The sun came out yesterday afternoon, just in time for the annual members show at the
Putnam Arts Council. Below is the wall where my piece was hung. I chose to exhibit "Portrait of the Viewer with Found Objects," the experimental (and not really typical of my style) piece I made last year as part of my exploration of conceptual art. I still think it's a fun piece because just about everything on it was truly found - actually picked up off the street. I also like the way the entire thing is gray, until you stand in front of it and it reflects whatever you're wearing, making the viewer part of the art. You can see a better shot of the piece by clicking
here.
The show was really impressive this year. There were many drawings and paintings, but also photography and collage. Below is one of my favorites, "Textures of the Sea" by Beverly Wallace. Of course, I love those shades of blue and green, as well as the textures she achieved with the various lace and other fibers she included in the piece.
Below is another colorful collage: "Birds of a Feather" by
Susan Zoon. I'm not really wild about the skull motif (I think it's overused and morbid) but I like the repetition here, and the variety of materials.
This is "Moonscape" by Erica Chambers. It's not a great photograph, but this collage looks like it was made up of pictures cut from magazines. I like the variety and how they combine together to make a sort of surreal landscape. It's a good example of why I like collage - how an artist can take so many varied images and combine them into something cohesive and new. It gives the viewer a new way of looking at things, as well as a kind of puzzle to figure out.
This artist, Margaret Zeitlin, has a style that is very recognizable. I see her work there every year. This one is called "Joie de Vivre" and when you look closely, you can see the magazine pages she cuts up and glues down in these patterns. This must've taken hours to cut and glue!
Below is "Witness" by
Jean Tock. Sometimes I don't get the symbolism in some of these assemblages, but I think I understand this simple one. The small bowl below is filled with bullet shells. The juxtaposition of found objects in her pieces is always intriguing and environmental issues seem to be a recurring theme.
Here was an interesting addition - a mask painted on a large, hollow piece of what looked like driftwood. This is by Wendy Isler-Alvarez.
The batik below is by
Heliodoro Santa Coloma. He lives right here in Mahopac and creates these amazingly beautiful works of art. I've never tried batik - I find the whole process complex and mystifying, but I love the results. Isn't this gorgeous?
I really liked the abstract simplicity and various shades of purple in the piece below. It's called "Morning - Hudson" and it's by K.A. McNally.
I like the texture that Cindy Katz achieved with pastels in her piece below titled "Autumn in the Great Swamp." It seems to shimmer, doesn't it?
And below is a watercolor by my good friend Clair Moritz-Magnesio. She donated this piece to the library as a parting gift (she now works in the high school library). It shows one of our favorite programs in action, ARF, which stands for "Animal Reading Friends." Therapy dogs come in every two weeks and elementary age children can sign up to read with one for 15 minutes. It's a great way to get reluctant readers excited about reading. Clair has a degree in fine arts as well as one in library science. She'd make a great picture book illustrator!
Now onto some photography. I completely fell in love with the piece below, titled "Sweeping Shadows" by
Rebecca Tocci. I love the lighting, the texture of the stairs in the background, the reflections in the ceiling, and the whole mood of the piece. I think it's stunning.
And finally, below is a photo by my good friend
Tabby Marshall, titled "Fog on Lake Gleneida." It's interesting that it's a photo of fog, but you can't really see the fog - everything in the background just fades to white. But the absence of background really accentuates the foreground where you can see amazing textural detail in the dried grasses and weeds. Beautiful!
It's a great show and if you live anywhere in the area, don't miss it! It'll be up for the month of March, Tuesdays thru Saturdays, noon to 4 pm.
The sun came out yesterday afternoon, just in time for the annual members show at the Putnam Arts Council. Below is the wall where my piece was hung. I chose to exhibit "Portrait of the Viewer with Found Objects," the experimental (and not really typical of my style) piece I made last year as part of my exploration of conceptual art. I still think it's a fun piece because just about everything on it was truly found - actually picked up off the street. I also like the way the entire thing is gray, until you stand in front of it and it reflects whatever you're wearing, making the viewer part of the art. You can see a better shot of the piece by clicking here.
The show was really impressive this year. There were many drawings and paintings, but also photography and collage. Below is one of my favorites, "Textures of the Sea" by Beverly Wallace. Of course, I love those shades of blue and green, as well as the textures she achieved with the various lace and other fibers she included in the piece.
Below is another colorful collage: "Birds of a Feather" by Susan Zoon. I'm not really wild about the skull motif (I think it's overused and morbid) but I like the repetition here, and the variety of materials.
This is "Moonscape" by Erica Chambers. It's not a great photograph, but this collage looks like it was made up of pictures cut from magazines. I like the variety and how they combine together to make a sort of surreal landscape. It's a good example of why I like collage - how an artist can take so many varied images and combine them into something cohesive and new. It gives the viewer a new way of looking at things, as well as a kind of puzzle to figure out.
This artist, Margaret Zeitlin, has a style that is very recognizable. I see her work there every year. This one is called "Joie de Vivre" and when you look closely, you can see the magazine pages she cuts up and glues down in these patterns. This must've taken hours to cut and glue!
Below is "Witness" by Jean Tock. Sometimes I don't get the symbolism in some of these assemblages, but I think I understand this simple one. The small bowl below is filled with bullet shells. The juxtaposition of found objects in her pieces is always intriguing and environmental issues seem to be a recurring theme.
Here was an interesting addition - a mask painted on a large, hollow piece of what looked like driftwood. This is by Wendy Isler-Alvarez.
The batik below is by Heliodoro Santa Coloma. He lives right here in Mahopac and creates these amazingly beautiful works of art. I've never tried batik - I find the whole process complex and mystifying, but I love the results. Isn't this gorgeous?
I really liked the abstract simplicity and various shades of purple in the piece below. It's called "Morning - Hudson" and it's by K.A. McNally.
I like the texture that Cindy Katz achieved with pastels in her piece below titled "Autumn in the Great Swamp." It seems to shimmer, doesn't it?
And below is a watercolor by my good friend Clair Moritz-Magnesio. She donated this piece to the library as a parting gift (she now works in the high school library). It shows one of our favorite programs in action, ARF, which stands for "Animal Reading Friends." Therapy dogs come in every two weeks and elementary age children can sign up to read with one for 15 minutes. It's a great way to get reluctant readers excited about reading. Clair has a degree in fine arts as well as one in library science. She'd make a great picture book illustrator!
Now onto some photography. I completely fell in love with the piece below, titled "Sweeping Shadows" by Rebecca Tocci. I love the lighting, the texture of the stairs in the background, the reflections in the ceiling, and the whole mood of the piece. I think it's stunning.
And finally, below is a photo by my good friend Tabby Marshall, titled "Fog on Lake Gleneida." It's interesting that it's a photo of fog, but you can't really see the fog - everything in the background just fades to white. But the absence of background really accentuates the foreground where you can see amazing textural detail in the dried grasses and weeds. Beautiful!
It's a great show and if you live anywhere in the area, don't miss it! It'll be up for the month of March, Tuesdays thru Saturdays, noon to 4 pm.
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