Experience perspectives from two men with parallel visions, who capture the haunting beauty of everyday life through different mediums. This November, the Peninsula Gallery is exhibiting works of the late photographer, Richard Calvo, and dry-brush watercolorist, Howard Eberle, in a partner show titled “Kindred Spirits.” 

 

    “Working at the gallery, I have come to appreciate Howard and Richard’s work individually. But seeing their pieces together reveals a common thread that I hadn’t noticed before. Both artists have a talent for creating an ethereal stillness and palpable atmosphere,” says Molly Honey King, custom framer and assistant exhibition coordinator. 

 

    Richard Calvo (1944 - 2019) was a New York City born-and-bred photographer who created his distinctive photographs for more than 50 years. Primarily concerned with city and landscapes, his works have been compared to those of Robert Frost and Andrew Wyeth as having a deceptively simple style that becomes a vehicle for a more complex and demanding sense of reality. The New York Times described his photography as "romantic… almost abstract in its concentration on shape, tone, and texture,” noting that his best works “stretch the boundaries of visual perception beyond the straightforward.”

 

    The works featured in “Kindred Spirits” were printed by Richard before his passing in 2019. His widow Lori manages his remaining works, only exhibiting photos that were printed by Richard during his lifetime. Lori continues to champion Richard’s legacy, keeping his spirit alive through his artworks.

 

    Howard Eberle is a self-taught artist and has been painting in transparent watercolor since 1973. He started painting professionally in 1990 after a career in retail display. He describes his style as “abstract realism.” Eberle’s process begins by finding interest in what others often overlook — the texture of peeled paint on an old, dry-docked boat, a dramatic shadow created by the hinge of a shutter. He eliminates details to get to the essence of the subject matter, incorporates strong shadows, and often juxtaposes a finely detailed subject on an abstract background. Howard describes himself as a portrait painter of objects, being drawn to simple, weathered subjects ravaged by time.   

​

    In preparation for the exhibit, Eberle consulted with Calvo’s wife Lori and was able to compare some of Calvo’s work with the type and style of painting that has become Eberle’s hallmark. It immediately became apparent that both artists were drawn to similar subject material, and as such had that ‘kindred spirit’. Eberle only paints directly from his own photographs.