Kent Library's Artist of the Month Blog
Meet the artist of the month, with our art director Amanda Lynne.
Thursday, October 31, 2024
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
October Artist of the Month
Art At The Kent Library
Sponsored by The Friends of Kent Librarywith Arts on the LakeExhibit: Autumn in the Hudson Valley Show Dates: October 1st-31st
Susannah Leighton
Japanese Maple, October
Saturday, August 31, 2024
September Artist of the Month
Art At The Kent Library
Sponsored by The Friends of Kent Librarywith Arts on the LakeExhibit: A Little Bit of This...A Little Bit of That! August 31st-September 28th
Patricia DiIorio
I make art because I need to- Art is Life is Art for me!
I'm drawn to different techniques and materials so I don't contain my creative curiosity and art adventures to just one approach, genre or medium.
The theme "A Little Bit of This...A Little Bit of That" reflects my artistic journey and eclectic approach. I invite my audience to experience each artwork with no preconceived notion that the piece has some sort of "meaning" but that instead "it is what it is" to each person who views it.
My work encompasses a variety of processes and mediums such as painting, printmaking, steel sculpture, mixed media, textiles, ceramics, weaving, driftwood, natural elements, recycling and upcycling.
Each medium presents its own challenges as I work to express ideas and create unified compositions through the elements of art and principles of design, including color, shape, form, line, value, texture and movement, among others
Through constant experimentation, I've come to understand that each piece I crate helps me to see that art is not about following a single path, but about embracing the multitude of directions that creativity can take me.
Email: pdartanddesign@gmail.com
Phone: (914) 980-5887
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
August Artist of the Month
Art At The Kent Library
Sponsored by The Friends of Kent Librarywith Arts on the LakeAugust 1st-August 31st
Eliot Scher
Eliot Scher is a fine art photographer from Carmel, New York. He retired from a thirty seven year teaching career to find joy behind the lens of a camera. Eliot’s images are digitally processed, Giclee prints museum matted and framed and also printed on metal.
Though he is, more often than not, a landscape photographer, you will also see him creating compelling sports images, children’s photography, portrait photography of all kinds and photographs of model railroads. His work has been published in quite a few magazines and has been put into book print form.
Eliot believes that art is the story of life in visual form, be it an image, a sculpture, a song, a poem, or any type of creative expression. Without art, life would be dull and without a very special kind of joy. He believes that every image in your home should be something you want to look at every day. Otherwise, Eliot says, it’s just a space on your wall.
We’re all here for some purpose. If we can make our lives more vibrant and meaningful through art, we’re on the right road.
New England Canopy
$295
20"x30" printed on metal using a Chromaluxe dye sublimation process
Fire Island Shoes
$295
20"x30" printed on metal using a Chromaluxe dye sublimation process
Taos Trees
$365
28"x36" printed on metal using a Chromaluxe dye sublimation process
Friday, June 28, 2024
July Artist of the Month
Art At The Kent Library
Sponsored by The Friends of Kent Librarywith Arts on the Lakei love the way you love: June 29th-July 31st
Steph Gonzalez
Steph Gonzalez is an Illustrator and Designer based in New Rochelle, NY. They earned their BFA in Digital and New Media from Pace University and is interested in using interdisciplinary approaches to increase access to art and education. Steph is a Board Member of the New Rochelle Art Association and, in addition to freelancing and exhibiting in local shows, is working to obtain their MA in Art Education from Lehman College.
“For my graduate thesis exhibition, I created a series of illustrations on Adobe Illustrator inspired by the quiet and personal work of Felix Gonzalez-Torres. What I’m exhibiting here, at the Kent Public Library, are the original sketchbook drawings that my digital work is based on. “Untitled” (i love the way you love) is a celebration of the queer people in my life who I hold dear to my heart. Like Gonzalez-Torres, I sought to explore and express my queer experience while allowing room for the audience to insert themselves and create their own personal connections with the work.
I, along with the subjects of these portraits, recognize the stories behind each image, but the lack of context is meant to encourage the construction of new narratives. Each moment was first captured in a photograph. I used that photo as reference for a colored pencil sketch that then became the basis for the final drawing in Adobe Illustrator. Instead of working directly from the photograph I decided to draw on paper first so I could take the time to fully reflect on who and what I was rendering. Through that love I hold for each person, this collective of moments ultimately became a self-portrait.”
Instagram: @yummyknife
Website: StephGonzalez.art
I still think you're very talented
Let me hold your bag so you can eat
I'm grateful to be here with you
Monday, June 3, 2024
June Artist of the Month
Art At The Kent Library
Sponsored by The Friends of Kent Librarywith Arts on the LakeStill Blooming: June 1st-27th
Luisa Baptista
Since I can remember picking up a pencil and crayon I have always been innately passionate about art. My earliest memories are of happily drawing, coloring freely and seeing the world through imaginative, creative lenses. My young soul was happiest when I was freely creative.
Despite my natural gravitation toward art, my expression of it seemed to ebb and flow throughout several stages of my life. There were periods where I placed it all on hold, due to my inexperienced struggles and pressures to meet external and traditional expectations, ignoring what my soul was needing and subconsciously yearning for. Of course, as experience has taught me, creative instincts can not be suppressed for long and, consequently, my artistic desire to create and express would re-emerge and blossom during my periods of health crises and extreme stress. After my last life-altering health scare, with immeasurable support from loved ones, I began to listen and tune into my innate creative instincts and finally took a chance on myself and my art. Once I did, my world seemed to open up in ways that I could not have believed: some lifelong dreams were realized, awesome opportunities and experiences became possible and tangible and new artistic outlets opened up that I had never considered before.
Long before I became cognizant of it, my visual art was always an extension of myself and what I needed to release. What began as subconscious doodling with pen and paper has developed into expressions of my passion for visual movement and energy, patterns and the arrangement between positive and negative spaces. Whether I'm working with vivid color combinations or high contrasts of black and white, my line work explores fluidity and motion. Creating linear tension and balance by diverging and synchronizing shapes and spaces provides both a heightened focus and meditative state for me. My art is not only inspired by, but celebrates my love for the beauty of natural lines, shapes, light, shadows and harmony found in the human body and nature and its elements (i.e.: bodies of water, fire, air, plant life).
Instagram: @luisaartanddesign
Website: LuisaArtandDesign.com
Family (of 5) Nest framed Giclee print
Floral Mandala 2 framed Giclee print
Flow Like Water framed Giclee print
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
May Artist of the Month
Art At The Kent Library
Sponsored by The Friends of Kent Librarywith Arts on the LakeLand- Real and Imagined Exhibition Dates: May 2nd-30th
Joann Zwolski
Joann received her BFA from Pratt Institute, and MA from the College of New Rochelle. She have exhibited her artwork in several solo and group shows throughout the tri-state area and the state of Delaware. Joann has taught art for over thirty-five years to students from kindergarten to high school and has been teaching adults drawing for many years in a variety of places. She has been a trustee, including the chairman, with Putnam Arts Council and is currently a trustee with the Peekskill Arts Alliance Board. This show is her visual interpretation of nature, particularly landscapes, through acrylic painting.
"Line, color and texture are the essential art elements in my work. My line is a quick mark that captures and records nature. My palette consists of brilliant hues encompassing a wide spectrum. I love all colors, but my favorite color is red. Red energizes, motivates and inspires me. Red symbolizes joy. Texture is achieved by layers of paint. The paint is applied using both traditional and nontraditional methods. For example, the potato masher is one of my nontraditional tools that I use when I paint."
Instagram: @jzwolski14
Email: jzwolski14@gmail.com
Landscape with Red
16"x 20" acrylic
$300
Three Trees
16"x 20" acrylic
$300
The Golden Field
16"x 20" acrylic
$300
Monday, April 1, 2024
April Artist of the Month
April Artist of the Month
Art At The Kent Library
Sponsored by The Friends of Kent Librarywith Arts on the LakeNature's Dreamscapes Exhibition Dates: April 1st-30th
Hillary Korn Fontana
"The balance and intrigue of a project comes to fruition when I can combine multi-layers of materials to create my pieces. Before I start that session, I have already visualized the finished product. But sometimes it grows and evolves in a new direction, like a person with different strengths and personalities. As a hearing-impaired person, I use my artwork to create communication. The silence allows me to focus on how to connect with my audience by using colors, textures, or even words. I want the viewer to feel raw emotion and self-reflection, thus creating their internal conversation."
Hillary Korn Fontana is a mixed-media artist living in Westchester County, New York. Self-taught, Hillary grew up experimenting with all different mediums of visual and digital arts, woodworking, glass, textiles, and silversmithing. Working professionally as a graphic designer for 20+ years in the corporate and non-profit world supported a family and a sense of security. However, creating “hands-on” artwork has allowed her more freedom of expression as an artist and to go beyond her emotional boundaries.
Website: www.HillaryKornFontana.com
Facebook: HILLARYKORNFONTANAART
Instagram: @hkfontana
Email: hillfont@gmail.com
Dreamscape
Mixed Media
$400
Dragonfly Sky
Mixed Media
$900
Cloudy Text
Mixed Media
$500
Thursday, February 29, 2024
March Artist of the Month
March Artist of the Month
Art At The Kent Library
Sponsored by The Friends of Kent Librarywith Arts on the LakeExhibition Dates: March 1st-30th
Patricia L. Stanton
"My main influences are flowers, leaves, nature and patterns that I see in everyday life. I express my inspirations, both abstract and realistically, using paint, paper, collage materials and fabric. This is what drives my art."
Patricia Leinani Stanton is a painter with abstract and realistic influences, originally from Chicago, Il. She attended the School of the Art Institute and took courses in Fashion Design, Printmaking and Photography. She later attended the School of Textile and Surface Design, where she received a certificate in Berkeley, CA. She also received an A.A.S degree of Textile and Surface Design, from the Fashion Institute of Technology, in New York. She currently resides in Yonkers, New York. Pat has also worked in the textile design field having created a line of silicone placemats, for Bed, Bath and Beyond. She is currently an artist member of the Blue Door Art Center, an art gallery in Yonkers NY. She also is a member of the New Rochelle Art Association, where she serves on the membership committee. Pat has won several awards since she began exhibiting her fine artwork.
Instagram: @luckybunny_designs
Email: patricialstanton@yahoo.com
Gold Jacobean
Grey Damask
Medallion
Red Damask
Red Sunburst Finish
Tokyo Rose
Music in the Night Wind
Mon Café
Thursday, February 1, 2024
February Artist of the Month
February Artist of the Month
Art At The Kent Library
Sponsored by The Friends of Kent Librarywith Arts on the LakeExhibition Dates: February, 2/2-2/29
Kat Sayegh
Kat Sayegh is an abstract mixed media and digital artist from New Rochelle, NY. She received her BFA in studio art from the college of New Rochelle, and received her master of professional studies degree in art therapy and creative development from Pratt Institute, and a master of science in sport and exercise psychology from Lock Haven University. Kat is also an art therapist specializing in athletic injuries, physical and medical trauma, injury and illness recovery, and stress and anxiety reduction. She also serves as president of the New Rochelle Art Association.
The driving forces behind her work are the deep emotions that only the subconscious can reach. Within these feelings live the traumas that she has experienced throughout her life as an injured athlete. These memories are released through her work, which ultimately makes art her therapeutic process. Her physical trauma, x-rays, MRI images and the organic shapes of the nervous system serve as the basis of her inspiration.
Websites: katsayegh.com
Instagram: @kat_sayegh_artist
Email: sayeghkat@gmail.com