ROBERT HEILMAN night ARTIST’S JAZZ RECEPTION
Friday, November 30, 2009 5:00-8:00 p.m. , Jazz by Muzette
Front Wall Feature EVA BENDER Exhibitions continue thru the holidays

LYNDEN GALLERY PRESENTS the work of ROBERT HEILMAN “Watching the Night”. An ARTIST’S JAZZ RECEPTION will be held Friday, November 20th from 5:00 to 8:00 pm, featuring the Muzette. Suggested cover for the evening is $5.00 per person in support of the band. Front Wall Feature, EVA BENDER will exhibit new works. The exhibition will continue thru the holidays.

ROBERT HEILMAN’S “Watching the Night” collection isn’t lonely, despite its solitary imagery. Lengthening of shadows and deepening days have brilliance, and a focus rich with depth of contrast, shadow, and color playing out on the canvas. The Hopper-like images beg the viewer down the street and around the corner. A cheery quiet flickers from the lamplight reflected in the street, houses down the street have a welcoming glow emanating from within.

“An avid fan of the films of Alfred Hitchcock (and in particular, Hitchcock’s director of photography, Robert Burke), the artist describes his process in cinematographic terms. Working from on-site photographs, Heilman makes several studies in advance of the final oil painting. Like a director repeating a scene, in search of the ‘best shot,’ Heilman will ‘change the composition around and edit it.’ Yet, if the artist is a ‘director,’ his genre might be described as ‘subdued film noir.’ Like a film-maker, Heilman intensifies light-and-dark contrasts.” Leo Mazow, The Suzanne H. Arnold Art Gallery, Lebanon Valley College, Lebanon, Pennsylvania

SKETCHING IN PAINT, small gestural thumbnails in oil on scraps of canvas or ragboard set the stage for Heilman’s compositions. Each sketch has the capacity to stand on it’s own, a miniature work of art. In looser, more impressionistic strokes, the artist’s genius is communicated, as he deftly captures the atmosphere of the evening, the gentle pools of lamplight, and the commonplace feel of the street. The mood changes according to the season – the long, slanting shadows of autumn’s setting sun gives way to crusty, snowy streets. Heilman’s genius is in capturing the light and the emotional substance.

“A painting isn’t about what it ‘is’ – rendering it like a photograph. It’s about the feeling and the emotion within it. What I was feeling about the place, and less about what it looked like,” says Bob. In recent years, he has deliberately pulled away from the photorealistic painting he was recognized for, challenging himself to loosen up the work. “I like the results,” he noted with a smile on my recent visit to the studio, and proceeded to walk thru the series of refined, exquisite sketches before presenting “finished” work. In my estimation, the sketches stand with equal status of “completion.”

HEILMAN’S PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS have been exhibited at the Pennsylvania State Museum, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, the Demuth Foundation, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the Doshi Gallery, Susquehanna Museum of Art Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and by galleries in New York City, New York and Houston, Texas. A graduate of Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas, his work is held in public and private collections all over the country, including Emprise Bank, Wichita, Kansas, and Hershey Entertainment and Resort Company, Hershey, Pennsylvania.

THE GALLERY SUPPORTS JAZZ alongside Fine Art as "simply a natural pairing" - exhibiting work of some of the area's most exceptional jazz talents. The suggested $5.00 cover charge supports the musicians, as many of the bands regularly agree to perform for less than they typically command, or for whatever comes in the door. Your generous support allows Lynden Gallery to keep the music coming in this acoustically pleasant, smoke-free environment, the vibe resonating between the visual and musical arts.

LYNDEN GALLERY features central Pennsylvania’s largest Fine Original Art Gallery, offering Custom Framing, Art and Interior Design Consultation to a discerning clientele. Located at 117 South Market Street, in Downtown Elizabethtown’s original Fire Hall, the gallery is open Tuesday thru Saturday 9:00 to 5:00. Evening hours are available by appointment. Directions can be found on the gallery website, www.lyndengallery.com, or by calling 717-367-9236. The gallery is handicap accessible and offers convenient parking.