Two capital area artists have solo shows at the Lincoln Levy Gallery in Portsmouth through the end of March. Katie Van Cura of Canterbury exhibit of paintings is called “A Moment in Time” and the other show by Ty Meier of Hopkinton is titled “Sunny Days.”
Van Cura is an acrylic landscape painter, who finds balance and happiness from hiking among the state’s natural landscape.
“When I am not teaching art to my elementary students, I am hiking, finding joyful inspiration from my landscape to bring back to my studio,” Van Cura said. “During my art practice, I find instant gratification from each brushstroke to describe the light and color within my natural New Hampshire environment.”
Van Cura attended Plymouth State University, receiving a bachelor’s degree in art education with a concentration in oil painting. She continued on to get her master’s degree at Boston University and studied oil painting and drawing courses abroad in Venice, Italy, during her last semester. She has taken multiple intensive painting workshops at the New Hampshire Institute of Art, now known as New England College, and MassMoCA.
“This solo exhibit is a series of work that has been developed over the past year showcasing the New Hampshire landscape,” she said. “Each painting captures a snapshot of a moment in time.”
Meier is a fine artist, illustrator, screen printer and graphic designer residing in New Hampshire. A proud father and U.S. Army veteran, Meier is the current artist-in-residence of Making Matters Makerspace in Concord.
Since childhood, Meier has had an obsessive twitch to draw and create art, and daily practice has made him a fast and efficient artist. He is interested in classic scrollwork, filigrees, fleur-de-lis, golden ratio nautilus spirals, birds and humble critters, soaring philosophy, tiny details and as he puts it, “aside of healthy nihilism. I refocus on the much larger themes of life – the improbable phenomenon of our existence and the epiphanies of experience,” Meier said. “We are beautiful creatures surrounded by darkness. Practice awe. Never stagnate. (Strive for) peace, prosperity and happiness.”
In addition to being a member of the NHAA, Meier is a board member of the Two Villages Art Society and a guest teacher at Squamscott River Academy.
Van Cura and Meier are members of the New Hampshire Artist Association. For more information on their exhibits, visit nhartassociation.org.