July Exhibit at the Geary Gallery in Darien, CT

DARIEN, Conn. - June 25, 2014 - PRLog -- This July, the Geary Gallery of Darien proudly presents “The Beauty of En Plein Air” featuring the fine oil paintings of North Carolina painter, Jon Houglum. His exhibit runs July 1 – 31 at the Geary Gallery located at 576 Boston Post Road in Darien.

Featured Artist, July:

Jon Houglum

Fine artist Jon Houglum of Franklin, North Carolina is known for his plein air landscape oils, but he’s also highly sought after for his portraiture.

“Painting landscapes is my passion,” Houglum says, “but my special gift as an artist is the ability to render a portrait that captures the spirit of a person in a realistic painting style.”

Jon Houglum graduated from Moorhead State University in Moorhead, Minnesota with a B.S. Degree in Art Education. He also studied four years privately under Antonius Raemaechers, a Dutch Master in Martinsville, Indiana. His fine art education also included two years of portraits and figures study at the John Herron Art Institute, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Houglum’s professional expertise in the composition and use of brilliant colors reflects the syle of the Old Masters in his plein air oil paintings. Some of his favorite subjects includes paintings of landscapes with people, landscapes with wildlife, and landscapes with old barns and old structures. His waterscape paintings include a variety of scenes in North Carolina, including waterfalls, rivers, lakes, beaches and low country scenes.

Some of Houglum’s favorite locations to paint are Florida and the Western North Carolina mountains. While camping with his grandchildren on Ocracoke Island in North Carolina during spring break, Houglum took the opportunity to paint low country scenes on location.

The cow pastures, goat pastures and chicken pens seen throughout the mountains of Western North Carolina are some of his favorite subjects to paint.

His passion for painting and ability to capture the spectacular beauty of the scenery with oils on canvas shows in his renderings of these scenes.

“My goal in painting is to communicate the beauty of creation through the elements and principals of fine oil painting. Painting in the traditions of the Old Masters is a never ending quest for me and I thoroughly enjoy the thrills and the interesting people I meet along the way.”

John Houglum’s works are included in many private and public collections, including John Collette Fine Art Gallery in Highlands, North Carolina. He has also been commissioned by many Civil War re-enactors and Alafia River Rendezvous members for portrait paintings.

To view Jon Houglum’s work, visit our online gallery:  http://www.gearygallery.com/?artists=jon-houglum

His exhibit runs July 1 – 31 and his paintings are available for acquisition. All are welcome, and admission is free.

Geary Gallery is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and is located at 576 Boston Post Road, Darien, CT 06820. For more information, call (203) 655-6633 or visit www.gearygallery.com.