Lisa Regopoulos & Keith Demanche - 'Under an Open Sky'

Creative Connections Gift Shop & Gallery
December 2, 2023 – January 27, 2024
Opening Reception Saturday December 2, 12-2PM
56 Main Street, Ashburnham MA

Keith Demanche, Artist Statement:

“In my work I hope to show others what I see, the natural places of quiet hope in man’s chaotic world. When out painting plein air, I find the interaction of man and nature captivating - those sometimes dreary intersections of wildness and urban sprawl often reveal a lot about how I see the world. Ther is always a push and pull I want to capture. There is no place better than at my easel on a riverbend or in a parking lot to find a little corner that speaks to me. I began painting like a lot artists do — after not finding the creative outlet I needed in design and illustration. I helped start two weekly newspapers and worked digitally in Photoshop, Illustrator, etc., and I always found I wanted more realistic textures and exciting marks than the computer could offer. So I started making my own marks and fields of colors to incorporate into my digital images. One project after another, one class at a time - from MassArt to three or four day workshops – I found that I really loved the tactile give and take of finding solutions that sing and not just a compilation of marks and strokes. I finally realized I actually wanted to be a painter. Pastels fit my style perfectly. I love to capture a moment en plein air without hesitation and pastel’s forgiving nature and immediacy really let me get what I want from a given location.”

Lisa Regopoulos, Artist Statement:

“Creating art is a large part of my life and I enjoy plein air (in the open air) painting most. My time spent outside informs my studio work. To me, plein air painting is a revelry of spontaneity. I have a keen sensitivity to my surroundings which is

enhanced when I observe it quietly. Animals come closer, chipmunks run across my feet. I hear bees at work in the summer and feel the cold breeze on my face in the winter. Plein air painting is invigorating. That alive feeling is expressed when I reach into my pastel box and apply the pastel to paper. That energy brings life into my work. I am first a landscape painter and lover of open spaces, especially fields, sand dunes and rocky coasts. I pay attention to what repeatedly attracts my eye during every day activities, specifically the way a shadow falls across the grass in the late afternoon, or how the light catches the blooms in my garden. I intentionally look at the world all the time. I find myself organizing compositions in my head while waiting at red lights. Driven by shape versus line, I look for ways to simplify the scene, breaking it down into a few main shapes. My use of color is intuitive and reach for colors in my pastel box that speak to me. My energy and personality show in my work, specifically in my color choices, and the gestural way in which I apply the pastel. Most of the time, I utilize an underpainting of pastel, PanPastel and/or ink and I enjoy watching the depth it creates. What makes my work unique is the way I bring the viewer in with just enough detail to leave a little mystery which enables them to linger and create their own story. Living in the North East sometimes makes it problematic to work outside and it is important for me as an artist to keep showing up at my easel consistently, even if that means painting from a photo or plein air study. Time at my easel is key for the growth of my artwork and for my well being. Even though creating a painting is a series of problems to solve, it is meditative and therapeutic for me. Similar to gardening, it enables me to loose myself and to be in the moment.”

“Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine into trees” -John Muir