The current exhibit at the Bruton Memorial Library in historic downtown Plant City is a collection of paintings that were started by Margaret Riedel and finished by artist C. Dillon.
Riedel was an educator who moved to Hillsborough County in 1960.
Riedel’s artwork is mostly done in the style of Paris-based painters of the Impressionist movement which began in the 1860s. According to the Artist Statement left by Dillon, “Impressionism is considered the first modern movement in art history. The modern qualities of the style are most apparent in the use of visible brush strokes.”
Dillon added, “In my beginning years as a child artist, I loved the Impressionists and revered their artistic freedom and felt challenged to charge ahead on their shoulders and find my own style. When I was still a teenager, I asked Margaret what to do when I got stuck and she said, ‘Paint the Masters!'”
Riedel passed away in 2017. Her family asked Dillon to finish her work. “The family asked me if I was interested in finishing her work, and I humbly accepted. Though my own style has developed to be less Impressionistic, finishing Margaret’s paintings was a refreshing reminder of the incredible skill it takes to simplify images into brush strokes,” said Dillon.
“I admit that I am not by any stretch of the imagination as skilled a painter as she. I went through her stacks of images and found what seemed to be her inspiration for each unfinished work. Lastly, I did a portrait of young Margaret as a tribute to her young joyful spirit and the constant smile upon her face,” added Dillon.
You can view this wonderful exhibit at any time during the library’s normal operating hours. The exhibit will be up through December. The Bruton Memorial Library is located at 302 McLendon St. in Plant City.
If you are an artist and would like to have an exhibit featuring your artwork at the library, please stop at the front desk and request an application. You can also visit www.plantcitygov.com/544/library.
