05/30/11

Worth a Shot

If you enjoyed the feature of Kathleen Buckalew’s photography in the June issue, “The Face of Farming,” you can meet her Friday night at the Delaware Division of the Arts Mezzanine Gallery, when she opens a solo show. Though the magazine story focused on her efforts to document local farmers, Buckalew is a photographer of astonishing ability and breadth. She shoots water, still lifes and landscapes—often at Hagley Museum, where she works—with equal grace. Her images will take your breath away. The gallery is in the Carvel State Office Building, 820 N. French St., Wilmington. The reception is 5 p.m.-8 p.m. If you miss the reception, you can see Buckalew’s work until June 24. Or visit buckalewphotography.com.

Posted at 08:09 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

05/23/11

The Doors of Perception

Am I being tricked, or am I tricking myself?

I’m examining the shadow of trees and plants cast upon a dividing wall of Gallery 10 in the Delaware Art Museum. It’s beautiful and soothing, yet there’s a problem: I can’t locate the window that admits the light that frames the plants that create the shadow. Which proves to be the point.

I catch on—slowly—but as soon as I do, a new problem vexes. The image wraps a corner, and then breaks across open space to continue on another wall a few feet away. Shadows overlap, yet I can’t determine where one ends and another begins.

So I’m standing in the middle of the room, waving my arms, trying to make sense of their effect on the light, and looking every bit the...

Posted at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

05/17/11

Chicago and Jazz

When it comes to rollicking musical fun and dark comedy, there are few peers with “Chicago.” Murder, betrayal, sensational media, showbiz—there’s a little bit of everything in this Prohibition-era urban legend. See it at the Schwartz Center for the Arts in Dover May 18-20. All shows start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $9 and $11. Call 678-5152, or visit schwartzcenter.com. And if a weeknight isn’t working for you, check jazz saxophonist Tia Fuller at The Schwartz on Saturday. Part of Beyoncé’s all-woman touring band, the acclaimed Fuller plays with several jazz combos. She brings her own quartet for a show that is sure to be a winner. Call 678-5152, or visit schwartzcenter.com.

Why, Yes It Is Almost Summertime

That means...

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05/10/11

Meet a Painting Legend

The late Howard Schroeder was an artist’s artist. He had obvious talent as a painter, but the more remarkable fact is that, from the time he arrived in Lewes in 1942 until he passed in 1995, he made a living solely by his art.

“When I get together with all my sisters and brothers, we kind of sit around and wonder how the heck he did that—stay true as an artist, raise six kids and send us all to college,” says John Schroeder, one of Howard’s four sons. “His legacy is a throwback to the artist who painted for the love of painting. I don’t know how much of that exists today—or if it can exist today.”

Howard Schroeder is a legend in local art. Over the decades he produced thousands of works—four or five a...

Posted at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0