It’s late March, and we’re all suffering from light deprivation. Spring arrived a week or so ago but hasn’t been here long enough yet to salve our souls. But the Five Artist Exhibit opening April 8 — with a reception from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. — can help. It promises to be a celebration of the return of light.

"Come and meet the artists in person," invites Carrie-Wissler Thomas, President of the Art Association of Harrisburg. "It’s surprising how many artists travel long distances to attend their opening receptions."

Hailing from Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, New York, and Arkansas, these artists have reputations that precede them.

Chris Osborne, once a partner with Jane Lander as an artist’s agent in New York, currently has a solo show set at the Nexus Gallery in Manhattan, and has exhibited her work at Studio 101, The Jazz Gallery, and Smithtown Arts Council. Her works also are featured in the latest book edition of New Art International.

Acrylics by Osborne illustrate the natural world with gorgeous, clear color and highly finished surfaces. "The glint of natural light on objects provides us with the divine gesture … the pause … or moment in nature when the incidental composition appears, hopefully with a touch of informal elegance," reveals Osborne about her approach.

From Connecticut, Osborne holds a B.A. from Bard College in New York and an M.F.A. in Lithography from the University of Wisconsin/Madison.

Neal Graham has shown his works from Moscow to Phoenix, with a finalist award this year in the Gordon Parks Photo Exhibition, Ft. Smith, Arkansas. His "Invisible Tourist" series of photographs may inspire you to plan an escape of your own. Maine, South Africa, Wyoming, Belize, and California are a few of the places his strong compositions and exquisite black to white tone values will take you. From cities to beaches, Graham says he attempts to give "the illusion of being there with him, feeling the range of emotions from solitude to delight."

Joanne Landis, the sole native Pennsylvanian in the show, considers her work "narrative." Her work has been exhibited in shows entitled "Beneath the Surface," "Body Language," "Transformations," "Wonder Women," and most recently "Figuratively Speaking," a solo show held in San Francisco. She is currently on the faculty of the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York.

This Troxelville native says of her work, "Each painting is an evolution of person, color, place, story … one following the other until the piece arrives balanced in a reality." Her large, figurative, expressionistic oils are strong and solid, colorful and interpretive.

With an extensive list of awards, solo and group exhibitions, juried and invitational shows, John Keech’s work has broad national exposure. He has earned a place in permanent collections including the Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, Louisiana, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pennsylvania, and the Stephens Collection in Little Rock, Arkansas.

"All things leave a trace," believes Keech. "Meaning, metaphor and context are as philosophical as a fingerprint or a spirit." A Professor of Art at Arkansas State University, Keech uses the medium of "Cliche-Verre" to leave the traces of his work, combining elements of printmaking and photography. Hand drawn, light printed transparent paintings are lighted in various formats including X-RAY Illuminators — mixed media lightboxes.

"The images are poetic, mysterious and humorous. The works are about drawing in tongues … like spontaneous combustion," says Keech. "My interpretations are often spiritual, mystical or mythical in nature."

Caroline Jasper holds an M.F.A. from Maryland Institute College of Art and a B.S. in Art Education from Towson University, Baltimore. She currently chairs the Chesapeake High School Art Technology Dept. and sits on the Admissions Advisory Board at Maryland College of Art and Design.

Jasper’s work has a defining quality: red. RED. Bright Cadmium Red. She begins each of her oil paintings with a base coat of this brilliant color. Next she adds the whites and darks, and then an exercise in color theory follows in short, scarcely blended brushstrokes, producing interactive visual effects intensified by the red base.

"Like most living things, I am attracted to light," says Jasper. "Still life offers the benefit of captive lighting control, imparting the moment of illumination that compelled me to stare at a scene" … sparking the dramatic realism of her canvases.

Jasper’s subjects range from object studies to casual scenes, many reflecting her native Maryland’s landscapes and historical heritage. Water, windows, glassware, architecture, boat hulls — anything that catches light. "Light is everything," she confirms.

This enlightening exhibit runs from April 8 to May 11. Hours are: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. Mondays – Thursdays; 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Fridays; 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturdays; Noon – 3 p.m. Sundays. For more information, call 236-1432.