The closing reception for an exhibition by Jan Crooker and Kristine Miller-Siple will be held 1- 3 p.m. Sept. 19, Rotunda Gallery, Town Hall, Bethlehem.

While one artist works in acrylics and the other artist paints in oils, both render high-contrast treatment of everyday objects as subjects.

“We feel the show is a stunning example of the painterly process,” says curator James DePietro, praising the artists’ treatment of paint, lighting and shadows.

The Pennsylvania artists are educators. Crooker taught for 20 years at Northampton Community College. She received an MFA from The Pennsylvania State University in 1976. Miller-Siple taught at all levels of school after graduating from Kutztown University in 1974.

“I see myself as a colorist. Whatever I chose to paint, I pick my themes by color opportunities,” says Crooker.

“Spring Coffee” (2020; acrylic on canvas, 24 in. x 24 in.) by Crooker reflects this philosophy with bold use of morning light and shadow. The graceful silver coffee pot and glass bowl vase of cut daffodils are rendered in bright, crisp, contrasting colors.

It’s the last in a series of still life paintings by Crooker. Feeling closed in during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, she switched to painting a series of landscapes, “More Beyond,” which are in an outdoor show in Rehoboth Beach, Del.

To cope with the stress of COVID restrictions, Crooker posted photos of her work daily on Instagram. “I did it to bring a little color into people’s pandemic lives,” she explains.

Balancing her love of teaching with health concerns, Crooker made the difficult decision to retire from the college after one of her NCC students was hospitalized with COVID-19. The Kutztown-based artist now provides part-time art instruction for the Rehoboth Art League.

At Penn State, Crooker majored in ceramics. In seeking more freedom over color choices, she returned to painting.

“I used to work in oil, but feel acrylics are more environmentally sensitive and can do everything oils do, so I switched to only acrylic,” she says. “Another advantage of acrylic is the work can be sealed shortly after finishing.”

Orwigsburg-based Miller-Siple is also a retired teacher. As with her “It’s My Party and I’ll Cry if I Want To” (2019; oil on canvas, 14 in. x 18 in.), Miller-Siple chooses common or whimsical objects from sentimental experiences and renders them in oils. The still life is of a red and yellow party hat and party blower that cast somber shadows.

“When I was younger, my baby-sitter’s boyfriend broke up with her on her 16th birthday,” recalls the artist. “I will never forget how broken-hearted she was and how she played this song over and over and over again.

“I fell in love with the luminescence qualities of oil paint,” explains Miller-Siple. “I have been painting in oils for about 10 years and focus on ready-made objects from all of my collections through the years that have a story to tell. As I paint, I am always reminiscing about the event or story behind the object,” she says.

The artist photographs objects, strategically repositioning them until the desired composition is achieved by balancing the object and the shadow it casts.

On canvas, the visual study is taken one step further by exploring the intricacies of the shadow it casts. The emphasis on the play of light and color in the shadow is a metaphor for looking back in time, according to Miller-Siple.

“These still-life objects take on their own persona standing alone in space,” she says.

The exhibition is sponsored by the Bethlehem Fine Arts Commission and curated by co-chairs James DePietro and Richard Begbie.

Rotunda Gallery, Town Hall, 10 E. Church St., Bethlehem. Gallery hours: 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday - Friday, Closed weekends.