Moments of Serenity – Oil paintings by Wendy Lynne Dickes

Opening reception:  Friday, September 5, 2008

Newburyport, MA, August 4, 2008 – Local Newburyport resident Wendy Lynne Dickes of The Secret Garden Studio (www.thesecretgardenstudio.com) will be exhibiting her oil paintings at the Newburyport Art Association in the Laura Hill Combs Gallery from September 4 to 17. The opening reception for her show, entitled “Moments of Serenity: The beauty of flora, fauna and seascapes captured in oils,” is Friday, September 5, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Dickes was first introduced to oils as a young child, but did not return to painting until 2001 when she began to study with local painter Pat Lutz. Dickes continued her studies with plein air artists Kevin Shea, Bill Duke, and Allen Bull.  

Dickes’ personal style tends toward subjects for which she has an innate love – flowers, animals, and seascapes. “Painting is a creative outlet that brings balance into my life,” says Dickes. “It allows me to spend time with the beauty in our world that is so often missed in our busy lives.”

The oil paintings in her upcoming exhibition are a direct reflection of Dickes’ own life. “I moved from the Midwest to be near the ocean,” says Dickes, “and to be able to capture the beauty of Plum Island in paintings such as Ice Ribbons brings me great serenity.”

Animals also are an important element of not only Dickes’ paintings, but her life. “As a young child, I was always rescuing animals – field mice, lost dogs, you name it!” says Dickes. Having a full house of her own rescued pets, she also volunteers to help feral cats through the local Merrimac Valley Feline Society, and has even traveled to Utah to volunteer at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. In her pet portraits, Dickes loves to capture what she calls the “sweet innocent souls” of these animals on canvas. A portion of her profits from these portraits, such as Red Sox fan, Zoro, is donated to the Best Friends’ organization. 

Another feature of Dickes’ “Moments of Serenity” exhibition is her flower paintings, which reveal her love of gardening. Dickes’ home in downtown Newburyport features a quaint and beautiful English perennial garden that is hidden from the public’s view by a backyard fence. Amidst the flowering beauty of her garden, Dickes converted her garden shed into an all-season painting studio, The Secret Garden Studio. Here, as her garden bursts with color throughout the summer, Dickes is inspired to capture “the ever-changing beauty” of the flowers that surround her.

For more information about Dickes or her upcoming show, contact her at 781-799-3632 or secretgardenstudio@verizon.net or visit www.thesecretgardenstudio.com