Gallery hosts artists with two very different styles

Aug 17, 2023

Fremont Area Art Association Executive Director Lindi Janulewicz looks at a painting by abstract artist Shiri Phillips in the Barbara Tellatin Gallery of the FAAA building.

Shiri Phillips of Omaha paints abstract works of art. Her work is now on display in Gallery 92 West in downtown Fremont.

Baptista

Baptista

"Rainy Night in Georgia" is one of the watercolor paintings by Telagio Baptista now on display in the Dugan Gallery of the Fremont Area Art Association building downtown.

This watercolor floral, called "Night Light," is among works of art by Telagio Baptista. It is among several of his works now on display in the Dugan Gallery in the Fremont Area Art Association building at 92 W. Sixth St.

Fremont Area Art Association Executive Director Lindi Janulewicz stands near a painting by abstract artist Shiri Phillips in the Barbara Tellatin Gallery of the FAAA building.

These watercolor paintings by Telagio Baptista are now on display in Gallery 92 West in downtown Fremont. They are in the Dugan Gallery of the Fremont Area Art Association building at 92 West Sixth St.

In his painting, watercolor artist Telagio Baptista depicts the crisp-yet-delicate pedals of a lavender-colored rose. He offers the misty-wet look of a street scene at night in another painting.

By contrast, Shiri Phillips’ abstract paintings feature broad brushstrokes of bright colors — like pink, blue, teal, purple and green — which almost seem to jump from the canvas.

Works by both artists are on display this month at Gallery 92 West in downtown Fremont. The public is invited to a free, opening reception from 5-7 p.m., Sept. 1, in the Fremont Area Art Association building at 92 W. Sixth St. Drinks and hors d’ oeuvres will be provided and those who attend can learn more about the artists, who will speak briefly about their work and artistic processes.

Baptista, who works specifically with watercolor paints, has enjoyed a colorful array of successes from symphony violinist to golf pro.

His interest in the arts began — not with a paintbrush — but with a toy violin he got as a child. His parents enrolled him in private violin lessons and his website states that by his teen years he was giving private concerts. By age 17, he was concertmaster of a junior symphony.

Baptista also developed a love for the visual arts and his high school paintings won national awards.

“I found watercolor to be extremely challenging — just like the violin — so to switch from that to art was a wonderful transition for me,” he told the Tribune.

Baptista was awarded a scholarship to the San Francisco Art Institute and earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California.

He owned a graphic design studio in Hawaii for 20 years. At that time, he toured the South Pacific as a golf pro, teaching private golf lessons as time provided. He lived in Northern California for years, before moving to Omaha.

Besides flowers, Baptista paints portraits, landscapes and cityscapes. He has watercolor paintings and museum-quality archival prints in the Fremont exhibit. His work in the FAAA building’s Dugan Gallery includes tender faces of children and the intricate depiction of an elephant. The colors in his paintings can range from soft pastels to those that are bright and cheery.

Baptista believes gallery visitors will benefit by seeing the exhibit.

“You’ll be able to see the magic of watercolor,” he said. “Not many people paint watercolor, because it is a challenging medium.”

He explains some of the challenges.

“I consider it as a master’s medium,” Baptista said. “It’s not like acrylic or oil (paint). I have nothing against those mediums, but once you make a boo-boo (with those paints), you can paint right over it. With watercolor, you can’t.”

For this reason, Baptista often paints on the backside of the expensive watercolor paper he uses. Thus, the painting featured behind the glass in a frame is the final product, but the work on the backside of the paper may be something he tried in the past that didn’t work.

He jokes with those who purchase his art that they’re getting two paintings for the price of one.

All joking aside, Baptista has earned multiple awards for his works in regional, national, and international juried competitions. He enjoys sharing his thoughts about art and gallery visitors may recall his exhibition from January 2022.

This is Phillips first exhibit in the FAAA building. Her work is on display in the Barbara Tellatin Gallery.

Born in Los Angeles, Phillips relocated to Israel at an early age. She returned to the United States, settling in Omaha, where she is a graphic designer and painter.

Phillips attributes her love of art to her grandparents in California, who took her to museums. She later earned a bachelor’s degree in art history at the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s College of Communication, Fine Arts, and Media. She works with acrylic paint on canvas.

An abstract-contemporary artist, Phillips said in an artist’s statement that her works have been influenced by impressionism (a style of painting) and the geometric nature of graphic design. The bold, loose brushstrokes she uses are reminiscent of great impressionist painters whose works she fell in love with as a young girl.

“I’m inspired by color theory and how the impressionists worked on their paintings,” she told the Tribune. “It’s more about color and light.”

Phillips uses the impasto technique in which paint is placed thick enough that the brush or paint-knife strokes are visible. By definition, this provides texture and the paint appears to be coming out of the canvas.

She said her use of bright, upbeat colors is “inspired by the vibrant surroundings she found growing up on the Mediterranean and the Southern Californian Coast.”

“The work brings me happiness when I make it,” Phillips told the Tribune. “It brings me joy. It’s about the color and how the color makes me feel and I hope that others can look at a piece and get a similar response and it brings them happiness and it makes them joyful.”

Phillips’ work has been displayed in numerous Omaha exhibits, along with those in Iowa, Los Angeles and San Francisco, California and New York. Phillips estimates she has between 10 and 15 works of art in the local show.

FAAA Executive Director Lindi Janulewicz is excited about the artists and their exhibits.

“They are both very unique artists with very different mediums and styles—a true variety this month!” Janulewicz said.

Those who cannot attend the artists’ reception can still see the works during regular gallery hours through Sept. 30. Gallery hours are 1-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays. Admission is free and open to the public.

The FAAA was formed in 1960 as a nonprofit organization, which promotes art, culture and art education throughout the Fremont area. It has a gift shop called the Art Emporium.

For more information, visit: 92west.org.

What: Artists reception for Telagio Baptista and Shiri Phillips.

When: 5-7 p.m., Sept. 1.

Where: Gallery 92 West, the Fremont Area Art Association building at 92 W. Sixth St.

Other: Admission is free and open to the public.

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