Gary Oakley, ‘Purple Passages,’  Oil on Canvas, 60″ x 60″

Two artists from different worlds with very different techniques will meet in an extraordinary artistic union on March 23rd.  Australian artist Danielle Hatherley (now a Boulder resident) and New Mexico artist Gary Oakley will combine their considerable talents in an exhibit hosted by Mirada Fine Art entitled ‘Shadow Shift.’ What makes these two artists a perfect pairing is their mastery at distilling a scene down to its essence. Carefully edited color palettes capture the instance light and shadow meet, shift, are united and merge in gleaming harmony in their contemporary landscapes.   “Danielle and Gary seemed like a perfect pairing to me,” enthused gallery owner Steve Sonnen. “They evoke a similar feel, a tranquil yet vibrant mood that epitomizes our Colorado lifestyle and surroundings.”

That perfect harmonious moment is what inspires (or as the artist herself admits,’obsesses’) Danielle Hatherley to paint. Danielle grew up trying to capture the spectacular light of Sydney’s harbor and beaches. Recreating a scene, however, soon became not enough for this artist. Capturing the play of sunlight and shadow became her passion. Her move to Colorado with its stunning vistas and sunsets reinvigorated her work. Sunsets, backlit forests and luminous abstracted landscapes leap from her radiant canvasses with unrivaled clarity and tone.

Gary Oakley, ‘Drawing,’ Oil on Canvas, 18″ x 18″

The road artist Gary Oakley has taken in his artistic journey has been long and varied, culminating in his current technique. Capturing the rich hues of the Western landscape within his canvases, Oakley employs unexpected pops of metallic paint and texture. A Geology major with a Master’s in Psychology, Gary began to listen to his ‘inner artist’ in the 1990s, initially becoming a photographer, and later turning his attention to painting. He continues to create compositions of a scene in his mind, seeing the world as if through a camera’s lens and zooming in on essential elements.