Limelight Exhibit

The Huntsville Art League’s Limelight Artist for March is Hal Cronkhite. Featured works include oils and pencil sketches. Hal is a retired software engineer and began painting when his first career ended in 1999. He has studied with Chuck Long for the last 3 years and has taken classes with Jack Dempsey, Kathryn Vaughn and Marcia Leonard as well.

When he began painting, Hal thought he would concentrate on landscapes but quickly found that he had a strong interest in people and faces. At that point his work took an unexpected turn in that direction. He works from the photographs he takes when he is out and about shopping, traveling, sailing or whatever. Of his portraits he says “I like to catch people when they are unaware that they are being photographed. That’s how you catch them being themselves and, for me that’s the essence of a portrait.”

He continues to do landscapes and is particularly interested in how water identifies itself by distorting the reality of a scene. Most of his landscapes include water. His sketches are mainly the result of wanting to be with his wife in the evening but being often disinterested in her choice of TV programs.

There will a reception Sunday March 11th from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at the HAL Gallery on L&N Drive.