Enjoy the works of Gloria Burkin at the West Tisbury library

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Artwork by Gloria Burkin

Don’t miss your last chance to view painter Gloria Burkin’s work at the West Tisbury library, on display for the remainder of the month. Ms. Burkin is a landscape artist living on Martha’s Vineyard who draws inspiration from the natural and sensual beauty of the Island. Check out some of her oil paintings, many of which capture the changing light and the patterns it produces on the water, which she often accomplishes by using oil paint, both thin and thick, over a golden underpainting.

According to a press release, Ms. Burkin enjoys painting the changing seasons, as the delicate spring palette deepens into the lush greens and yellows of summer, and then ripens into the earthy reds of fall. During the quiet season she returns to the Museum of Fine Arts to study painting.

In preparation for her painting, Ms. Burkin roams the Island looking for places to paint, and snapping photos for inspiration. She works on several paintings at a time, and moves from one to the other in order to keep working as the light changes. Ms. Burkin enjoys working in oils because they are very forgiving and take a long time to dry, and she’ll often go back to a painting and add layers and depth.

She loves to paint the waves as they crest and break near shore, and the way the light bounces off the water and the rocks on the beach. The early-morning light is a particularly inspiring time for her to paint, along with the golden late-afternoon light in the summer.

Ms. Burkin’s goal is to continue painting and exploring the Island for many years, and to continue to capture the natural beauty of the land and the sea, as well as the luminous quality that comes from the reflection of being surrounded by water.

Ms. Burkin’s work is on display at the West Tisbury library through April. This exhibit is free and open to the public.