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Kathy Lindsley: Posted on Wednesday, June 20, 2018 11:20 AM
The 17 members of Rochester’s Main Street Artists group will present its biennial exhibit at Patricia O’Keefe Ross Art Gallery in the Joseph S. Skalny Welcome Center, St. John Fisher College, 3690 East Ave. Pittsford. The show runs from June 4 to July 6 with an artists’ reception 6-8 p.m. Friday, June 8. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to noon Friday. It is free and open to the public. The showwill include more than 50 paintings in a variety of styles and media. Paricipants are Diane Bellenger, Linda Cala, Kathleen Dewitt-Hess, Margot Fass, Sue Hegan Henry, Kathy Lindsley, Jacqueline Lippa, Gabriele Lodder, Daniel Mack Sr., Cris Metcalf, Eleanor Milborrow, Andrea Nadel, Christine D. Norris, Jane Patrick, Susan Schiffhauer, Lisa Zaccour, and Suzi Zefting-Kuhn. The Main Street Artists group was founded in January 2010 by Suzi Zefting-Kuhn and now has 17 members who share gallery and work space in the Hungerford Building in downtown Rochester. Studio 458 has become a popular stop during monthly First Friday and Second Saturday events. The St. John Fisher exhibit provides an additional opportunity for people to learn about this dynamic group. “Our members enjoy sharing our art with each other and the public,” says Zefting-Kuhn. “Visitors often comment on the creative atmosphere we have all worked so hard to create and, to me, that is the best compliment.” For more information, visit www.mainstreetartistsgallery.com or call 585-233-5645. |
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Kathy Lindsley: Posted on Monday, July 18, 2016 3:29 PM
Main
Street Artists Present ‘Favorite Things’ at St. John Fisher Month-Long
exhibit features work by 18 area painters
The
Main Street Artists group will present an exhibit at Patricia O’Keefe Ross Art Gallery in the Joseph S. Skalny Welcome
Center, St. John Fisher College, 3690 East Ave. Pittsford. The show runs from Aug. 1 to Sept. 1 with an artists’ reception 6-8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12. Gallery hours are 9
a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is free and open to the public. The show, with the theme “Favorite Things,” will include more than 50 paintings in a variety of styles and media. A
special feature is the unveiling of an
oil painting by Margot Fass that represents all members of the group. Fass has
worked on this piece for more than a year, beginning with a collage of pieces
from paintings by MSA members. The Main Street Artists group was
founded in January 2010 by Suzi Zefting-Kuhn and now has 18 members who share gallery
and work space in the Hungerford
Building in downtown Rochester. Studio 458 has become a popular stop during
monthly First Friday and Second Saturday events. The St. John Fisher exhibit provides
a new opportunity for the public to learn about the dynamic group. “Our members enjoy the experience
of sharing our art with each other and the public,” says Zefting-Kuhn.
“Visitors often comment on the creative atmosphere we have all worked so hard to
create and, to me, that is the best compliment.” The St. John Fisher exhibit will
feature 50 paintings, largely new work, in oil, watercolor, acrylic, pastel,
mixed media, colored pencil and fiber. A wide variety of subjects are covered. For more information, visit www.mainstreetartistsgallery.com or call
585-233-5645. ##
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Sue Hegan Henry: Posted on Sunday, May 29, 2016 2:19 PM
Abstract thinking
For three
days in May, MSA Studio 458 was filled with energy, focus, color and risk-taking.
Six MSA members joined another 12 artists and all were fully engaged in
learning how to create abstract art as guided by Debora Stewart during this workshop
sponsored by the Pastel Society of Western New York.
Debora Stewart is a signature member of the Pastel
Society of America, a member of the Master's Circle of the International
Association of Pastel Societies and the author of a Northlight book titled Abstract Art Painting: Expressions in Mixed
Media. She teaches workshops in abstraction throughout the U.S. and
her work is available through galleries in Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, Iowa
and Illinois.
The
artists at the workshop were friendly, interesting and ready to learn. And, it
was especially nice to be with my MSA colleagues Gabby Lodder, Diane Bellenger,
Linda Cala, Jackie Lippa and Margot Fass –
they were all fun and supportive.
Materials
and approaches that Debora introduced us to opened up many new possibilities
for our creation of abstract art. I particularly loved the freedom I
experienced on Day 1. To begin, Deborah guided us in a warm-up activity. We
needed a piece of compressed charcoal and large newsprint. She stated a word
and we made lines and marks on our paper.
I worked
over the whole page and very much enjoyed the large movements I made with my
arm to create the various marks. I surprised myself with my strong
response to "anger." I really felt the anger that had been sitting
inside of me because of injury and weakness of a dear elderly friend because I
think questionable medical practices contributed to her condition.
After
releasing these feelings on the paper I was free to take delight in a much
lighter word that woke up memories of a recent beautiful RPO concert. This
activity truly was a warm-up and an opening up to the activities that were to
follow. I have since made a "bag of words" for myself to use as a
warm-up often when I work.
Another process I really liked was to use a
viewfinder to locate abstract images in a black and white picture. I borrowed
one of Debora’s that was from a photo of a cliff in Maine. What a delightful
challenge to hunt for the lines, shapes, textures and directions that make up
an abstract image! I made at least five or six small images and then a larger
one that I think is quite strong. Then Debora modeled choosing a range of
values from a pair of complementary colors to use in an image. I made a small,
colorful abstract and then one that is 8-by-8 inches. There was a lot to
explore with orange and blue and different shades and values from these
families.
I want to continue exploring an abstract approach to art using the processes
and materials Debora introduced. I think within the next year that the walls of
MSA and the PSWNY art shows will have some vibrant and colorful abstract art
work on display. It was a very successful workshop!
-- Sue Henry Deborah Stewart doing a portrait demo
MSA members and workshop participants, Diane Bellenger and Gabriele Lodder
Abstract by Sue Henry |
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Kathy Lindsley: Posted on Sunday, May 29, 2016 2:15 PM
You can visit the studio and members during the
First Friday (6-9 p.m. June 3) and Second Saturday (10 a.m.-3 p.m. June 11)
open studio events. You can also stop in at other times – members are at work
almost every day! Call 585-233-5645 to make sure someone is “home.”
Meanwhile, please check out our website
(www.mainstreetartistsgallery.com) and be sure to LIKE us on Facebook!
NEWS:
Mark your
calendars: Main Street Artists will have an exhibition
Aug. 1-Sept. 1 at the beautiful Patricia O’Keefe Ross Art Gallery
in the Joseph S. Skalny Welcome Center, St. John Fisher College. We’ll have
more information in an upcoming newsletter.
here. |
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Kathy Lindsley: Posted on Saturday, April 30, 2016 9:13 AM
Beyond the surface
Most of us are resistant to change. In fact, we may
dread it, even fear it. And yet we know that change is constant, a fact of
life.
And then there’s this oft-quoted definition of
insanity: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
So I try to embrace change, or at least I try to be
open to new ideas. And my painting has always been an exploration, a search for
something that I don’t expect to find. The journey always brings discoveries,
and that for me, is what it’s all about.
This line of thinking inspired me to take a one-day
workshop on abstract painting with noted Rochester artist Brian O’Neill (www.brianoneillstudio.com). The experience included many firsts for me: using acrylic paints, working
standing up at an easel, painting directly (without preliminary drawings and
thumbnail sketches) and developing an abstract composition. All new, and more
than a little intimidating – but truly exhilarating.
In fact, I enjoyed the class so much I took it
again a month later. I’m not giving up my long-time love affair with
representational painting in watercolor, but I’m hoping the two processes will
cross-pollinate and lead me in a new direction.
So far, I think my most successful abstract
paintings are what I call “dreamscapes.” Some are based on “real” landscapes,
but others just sort of take shape in my head. The hardest part for me is
following an intuitive vision and not falling back into strictly representational
interpretations.
Of course, any artistic representation, even the
most realistic work – even photography – is abstract. A picture of a tree is
not a tree. As my longtime painting teacher often said, “Only God can make a
tree.” I have tremendous admiration for artists with the skill and patience to
render a photo-realistic image, but artists – and I include photographers – are
striving to do more than depict reality. We’re trying to
create. That’s the challenge.
-- Kathy Lindsley |
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