The paintings of Rita Baragona are on display in “Cadences” at The Romano Gallery at Blair Academy now through April 23, giving the community a chance to observe and study works that have been inspired by the rhythms of nature.

An artist’s reception will be held at The Romano Gallery on April 7 at 7 p.m. All are welcome to hear her discuss her work.

Baragona paints her natural subjects as they change—giving attention over time to flowers as they bloom or wilt or the ceaseless turbulence of waves. She describes her paintings as being filled with luminous light and rhythmic marks that “express the energetic pulses that inform matter’s outward appearance.”

Drawings of individual flowers, were created during COVID lockdown, are presented as meditations, unfolding slowly so that time expands. “My process is a perceptual dance between me and what I look at,” the artist says. “I feel calmed by looking outward. Being conscious of change heightens my awareness of an inner timeless beauty hidden beneath appearance.”

A beloved veteran fine arts instructor at Blair Academy, Baragona taught painting, drawing and AP portfolio courses at the School for 24 years in addition to serving as The Romano Gallery’s curator and assistant director.

Devoting herself to expanding the quality and breadth of the art department during her time at Blair, she propelled the program to be competitive with fine arts programs across the country. She has exhibited in one-person shows at the Bowery Gallery in New York City, with her next exhibit in December 2022, as well as in single and group shows throughout the United States, most recently at the Gamut Gallery in Pennsylvania. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, she earned her BFA in 1967 and completed graduate work at New York University and the New York Studio School of Painting, Drawing and Sculpture in 1971.