Lakeville Journal: Fantastic Colors, a Hot Opening, a New Gallery
Judith Linscott
If you wanted to buy a work from Lakeville artist Alan McCord’s show at the Norfolk Library, you had to have been an early bird at the artist’s reception last Sunday. Little red dots littered the space, which included new paintings as well as some lovely prints. McCord’s painting, which includes acrylic, oil and watercolor, is all about color: great swaths of hot pink, orange, purple or turquoise. Typically his fields (or waterways) reach up to a narrow strip of trees at the horizon, topped by a grand sky. In "Autumn," (oil on canvas), a stunning work that greets the viewer on entering, a deep turquoise field meets a narrow strip of an orange-tinged tree line, which merges to a fabulous purple sky. In "The Front," (oil on canvas) a yellow sea fades to a thin purple horizon below a yellow sky. These fantastic colors brings traditional landscape subjects into a new place; these oddly conservative arrangements jolt the viewer into looking anew.

Along with the more expected pieces from McCord are some lovely works on paper, including "Bethesda Fountain," which displays the artist’s looser, lovely brushwork. His charming prints and drawings are black-and-white, filled with the intricate detail of water and snow on trees or an orchard in full bloom.Many examples of the artist’s sketchbook are on display, lending yet another glimpse of his various styles. Interesting to see that "an Alan McCord" may not always look like "an Alan McCord." This is a terrific show. Through Sept. 4 at the Norfolk Library on the Green. Hours are daily library hours. Tel.: 860-542-5075.