Bethlehem Town Hall Rotunda Gallery exhibits artists with an eye for realism

As a child sitting in her yard with an easel she received as a birthday gift, Albina Herron remembers the only thing she wanted to paint — horses. 

She said she always had a “thing” for horses, plants, small insects and other wildlife.

“Writers are told to write what they know, so I paint what I know,” Herron said.

Throughout February and March, her realist paintings were displayed in the Bethlehem Town Hall Rotunda Gallery’s “4 Realist Painters” exhibition. The gallery also featured the work of James DePietro, Jack Dickerson and Keith Vogrin. 

The exhibition is one of eight hosted annually in the rotunda by the Bethlehem Fine Arts Commission. 

Herron said the natural world always inspired her. She said her uncle, Issac, who was also a realist artist, showed her his drawings when she was a child. 

“He used to look at my work like he was my peer, like I wasn’t a little kid,” Herron said. “He said if you are willing to work hard, you can be an artist.” 

She said she never considered creating anything other than realist work. 

Her process begins with a reference photo, which she uses so she doesn’t have to worry about blurry vision or fruit rotting before she completes a piece. She mostly works with watercolor and gouache, a paint similar to watercolor but more opaque and matte. 

One of Herron’s pieces on display, “Radishes That Would Be Beets,” is a gouache painting on black cotton paper. She created it during a self-directed effort to master painting botanicals on black paper.

To compose the reference photo, she sent her husband to the store for beets, but he returned with radishes instead.  

“What the hell am I supposed to do with this?” she said. 

The finished piece portrays a glass bowl filled with radishes and green leaves. 

Displayed nearby is Vogrin’s oil painting, “Reading Terminal Market.” 

All of Vogrin’s pieces in the exhibition depict locations around the Lehigh Valley, including Darktown, a historic residential area in Whitehall, South Fifth Street in Bethlehem’s South Side and the Northampton Depot train station. 

Vogrin has painted different locations through his travels from Bethlehem to the Poconos to North Carolina.

While raising his family in Minneapolis, he stepped away from painting. He said he returned to it naturally once his youngest child began college. 

“You have to let it come out naturally, don’t listen to what anybody else has to say,” Vogrin said. 

He said he’s always had a passion for realist paintings. 

Vogrin said his favorite pieces on display are “E. Morton St.” and “Reading Terminal Market.”

Dickerson’s portfolio includes photorealism, which aims to create a painting that resembles photographs, as well as contemporary works reflecting global issues. Only his realist pieces are featured in the exhibition. 

“(Dickerson’s) work almost edged to the surreal with his application of paint,” DePietro said. “It’s almost a hyperrealism, where the colors are more intense than one would expect.”

DePietro, a member of the Bethlehem Fine Arts Commission, helped select the artists for the exhibition. 

He said he aimed to showcase a range within the realist genre, noting that each artist approaches different subjects and themes. 

“When people view the work, it’s representational, figurative art, and yet, the objects (and) the sources could be a nature study or human form or still life or landscape,” DePietro said. “So the viewer is leaving with different subject matters, and hopefully looking at the expertise of these artists to convey the real world in their own personal style.”

Unlike the others, DePietro’s work emphasizes thematic messaging. 

“When I do my artwork, I see myself as a visual storyteller,” DePietro said. “I also want to make sure that my paintings have a contemporary message on socio-political themes.” 

He takes a “series approach” to his work, with each series focusing on a different issue. One piece on display, “(30) Borderline: Pity the Child,” comments on immigration. 

“(Immigration) is a global problem to many,” DePietro said. “(The painting helps viewers) see the more human side of it. That’s why it’s called ‘Pity the Child.’” 

Another, “Supply and Demand,” depicts a vending machine and critiques consumerism and the impulse to satisfy personal desires. 

Art has long been part of his life, asking to take art classes for his 13th birthday. DePietro pursued art after receiving praise for his drawings in school. He later attended Kutztown University and became an art teacher. 

All four artists participated in an open forum reception, where they discussed their work and answered audience questions. 

The next exhibition will feature student work from the Bethlehem Area School District, showcasing artists from elementary through high school.