"Transformations" Exhibit

“Transformations” Exhibit at the Deblois Gallery
Exhibit Dates: May 2 - 31, 2026
Opening Reception Saturday May 2, 5:00 – 7:00 PM
Gallery Night Thursday May 14, 5:00 – 7:00 PM
Pop-Up Event IK ECO Jewelry of Iona Klais on Saturday, May 16, 1:00 - 5:00 PM

Our May exhibit features the work of painters Barbara Alpert and Ewa Rose, as well as clay sculptor Jillian Barber and pen and ink artist Manjula Padmanabhan. These four artists transform subject, form, color, and idea into the realm of inspiration and even magic in their creative works.

Painter Barbara Alpert says that since childhood, making art has been her lifetime companion. In fact, for most of her life, she has seen the world through the lens of the possibility of art. The power of art helps her to comprehend what she sees and process the wider world around her. When she’s at lectures, she draws; on trips, she draws; when she’s talking to people, she draws; taking in landscapes, she draws. Ultimately, in her studio she tries to encapsulate sensations in the raw richness of pigment.

Jillian Barber is a ceramic sculptor and mask maker who lives in Jamestown, RI. Her work is inspired by nature, myth, magic, and memory, and she says that each face she casts inspires her. “I learned an appreciation of nature from my father. I often decorate masks with flowers, leaves and vines, pea pods, birds, and dragons, and the fanciful texture of lace. Simple faces become masks of royalty, the gods, nature spirits, and the fairy realm. Jardinieres hold stems of flowers or branches. And the creatures of my imagination are born and grow with intuitive direction. The transformation of clay to the finished form is the
mythological journey of creation.”

Manjula Padmanabhan is an artist, illustrator and author. “As an illustrator and cartoonist, I used to do a lot of black and white line drawings. My recent artworks are a return to that earlier style of small, detailed drawings with just a few touches of colour. They start off realistic then evolve into surreal shapes and combinations.”

An explorer of the bounds of consciousness, cosmic origins, and the wonders of the earth, Ewa Rose creates paintings inspired by nature and the universe. With unbounded interest and passion, she cultivates her creations in multiple mediums, but through every creation, her heart and soul remain focused on one single purpose: Interconnection. 

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The DeBlois Gallery is located at 134 Aquidneck Avenue in Middletown and is open 1:00 - 5:00 PM Wednesday through Sunday. All welcome; free parking! DeBlois Gallery is actively seeking artists who would like to show their work in 2027. Please see our website for details.