A Jerald Melberg Gallery favorite returns this month
Thomas McNickle captures the serenity of nature through his oil on canvas paintings in his 15th solo exhibit at Jerald Melberg Gallery where "The Pond" will be on view through April 24.
"The core of this exhibition is a group of paintings of the pond and its wonderful reflective beauty. I have painted it in the crisp morning light, the heavy air of afternoon and the warm glow of evening. I have painted it in the spring, summer and fall." Thomas McNickle, artist
McNickle calls rural Pennsylvania home. Volant, where he lives, had a population of 100 people as of 2019. Northwestern Pennsylvania offers plenty of space for an artist like McNickle, inspiring his work for decades. While his craft focuses on both landscapes and abstracts, the exhibition focuses on the former. McNickle paints contemporary but timeless landscapes in both oil and watercolor. Often working from studies created en plein air, McNickle wants his work to evoke the sensorial experience of coming upon the landscape.
"Tom is an amazing painter. His facility with paint and brush is just astonishing, and I think that very obvious when people see the work-his deft hand is amazing."
Jerald Melberg, gallery owner
McNickle's morning ritual, like most, begins with a cup of coffee. Then he seeks inspiration by searching for new elements of the land he knows well. One exploration led to the discovery of the pond the exhibit is based around.
"As I painted, I realized how completely suffused my aesthetic had become by this small, intimate place that nature had given me. It has been a most cathartic experience."
Thomas McNickle
