Art exhibit by Vincent DiBernardo opens July 6 with reception

Main Street Arts, 35 Main St. in Saxtons River, presents Pencil Me In, a selection of graphite drawings by Vincent DiBernardo.

The exhibit opens on Saturday, July 6, with an artist’s reception from 3 to 5 p.m. and runs through Sunday, Sept. 1. Light refreshments will be provided by the artist’s daughter, who creates Smokin’ Bowls at her site on Route 103.

DiBernardo began to draw in the early 1980s, after graduating from The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and starting his own practice, for enjoyment and relaxation but discovered that he had some talent for it. He took a few basic drawing lessons from an artist friend and client, started a picture of a local sugarhouse and liked his progress. But then life and career happened. DiBernardo did not pick up a pencil to draw for more than 30 years, but he finally finished that sugarhouse.

Graphite is a black medium, and DiBernardo is skilled at creating depth and drama with just a white surface and pencils. His drawings feature familiar scenes in the Rockingham area: some were created en plein air, whereas others were inspired by old photographs of antique buildings, trains, covered bridges and life in southern Vermont. Viewers will be tempted to name the local rivers, meadows, buildings and bridges featured in his artwork.