Local artist wraps up successful exhibit

Dennis White stands with his newest piece of art, inspired by “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane. He unveiled it at a closing reception at the Gibson Gallery last Sunday.

An Amherstburg artist had his work on exhibit at the Gibson Gallery for three weeks and reports it went well.

“Melancholy Tunes,” a collection of works by Dennis White, was on exhibit from Aug. 18-Sept. 7 with a closing reception last Sunday at the gallery with large numbers of people flowing through. 

“Things are going great, really well,” said White. 

There were approximately 43 paintings on display with the works based on song lyrics. It was similar to a garden party exhibit White held at his home last year, with many of the paintings during “Melancholy Tunes” being created over the past year.

“I’ve sort of adapted that style,” he said. “It’s something people identify with.”

Not only people from his own age group enjoyed the show, but other generations could relate to the work as well.

“Even a lot of younger people identified it as their parents’ music, but they like it,” he said. “Every picture tells a story.”

Much of the work was done since February 2024. He noted he has a contract with his son Dylan to paint murals at Pet Valu, that work needed time to dry so he would work at his paintings. He put in eight hours per day and created the new paintings.

White said he would attend the Gibson Gallery during the exhibit with about 40-50 people estimated to come through. There were good crowds on weekdays, he reported.

More than 100 people attended the closing reception of Melancholy Tunes on Sunday.

“It’s been really good,” he said. “People I haven’t heard from texted me and said they liked it.”

White unveiled his latest painting at the exhibit, “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane. The next work he plans will be Pink Floyd themed.

“They all have feelings in them,” he said. “Feelings or memories.”

White said he was overwhelmed with the crowd that turned out for the closing reception. He said when he began as an artist, he was nervous about putting his work out there as he wasn’t sure it was good enough. When he did, he received support and continues to do so until this day.

Exhibiting his work is something White would like to continue to do.

“I’d like to exhibit in different galleries,” he said. “I’ll probably pursue that.”

Gibson Gallery vice president Trudy Dempsey said White is someone she admires, not just for his artwork but as a person as well. She noted big things are coming up for the Gibson Gallery, such as the building’s 130^th anniversary and the makeover of the caboose.

The new exhibit at the Gibson Gallery is “From the Depths of My Soul” by artist Stephen Romanow. According to the gallery’s website: “Stephen’s work crosses many genres, styles, and media. Some works convey a message, while others are merely whimsical, or appreciative of beauty or a bizarre sense of aesthetics.” 

The exhibit runs until Sept. 28 with the reception being Sept. 21 from 1-3 p.m.

The Gibson Gallery is located at 140 Richmond St. Their hours are Thursday-Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, visit www.gibsonartgallery.com or call 519-736-2826.

Local artist wraps up successful exhibit

By Ron Giofu