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By ROBINJHJRNI LL
Rappahannock NenviSonlribuiing Writer
The current show at the Middle Street Gallery, entitled, “One Square Foot” has, as it’s theme implies, a Fine collection of small and very small works.
A piece of art does not have to be large to be powerful. A perfect example of this concept is exemplified by Jan Vermur’s exquisite painting, “Girl with the Red Hat,” a little more than nine inches by seven inches, painted in 1665, at t-he National Gallery in Washington. This piece was chosen by the gallery’s director, Earl A. Powell, as his favorite painfc, ing in the entire collection. He describes this jewd^fcas having tremendous “wall power.” He says, “Even after-hours, I make it a point to see how she’s doing.”
Most of the work in the Middle Street Gallery is of very high quality, particularly the paintings of Antonia Lewis, Chris Stephens, Thomas Spande and Ruth Clinard. Antpnia has three very small and charming paintings that excited my eye. The best, technically, was an egg tempera of a lovely little lady named “Sashia.” Egg tempera, the simplest of paints is made from powdered pigments and egg yolk. It can be tricky to handle. Antonia has done a masterfut job — just look at the luscious colors in her shadows! Her still life, “Sunlit Preserves,” is so reminiscent of all. “Woman Playing Harp,” a copy of the 15th century painting by Baccarico, is a well done study, but I wonder why she chose it to be in this show. It would have been very much more interesting to see her use this style in a creation of her own.
Chris Stephens, a well known landscape painter from Front Royal, continues his exploration of threedimensional objects and the manner in which light hits surfaces. In a unique and striking manner, Chris has succeeded wonderfully in his sculpture/painting entitled “Day Break.” One can almost touch that brief moment at dawn when the rising sun blazes a wall. I hope Chris continues to push his work in this direction — it's fascinating for us, the audience.
Thomas Spande’s new work in watercolor shows a sensitivity to light and color that goes very deep. “Page St, Brunswick, Maine,” has all the heat of summer and coolness of shade that describes a lazy summer afternoon. “Farm on Pleasant Hill Road,” evokes spring with all its fresh greens
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