Carole Dakake art exhibit on display at SCCC Art Gallery

NEWTON — Carole Dakake will be showing a series of oil portraits at the Sussex County Community College Gallery Sept. 6 through Oct. 7. An opening reception will be held on Friday, Sept. 9 from 6-8 p.m. The show, "Faces, Forms, and Figures: A Retrospective," is a visual adventure of brushwork and color through which the viewer can share the creative process. Dakake (pronounced day-cake) is committed to capturing the individual spirit of every subject and conveying the passion and history etched in the human face. While she admires the beauty of places and objects, for Dakake, it is people who make the greatest impression. The appreciation and awareness of each person's individuality came early in Dakake's life and was encouraged by her father's enthusiasm for observation. "The large green milk box outside my father's grocery store was the seat in my first art class," said Dakake. "I watched people's faces passing by. We sat together, my father and I, and I listened to his comments and watched his gestures with love and wonderment." The artist draws on this nurturing background in her paintings as she combines power, energy, and delicacy of touch to capture the individual spirit of every subject. Carole Dakake is an adjunct professor of fine arts at SCCC. She is a graduate of Rutgers University and Kean University with degrees in Art History and Education.