WARE — A collection of work by award winning artist Deborah Padden is featured this month at the Pinney Gallery, located in the Kent Memorial Library in Suffield.
Calling it a mixed exhibit, Padden said there are examples in a variety of themes for visitors to see.
“I have a myriad of work in there,” she said. “There are portraits, landscapes and still life.”
Padden, a Ware resident for the past 18 months, lived in Brimfield previously and said she began her artistic endeavors nearly 30 years ago.
“A few years after that I started teaching and I’ve taught all over Western Massachusetts,” she said, noting that she currently hosts classes and workshops at Workshop 13 in Ware.
Padden said she works with a number of materials, including oils, pastels and watercolors, and also teaches in those mediums as well.
Finding passion and inspiration in the area and its people, Padden said she finds particular interest in those she encounters.
“My favorite thing to paint is portraits,” she said. “I’ve been painting portraits for as long as I can remember.”
While finding particular enjoyment in using family members as her models, Padden also is commissioned to paint portraits.
For landscapes and florals, she finds inspiration locally, most notably the Quabbin area and favors tonalism and muted colors in her work.
Suffield Arts Council member Fran Milliken, who helped coordinate the show, said he has been familiar with Padden’s work for quite a while.
“She paints in a very classic style that’s uncommon for someone her age,” he said. “You’re going to see quite a different collection than you might see from other artists.”
The shows at the gallery rotate monthly and tend to feature local artists and their work. Milliken said the gallery was renovated roughly two years ago and features modernized light and hanging elements.
The gallery show, opened June 3 and runs through June 28. There will also be a “Meet the Artist” event on June 13 from 6-8 p.m. where community members can meet with Padden and view the 31 pieces on exhibit.
“I’m looking forward to seeing friends, family and people who want to enjoy the show.”
