Main Gallery : New landscapes by Thomas Paquette

Back Gallery : Colored pencil, pencil drawings, oil paintings by Jil Evans

Flanders Contemporary Art announces it's new exhibits opening Friday May 26, with reception from 6 - 9 pm. Flanders Contemporary Art is very pleased to present new landscapes by plein-aire painter Thomas Paquette.

A Minnesota native, Paquette now lives and paints in Portland, Maine, but travels to paint on location, choosing destinations such as Greece, the Bad Lands and Minnesota to name a few. Choosing striking compositions, Paquette captures the sublime qualities of natural light and it's play in the landscape.

Whether an early morning burst of sun in Through the Tall Trees II,or the sharp, golden rays in Double Crosses, Paquette renders in oil, the light and landscape with a stunning blend of Impressionism and Early American Realism. Paquette's paintings can be found in various public and private collections, including The Federal Reserve Bank Building here in Minneapolis. A selection of the new paintings are available for viewing on our website, under "Thomas Paquette" in our Gallery Artist section. This web page also contains a link to Paquette's personal website In our annex gallery,

Jil Evans will exhibit her colored pencil and pencil drawings, as well as her oil paintings, all based on research she had conducted, at the Met in New York City, on the late Baroque painter - Giavanni Battista Tiepolo. Doing her research over aperiod of 18 months, Ms. Evans work examines Tiepolo's uses of line, space and color.

Drawing inspiration from the Baroque Master, she has gone on to add her own sense of abstraction in her new body of work. In the series, Tiepolo's Cloud, she has chosen a cloud, a repeated motif in several of Tiepolo's ceiling paintings, and has added her own sense of light, space and color; while still painting with Tiepolo's sensibilities.

The Friday, May 26 opening runs from 6 - 9 pm in conjunction with the opening reception for Barry Newman's Nocturnal Drawings at The Kellie Rae Theiss Gallery, third floor of the Wyman Building.

Thomas Paquette and Jil Evans will be in attendance at the reception.

Flanders Contemporary Art is located at 400 First Avenue North, first floor, in the Wyman Building. Gallery hours are Tuesday - Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm and by appointment.