• About the MGA
  • Current Exhibit
  • Classes and Retreats
  • Call to Artists
  • Display Guidelines
  • Contact Us
The Monastery Gallery of Art | West Hartford, CT
  • About the MGA
  • Current Exhibit
  • Classes and Retreats
  • Call to Artists
  • Display Guidelines
  • Contact Us
The Monastery Gallery of Art | West Hartford, CT

Virtual Gallery

Landscapes: Over Land and Sea

The Monastery Gallery of Art is pleased to welcome two local artists showing their works of art virtually. The theme for this exhibit is Landscapes. You will notice similarities between the artists execution of their work and also great differences. Cathy Doocy’s work tends to be more abstract…providing the idea of a landscape. Deborah Leonard on the other hand tends to paint more realistic scenes. As you look at these see how far into the scene your eyes can see, notice the clouds, the flowers or trees. Pay attention to the detail or lack there of…ask yourself if you would know the place or the scene if you came upon it. They provide great explanations of what drew them to a particular scene. Each of these artists are skilled in how they work and focus on different things, yet the end result is a scene for us to enjoy.
​
Cathy Doocy: “In my work, the representation of a "landscape" is not the final goal. Instead, I use the
vernacular of landscape painting as a method for exploring composition and color.
My work is about painting not landscape; about illusion not representation; about drawing not twigs and
branches.”


Deborah Leonard: “My love of nature, through observation and academic study has a strong influence on
my painting. I find enjoyment, interest, and beauty in my surroundings. In the more traditional pieces,
atmospheric conditions and varied brush strokes are used to express the subject matter. I often prefer to
emphasize the simple elegance of a single tree or a forgotten barn. My work captures the light and mood of
the soft meadows or misty ocean for a particular day, turning my canvas into a diary.”


To navigate through the exhibit, just continue to scroll down on this page. 

Willy Nilly
by Cathy Doocy
Oil on canvas, 36” x 30” - $2400
​

Artist Statement: Color. A color can be the starting of a painting. Perhaps a blue sky that I saw en-route to my studio.

Mossy Riverbank
by Deborah Leonard
16" x 20” - $800.

Artist Statement: I love spending time down by the river or in it. It has inspired me to create countless paintings of it!

On the Move
by Cathy Doocy
Oil on canvas - 12” x 12” - $400

Artist Statement: On the Move. Titles. Even if a finished work suggests a place to me, I am careful to keep titles non-specific. The viewer may see a totally different place.

Outta Here
by Deborah Leonard
24" x 36” - $1100

Artist Statement: I love the ocean! I saw this huge storm coming in a boat was racing to get back to the harbor! I know I had to paint it!

Brio
by Cathy Doocy
Oil on paper, matted and framed - 6” x 12” - $400

Artist Statement: 
Brio. Place. If I stay somewhere long enough, the imagery of the local landscape will start to appear in paint. In this painting, I recognize the hillsides of the village in Bulgaria where I stayed for 6 weeks.

Apple Blossom Time
by ​Deborah Leonard
30" x 40”- $1400

Artist Statement: Spring and apple blossom time is my absolute favorite time of year! The scene was painted from my imagination-I’d love to take a walk through these trees!

July
by Cathy Doocy
Oil on canvas - 48”H x 30”W - $2800

Artist Statement: Clouds. Constantly 
moving, changing, endless variety. Clouds have been a source of inspiration since I first started painting
landscapes.

To the Sea
by Deborah Leonard
11x14” - $450

​Artist Statement: I loved seeing this little pathway that takes you to the openness of the ocean!


Breathless
by Cathy Doocy
Oil on paper, mounted on board and coated with encaustic medium 5” x 5” - $125

Artist Statement: Small. I prefer large, flat brushes ( 2 to 3 inches wide) even when painting very small works. Big places captured in small spaces with just a few dabs of paint.

​Golden Days
by Deborah Leonard
24x18” - $995

Artist Statement: 
One of my favorite times of day is late afternoon. The golden light shimmering through the leaves make such wonderful patterns!

Summer Breeze
by Cathy Doocy
Oil on canvas - 36”H x 60”W - $3000

Artist Statement: Summer Breeze. Large. A large canvas gives me a chance to play with big sweeping brushstrokes. Up close they are just smears of color but stand back and fields and sky appear.

Sunlight On the Water
by Deborah Leonard
24x24” - $900

Artist Statement: Streams are a wonderful 
place to visit any time of year. They are a delight for the senses. Sit quietly on the bank for a few moments and any worries will float away!

One Fine Day Reprise
by Cathy Doocy
Oil on canvas - 30”H x 48”W - $2800

Artist Statement: Anywhere and nowhere. I create my landscapes in my studio not on site nor from photographs. Bits of remembered colors, shapes, and lines emerge to suggest a season, weather, time and place.

Meadow Music
by Deborah Leonard
16x20” - $800

Artist Statement: Watching the tall grasses sway in my favorite meadow is a delight for me.

Passing Shower
by Cathy Doocy
Oil on canvas - 30”H x 48”W - $2800

Artist Statement: Wind and weather. These are elements that I am drawn to and use to add movement to a painting.

Sunset-Moonrise
by Deborah Leonard
40x30” - $1500

Artist Statement: I was out walking at the perfect time! The sun was setting shedding golden light on the trees and a full moon was rising in a magically colored sky! I knew I had to paint it!

Zephyr
by Cathy Doocy
Oil on canvas - Size: 48”H x 30”W - $2800

Artist Statement: Less is more. I like to paint with thin washes of oil paint. I wipe sections off with a rag to create clouds. I leave drips and blank canvas.

By the Stream
by Deborah Leonard
16x40” - $1000

Artist Statement: Sitting by stream or brook is a wonderfully meditative experience-so much life passes by, such unity in a matter of minutes!

Gone For a Walk
by Cathy Doocy
Oil on canvas - 36”x 60” - $3000

Artist Statement: Gone for a Walk & the next work Between the Lines. Composition. A panorama view can seemingly extend the horizon beyond the boundaries of the canvas. No horizon line and the viewer is drawn in and surrounded.

Between the Lines
by Cathy Doocy
Oil on paper, matted and framed - 6 x 12” - $400


 Farm Stand
by Deborah Leonard 
20x20” - $700

Artist Statement: This quintessential farm scene depicts New England so well.

History of our space

The Monastery Gallery of Art is located on the historic grounds of Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center. The MGA occupies a space on the B floor adjacent to the Public Chapel and that was once used as a dining room by the Passionist Community.

We are open daily, during Holy Family business hours, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
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The Monastery Gallery of ART

303 Tunxis rd.
West Hartford, CT 06107
860.760.9766