Bradley W. Shoemaker’s paintings of Central Pennsylvania depict scenes reminiscent of the artist’s childhood and familiar to many of his viewers.  Painting on location, Shoemaker documents structures and landscapes which are disappearing as the land is developed for new uses. Shoemaker is a watercolorist, but his technique is closer to that traditionally associated with oil painting.  He first builds layers of transparent washes before applying glazes.  According to Shoemaker, “This slow build-up of color enhances the luminosity of the watercolor paper and results in an extraordinary warmth and richness of color.” Shoemaker studied art at Penn State University receiving his master’s degree in 979 after a sojourn teaching art in a high school program in Beaver Springs, Pennsylvania.  Preferring to paint rather than teach, he augmented his earlier experiences in studio art which included a summer arts program with Pennsylvania landscape painter David Armstrong and private lessons with former Susquehanna art professor Hilda Karniol.  He currently works in his studio in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, where he continues to interpret the local terrain. The exhibition will contain 50 works on paper depicting various scenes from the Susquehanna Valley as well as a few from other locations including Martha’s Vineyard.  The composition and technique of these paintings share many elements with works of the 20th-century American Realist painters.  With these works, the viewer is able to gain a broader understanding of these artistic traditions and also to chare the artist’s interpretation of scenes which have a personal meaning for him.   Valerie Livingston   Porch Light. Bradley W. Shoemaker. Watercolor on paper. 1990. 21 x 28.5" Collection of Catherine Bernabeo.