NORTH BEACH — The member artists of ArtWorks@7th spend November on a single question: what happens when the colors of leaves, water, stone and feathers become the starting point for a painting or a piece of jewelry?
Their answer goes on the walls Nov. 5 in “Capturing Nature’s Palette,” the cooperative gallery’s November exhibition, which runs through Nov. 29 at 8905 Chesapeake Ave., near Second Street, in North Beach. The public is invited to an open house on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 1 to 4 p.m., with refreshments and light fare, according to the gallery’s announcement.
The gallery describes a nature palette as color schemes drawn directly from plants, flowers, landscapes, animals and minerals. In its announcement, ArtWorks@7th says such palettes are meant to feel warm and balanced, and that the opening reception is a chance to see how each member artist interprets the idea.
A jeweler as guest artist
November’s guest artist is Sabine Dillingham, a jewelry maker whose pieces range, in the gallery’s words, from understated to big and colorful. The gallery says Dillingham draws on beads and on patterns, textures and colors found in nature, the visual arts, native cultures and architecture, and that she works in materials as different as copper and cork. She also adjusts her designs based on feedback from customers, according to the announcement.
Bringing in a jeweler for a show about natural color gives the exhibition a second scale: wall work on one side of the room, wearable pieces on the other, both built from the same source material.
A cooperative on the bay
ArtWorks@7th is one of a handful of galleries on Calvert County’s list of local art galleries, which describes it as a cooperative whose member artists run the gallery together. A business listing for the gallery puts its membership at about two dozen artists working in a range of media. It is the only North Beach gallery on the county’s list; the others include CalvART Gallery in Prince Frederick, Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center in Dowell and Medart Galleries in Dunkirk.
The gallery changes its exhibition monthly. In September, it showed a scratchboard-focused exhibit by three Southern Maryland artists, and the November show continues the pattern of pairing a theme with a featured guest.
In its announcement, the gallery makes the case for buying from local artists, saying money spent locally stays in the community and that its members regularly donate work to fundraisers, teach workshops and take part in charity art shows.
If you go
- What: “Capturing Nature’s Palette,” with guest artist Sabine Dillingham
- When: Nov. 5-29; open house Saturday, Nov. 7, 1-4 p.m.
- Where: ArtWorks@7th, 8905 Chesapeake Ave., North Beach
- Hours: Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
More information is on the gallery’s website, artworksat7th.com.
