New Exhibit at Tiverton Town Hall

The Tiverton Arts Council is pleased to present “Purely Pastel,” an exhibition featuring three outstanding Tiverton pastel artists, Gary Farias, Kelly Milukas, and Tina Pacheco.

The exhibition at the Tiverton Town Hall will run from May 4 to June 27, 2008. An opening reception will be held on Sunday, May 4 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm at the Tiverton Town Hall, 343 Highland Road, Tiverton. The Tiverton Town Hall is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.

Pastels are a unique painting medium in that the colors are mixed on paper by overlaying or blending, rather than on a palette. Typical palettes for oil, acrylic and watercolorists can consist of 8 - 12 colors and even less. In the medium of pastels, you have literally hundreds of colors and values. The pigments in the pastel sticks are concentrated and intense, delivering incredibly vibrant colors ...what artist, Kelly Milukas likes to call "tasty!"

Milukas is an award winning artist working in both pastels and watercolors. Her extensive travel experiences throughout New England, Europe, the South Pacific, Asia and the Caribbean, provide her with much of her creative inspiration, which is expressed in her vibrant seascapes and landscapes, rural town scenes, and studies of markets filled with indigenous foods and local color.

Gary Farias is a graduate of the Swain School of Design where he studied painting under David Loeffler Smith, who was a student of Hans Hoffmann. He works primarily in oils and pastels and has won numerous awards for his work. Besides being a painter, Gary also teaches art to children and adults, is a graphic designer, an accomplished musician, songwriter and music teacher and with his wife Sue, restores statues for churches and individuals all over New England.

Tina Pacheco is a retired registered nurse. Her area of practice was community health and as a nurse -counselor for bilingual children in the Fall River School Department. She always liked drawing but was not able to pursue this interest due to professional and family commitments. When she retired she saw the opportunity to be involved in her interest. She began by trying all media, but found her favorites are pastels and oil painting with a palette knife. Her paintings reflect her love for flowers and the many places she has traveled. Her pastels have won several awards and she is a member of several art groups. Her motto is "art as an avocation".

This exhibition is sponsored by the Tiverton Arts Council, a town created committee charged with the duty of enhancing and promoting the arts in Tiverton and educating the public as to the value of the arts in building a community.