Peace and elegance in works by Dennis Fritz

Dennis Fritz leads me into his “studio” pausing to pick a speck of dust — invisible to me — off a painting he is in the process of framing in preparation for his show, “The Atmosphere of Landscape,” at Sharon’s Hotchkiss Library, July 1 to Aug. 31.

I put “studio” in quotes, as this resembles no studio I have ever visited. It is more like the most elegant of galleries, with a floor so polished I can almost see a reflection of my own image, an oriental carpet with a deep-buttoned, leather Chesterfield sofa that beckons the visitor to sit and gaze at the breathtaking collection of Fritz’s portraits, drawings, landscapes, paintings of fabulous old cars (a personal passion) that cover the walls. 

Yes, he paints here, he assures me. He indicates his easel and the taboret table he designed himself. On it a “march” of brushes stands, erect as trees, each in its own aperture, while dazzling dots of oil colors parade along the edge of the adjacent glass palette. It is a painting station to be admired — indeed, coveted. 

Fritz is famous for his portraits. And while this is essentially a landscape show, he will also hang some of these. His work has been commissioned by the rich and famous, CEO’s of companies, even a POTUS — George H.W. Bush. Yet he also loves to paint regular folk: family, friends, their children, people like you and me. What startles the viewer is how each painting manages to go beyond likeness, which is amazing, to capture personality. The spirit of the subject radiates from the piece. A similar intuition is present in his landscapes, which exude a spirit of the land. 

It was the move to Millerton that turned his focus from portraits to the countryside. “It is so beautiful here,” he tells me. “I think it is the most beautiful place in the world. I have only to walk down my own road …” He gestures to a painting of a waterfall. The movement of water over rocks is palpable, almost audible. The peace expressed in a painting of cows grazing by a pond will slow your breath. As will the mastery of light Fritz has managed in the painting of an oak tree bathed in the radiance of a rising sun. 

“Perhaps you know that tree?” he queries me. “It’s on Coleman Station Road.”

An opening reception with wine and cheese and a chance to meet and talk to the artist will be held at the Hotchkiss Library, located on The Green in Sharon, from 4 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 1. For more information, call 860-364-5041 or go to www.hotchkisslibrary.org.