Greenbush Rd., West Nyack, NY 10994, Website: www.rocklandartcenter.org. Phone: 845-358-0877, Fax: 845-358-0971.

RoCA’s programs are made possible, in part, with funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Funding is also made possible by the County of Rockland.