Rae
Pastel on paper, 25 x 20.5 inches. c. 1958

“The French call it ‘painting with pastel’, but pastels are neither strictly painting or drawing. It is well known that Ben was a great painter as well as a master draughtsman, but his pastels combine the two like nothing else,” says David Leopold, Director of the Solowey Studio. “Ben began to sketch with pastels in the 1920s and continued with the medium for the rest of his life. In the more than thirty works in this exhibition, there are pastels from virtually every part of his career: from his earliest attempts, remarkably his first Theatre Portrait, interiors and still lifes in New York, and landscapes among a wide range of works from Bucks County, including his last formal portrait of his wife, Rae.” This new exhibition, PAINTING WITHOUT A BRUSH: Pastels by Ben Solowey will open to the public on Saturday, May 30 at the Solowey Studio in Ottsville, PA with a reception from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and remain open on Sunday at the same hours. The exhibit will continue Wednesdays through Sundays, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., through June 14.

Early Spring
Pastel on paper, 16 x 18 inches.

“Although Ben exhibited his pastels regularly, and won awards from them as early as 1926, there has never been an exhibition devoted his pastels,” explains Leopold. “For Ben, I think he could produce colorful works similar to oils, but without the turpentines, brushes, and rags, or waiting for the work to dry. Of course, that is great when working outdoors, but he returned to pastels regularly in the studio as well, so pastels were important to the artist. I think visitors will be surprised by the range of styles and subject matters of Ben Solowey’s pastels.”

The artwork in PAINTING WITHOUT A BRUSH: Pastels by Ben Solowey will be primarily on view in the Solowey Studio’s “Second Studio”. In the Solowey Main Studio will be a selection of paintings, drawings, and sculpture from all parts of his career, as well as additional pastels, displayed in the studio that where many of the works were created. “There is nothing like the thrill of seeing these masterpieces in Solowey’s spacious studio,” says Leopold, “which maintains the atmosphere of the artist at work.”

Nude with Hats
Pastel and charcoal on paper, 27 x 20 inches

“In honor of our opening on May 30, we will continue our tradition of serving homemade refreshments in the Solowey home,” announces Leopold. “The two-hundred-fifty-year-old farmhouse was restored by Ben and is filled with museum quality furniture handcrafted by him. This will be the only time we open the house this year, so this truly is a special event.”

The Studio of Ben Solowey is located at 3551 Olde Bedminster Road in Ottsville, Pennsylvania. For more information on PAINTING WITHOUT A BRUSH: Pastels by Ben Solowey or directions, contact The Studio of Ben Solowey at 215-795-0228, or visit www.solowey.com for more stories on the art in the exhibition.