December/January Art Exhibit
April Claggett
and
Phil Bean
Opening Reception
Friday, December 11 at 5:00-7:00pm
Exhibit runs December 11, 2026 - January 31, 2027
Available for viewing during DubHub open hours and by appointment.
contact: Info@dublincommunitycenter.org
April Claggett
Artist Statement
I grew up on a farm which forms a peninsula on the Chesapeake Bay, surrounded by tidewater. At first impulse, my painting is always inspired by light and color. Colors are the troupe, the swimmers, the gymnasts that never keep to themselves. My recent work, many of 6ft. in dimension, uses the language of imaginary disrupted realism and the transformational nature of paint to create impossible realities yet portals of empathy, beauty and longed-for wholeness.
As a young artist, I explored sculpture. Being athletic and horsey, the physicality of both the making and the made suited me. I always understood the metaphysics of the creative process, and it was just so direct and rewarding with clay. Then the chaotic miracle of the firing. After decades of parenting, teaching, farming, and community building, I have been practicing painting, drawing and art scholarship full time. The imposed abstraction at the nexus of a more-or-less two dimensional surface and representational imagery interests me. My current scholarly interests are with contemporary practices that include art production and display, media theory and the role of the creative process in human society.
https://www.aprilclaggett.com/
Phil Bean
Originally from New England, Phil grew up in California where he began his painting experience with oils after being inspired
by the works of other painters. He then continued to study and develop painting techniques until an opportunity to move his family to Alaska brought about more artistic challenges. From an artist's perspective, he acquired a deep appreciation for the wilderness and scenic wonders of that rugged landscape. While in Alaska he studied watercolor painting and continued to work in both oils and watercolors before moving back to the New England of his youth.
Primarily self-taught, he works both in the studio and outdoors en plein air where he draws on his inspiration from the effects of light and shadow on the natural landscape. When painting in oils, his works are developed using a combination of brush and painting knife techniques. For watercolors he employs various methods including wet-in-wet, color mixing on the painting surface and drybrush. His paintings of New England reflect the unique qualities of that landscape and its classic architecture. Travels to other areas including Ireland have presented a great opportunity to paint in those locations. His oils and watercolors have been included in both national and regional exhibitions..