Ilona Royce Smithkin, painting legend

One of the most recognized figures in Provincetown and the West Village in NYC is Ilona Royce Smithkin. Her orange hair and matching (handmade) orange eyelashes (2 inches long) and bright flowing outfits make her hard to miss.

Last season the gallery held a really remarkable exhibit of some of her paintings from the 1960s when she was at the Art Students League. Most of these were canvases that had not been seen in over 40 years, and differed greatly from the work she's most known for....impressionistic landscapes, portraits and still lifes. These older paintings were more realistic, a bit darker, moodier. Two of my favorite pieces are:

This season, we will continue to show Ilona's work. We will have more of her older pieces, and a series of drawings she did of nude males. Beautiful stuff. If you are on the Cape this season, drop by.

At 90, Ilona is still painting every day, traveling and teaching all over the US, and going to all the Friday night openings in Ptown during the summer season. I had dinner with her last week and she ate not just her food, but half of mine. All energy!

Here's a link to the catalog we produced for her show last year, "Ilona Royce Smithkin: The Sixties, New York City and Provincetown"