Spring is here, bringing with it longer days and warmer evenings and a few blissful weeks to enjoy dining al fresco. My fondest childhood memories recall large family gatherings on my grandmother’s back porch where we shared meals and enjoyed the rare days when the perfect temperature made spending time outdoors a must. Our meals were never fancy but they were beautiful in their simplicity. I remember how much I loved the act of selecting my plate from a stack of old, new, chipped, worn, vibrant, and faded china.

Today I continue to find inspiration in outdoor dining.  My travels have introduced me to ceramics and pottery in Spain, Italy and France where I find that dining al fresco is an artform.  Plates stacked in the center of the table when the meal is over provide a visual focal point that shows up in my work in the form of color, composition, pattern and layering.

I’ve curated Garden Party to celebrate the visual experience of gathering outdoors . . . from paintings of tablescapes to different approaches of painting florals. My selections for the show honor not just the preparation for setting the table but the layered and textured empty plates and leftovers that leave behind traces of a rewarding gathering. The work celebrates the fresh vibrancy of spring with color, layered textures and surfaces and subtle shifts in light and hue.

~ Teresa Roche