Nocturne Exhibit

ROBERTA BARNES

Halsey, Nebraska

Winter River

Oil on Linen Canvas

I clearly recall coming home from a parent-teacher conference, the full moon casting its light over the Dismal River in winter. It was a scene I had always intended to capture. I made a slow-motion video to express the true chill of that night.

 

Nocturne Exhibit

MARCIA BAUERLE

Imperial, Nebraska

Deep Purple

Acrylic Collage on Cradled Board

I asked my 93-year-old mother for ideas about Nocturne. Her immediate response was, “Deep Purple.” The 1934 classic song has a long history, with recordings from big band orchestras like Jimmy Dorsey and Artie Shaw, to Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, The Osmond’s, The Beach Boys, and 70s rock. Mom’s favorite song provided the thematic soul of the painting, while the visual image took root in the architectural geometry of a Frank Lloyd Wright design on a jig-saw puzzle, with its structured lines, circles and metallic highlights. The broken spaces help define the “mist of a memory” found with dreams.

 

Nocturne Exhibit

WAVA BEST

North Platte, Nebraska

Out of the Night

Porcelain

Out of the night in all of its darkness, a deep blue dances across the sky. The dawn breaks, and a light beams over the land. The mystery of the Universe unfolds—God's hand at work.

 

Nocturne Exhibit

JO BROWN

Lincoln, Nebraska

Evening Light

Mixed Media

“Twilight is the magical time between day and night. There a mystery and a tranquility to it...a special time like none other.”

 

Nocturne Exhibit

PATRICIA COSLOR

Sargent, Nebraska

San Antonio Evening

Watercolor

As the sun changes, the colors are reflected in the San Antonio River.  There is a pause, a quiet in the air.  Restaurant owners are preparing for the evening meals and setting out tables.  There's a feeling of magic as the colors change in the sky and in the water and the sky gently descends into the cloak of darkness.  Soon all along the walkway there will be crowds, music and lively activity.  Right now, in this moment—silence prevails and the sky is lit with color.

 

Nocturne Exhibit

BEN DARLING

Sidney, Nebraska

Prelude to Nocturne 1

Oil on Canvas

Nocturne, generally a piece of music of a contemplative nature, quiet and thoughtful or perhaps dark, as implied by an alternate understanding of “nocturne” of the night. Here, the road to dreamland follows the sun into its escape from the day’s activities.

 

Nocturne Exhibit

DAVID DORSEY

Valentine, Nebraska

Timeless Story

Acrylic

Imagine reading at night years ago with only a candle or lamp to light up the pages of your favorite story. The book featured in this painting, "Black Beauty," belonged to my grandfather, Charles Dorsey. It was his Christmas present in 1913. I imagine he read this book by the light of a candle or the glow of a kerosene lamp. Stories like memories are timeless treasures.

 

Nocturne Exhibit

DEBRA JOY GROESSER

Ralston, Nebraska

Moonlight Walk in the Park

Oil on Linen Panel

My husband and I are fortunate to live next to a wooded park in our town of Ralston. In early spring, during a full moon, the park is magical. The cool light of the moon creates silhouettes of the trees as they start to leaf out. The warmth of the lights along the walking path gives a soft, warm glow to the ground and the path.  A streetlamp softly illuminates part of the large tree on the left in warm light. Walking through the park after dark is a beautiful experience, especially on a moonlit night. Look closely, and you’ll see a figure walking a dog along the path…a scene we see often from our home. My goal with this painting was to capture the solitude, peacefulness, and serenity of this experience.

 

Nocturne Exhibit

 

SUSAN HART

Cozad, Nebraska

Midnight Muse

Mixed Media Collage on Cradled Board

Unable to sleep, I awoke to the quiet wonder of a humble white wooden shed glowing under a lone farmyard light. Its four-window paned door, a quiet portal of mystery, transforming the ordinary into magical. Layered behind it is Chopin’s Nocturne sheet music interwoven with wispy bare branches that fade into darkness. A single blooming primrose at its base offers a tender spark of life and inspiration. This piece captures sleepless wonder that is transformed into quiet beauty and artistic revelation.

 

Nocturne Exhibit

 

KEN HOSMER

North Platte, Nebraska

Nebraska Night

Acrylic on Canvas

That evening, I dozed off in my recliner while watching television. My wife was on Facebook, and the dog rested by the door. With another bill to pay and a backache from the day’s chores, I was feeling down.

However, when I stepped outside with the dog, the cool evening air revitalized me. I looked up in awe at the glowing moon and twinkling stars, each one reminding me of the vastness of the universe. In that moment, I felt grateful to be a small part of something infinitely greater.

 

Nocturne Exhibit

 

BETH JASNOCH

Kearney, Nebraska

Nebraska Night

Acrylic Mixed Media

A quiet night unfolds in layers of shadow and mystery. Textured darkness presses in, yet small embers of light flicker and drift, reflecting like memory across a still, watery surface.

Forms emerge and dissolve. The darkness of night holds its own secrets and tells its own stories for each of us between what is seen and what is felt.