“GUIDING LIGHT”: This work by Alla Podolsky is featured in a joint show of new paintings with Laura Rutherford Renner at Bell’s Tavern in Lambertville through August 31.

Artists Laura Rutherford Renner and Alla Podolsky share the spotlight at Bell’s Tavern in Lambertville with a show of new paintings on view through August 31.

The work of Renner, from Collingswood, has been described as “bold, brave, and a true voice.”

Renner said, “Capturing contemporary life snapshots in two dimensions is an exercise in problem solving and creativity. I enjoy mixing pure colors, keeping my palette simple to create authentic observation. The quiet engagement of brush to palette and brush to board provides daily calm and purpose.”

Philadelphia artist Podolsky said, “I am a narrative painter, essentially, a storyteller. I paint what I wish to keep forever. People I loved and lost, experiences that stayed with me, events that I want to revisit again and again — my work is a way of saving them as they were, as I experienced them. I aim to use color and light as powerful triggers for memories and recognition. I want people to connect to my paintings emotionally, to link what they see to their own experiences. I view my work as both intensely personal and largely universal.”

A native of Kyiv, Ukraine, Podolsky traces her love of psychological painting to that ancient city’s iconography and rich narrative traditions.

Bell’s Tavern is at 183 North Union Street in Lambertville. It is open daily from 5 to 9 p.m.