December Artist of the Month: Achmed John Assaff

Art At The Kent Library

Sponsored by The Friends of the Kent Library 

with Arts on the Lake

Exhibition Dates: December 1st to December 31st

Achmed John Assaff

IN TUNE - A selected collection of street photography

A native New Yorker, Achmed John Assaff was born in 1941 on 104th Street and Lexington Avenue. John grew up near Central Park and knew all its majestic views, paths, and ponds like the back of his hand. The park was a place he considered home and would become the connective tissue of a body of work he photographed in his late 20's, setting in motion a life-long love of photography.

 

For a five year period between 1968-1973, John socialized with like-minded photographers and other regulars around Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, an active meeting place where he spent most weekends and his days off as an Aircraft Mechanic at Pan American Airways. It was an exciting time and John was seldom seen without his Pentax camera. Relishing the spontaneous opportunities the day would bring, his vibrant portraits of musicians, activists, and park goers were a consistent source of inspiration for him. The city was changing and culture was on full display as current events unfolded along Fifth Avenue, including frequent protests against the Vietnam War and women’s rights demonstrations.

 

Self-taught, John’s hobby developed to have a documentary-style flair. His keen observation, composition, and use of natural light captured social issues on display in and around the park. Now, more than fifty years later, the subjects he photographed still resonate. In retrospect, John photographed a time-capsule of many intimate and powerful moments in New York City’s ever evolving history.

"Bethesda-Fountain"

Matted Photo $75

Framed $200

"Bethesda-Guitarist"

Matted Photo $75

Framed $200

"Woman Unite"

Matted Photo $75

Framed $200

November Artist of the Month: Liz Crimi Olsson

    Art At The Kent Library

Sponsored by The Friends of the Kent Library 

with Arts on the Lake

Exhibition Dates: November 1st to November 30th

Liz Crimi Olsson

Having grown up around art and artists, I have become a very visual person. Sometimes I think I see what others may not see. Very often I may be taking a walk or driving my car and my eye is caught by something beautiful. Something that I think will make a beautiful photograph or painting or sculpture.

I come from a family of artists and sculptors, both professional and non-professional. As a child my mother took me to the many art museums in New York City and I fell in love with the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I always participated in special art projects in elementary school. I spent childhood summers in our little cottage in Lake Carmel where I sketched and painted the wildflowers, made outfits for my paper dolls, and taught myself needlework. I majored in art in high school and participated in several art projects. I majored in art in college where I studied sketching, life drawing, design, sculpture, and art history. The creative genes in me always found a way to surface…either by painting stage sets for community theater, needlework, making my own clothing, assorted crafts, baking, cooking, gardening, painting and wallpapering my home, directing the repainting of a Westchester railroad station, and as an active member of a town beautification committee. In my more recent years I have visited Italy and Sicily many times to revel in the art of the masters.  However, I never really learned how to “paint”.

I have always been attracted to the beauty of watercolor. I never had the confidence to take a watercolor painting class until I met an artist in a gallery who encouraged me to take the plunge. So I enrolled in classes at the Putnam Arts Council in Mahopac, NY, the Westchester Community College Center for the Arts at the White Plains County Center, the Bronx Botanical Gardens, HRCE (Hudson River Community Education) in Dobbs Ferry, and  the Railyard Arts Workshop in Croton Falls, NY. I have participated in many art workshops in watercolor, acrylics, calligraphy, and drawing at several public libraries.

I am a member of the Putnam Arts Council in Mahopac, NY and Arts-on-the-Lake in Lake Carmel, NY. I have participated in local group art shows and have sold some of my watercolor paintings.

I have fallen in love with the meditative aspect of painting which allows me to focus on my art and put all worries aside! I choose to see and paint beauty in difficult times…

"Day's End"

Watercolor

$200

"Rockport, Massachusetts"

Watercolor

$200

"Venezia"

Watercolor

$200

Artist Statement | Liz Crimi OHarrison

I love color. So I study and paint in watercolor.  I choose peaceful references and, most recently, from photos that I have taken over the years. Many have personal meaning.  I choose to see beauty in challenging times and share it with the viewer.

October Artist of the Month: Richard Harrison

       Art At The Kent Library

Sponsored by The Friends of the Kent Library 

with Arts on the Lake

Exhibition Dates: October 1st to October 31st

Richard Harrison

ALICE AT THE LIBRARY

THE CHESHIRE CAT…ALICE AT THE MAD TEA PARTY…

THE MARCH HARE….TWEEDLE DUM AND TWEEDLE DEE. 

All iconic figures written by Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson) 

and illustrated by Sir John Tennial, a political cartoonist.

Alice and the Caterpillar

Alice Meets Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee

Big Alice

Cheshire Cat

Mad Tea Party

Artist Statement | Richard Harrison

I was always impressed by the strong and varied use of line in

Tennial’s work which showed such expressiveness. I began studying

and drawing some Alice in Wonderland illustrations on paper when my

sister Kathy suggested working on fabric instead. She would use a

technique called trapunto which would give the fabric a low relief,

three dimensional effect. This she would use to create wall hangings,

pillows and soft sculptures.

I began experimenting using various media on the fabric — markers,

acrylic paints, etching, photo silk screen, and mixed media. We

eventually brought our work to a crafts gallery in New York City where

they were very successful. When Kathy’s career demanded more

time I coerced my mother Helen, to take over the fabric sewing and

design. She was very hesitant at first but ended up succeeding very

well.

After ten years work with Alice art we decided to move on to the next

phase of each of our lives. Today both Helen and Kathy are no longer

with us and I am dedicating this exhibit to them.

Richard Harrison was an art teacher at George Fischer School for

twenty five years.

  

September Artist of the Month: Phyllis Chadwick

      Art At The Kent Library

Sponsored by The Friends of the Kent Library 

with Arts on the Lake

Exhibition Dates: September 1st to September 30th

Phyllis Chadwick

A play on these words by Stephen Cope from The Wisdom of Yoga… “Insight is revealed as the seed opens its secrets to the mind of the [artist]” hit home for her.

Phyllis continues to see herself as a seed beginning to open and become. She has always had a creative spirit seeking an outlet.

Phyllis Chadwick grew up in Westchester County and moved to Dutchess County about 40 years ago. It was during this part of her life that she was able to explore her creativity on a deeper level.

All her life she had a need to create, starting with crafts and sewing which eventually led her to explore other mediums and finally to return to school to study art.

After earning a Master of Arts in Teaching, it was a seamless shift from teacher assistant to art teacher. She taught a myriad of art classes for about 10 years. During that time, she revived the Art Club where she guided the students in the creation of wall murals throughout the school as well as set painting for the high school musicals. Since retiring from the teaching profession, she plays, experiments and studies art in her own studio at home. Currently you will find her working in watercolor and digital photography.

If not in her studio, she is out and about with her sketchbook, camera or iPhone capturing all things she loves. Phyllis’ aim is to take you on a tour to see and enjoy things you may not have taken the time to notice.

Bucolic Niche

12” x 16”

Digital Photography $250

Days Gone By

12” x 16”

Digital Photography $250

Sit, Breath, Notice.

12” x 16”

Digital Photography $250

Artist Statement | Phyllis Chadwick

I have always had a creative spirit seeking an outlet. All my life I had a need to create.

On my 13th birthday I received my first (polaroid) camera. That was the beginning of a love for the world around me. I was the annoying member of the family always wanting to take photos or prolonging an outing because I had to stop and photograph something. I found objects and nature easier to photograph as they didn’t protest the way my family did.

As time moved on equipment and technology continued to advance and I discovered apps! I began to play with manipulating images. My most difficult decisions happen once the editing process begins, and I have to decide which images to print. I hope you enjoy the show as much as I did while I was creating it.

Contact Info:

Email: Phyllis@pgchadwick.com.                                                              

Website: pgchadwick.com

Instagram @pac_755art     

August Artist of the Month: Joseph R. Cuccinello

     Art At The Kent Library

Sponsored by The Friends of the Kent Library 

with Arts on the Lake

Exhibition Dates: August 1st to August 31st

JOSEPH R. CUCCINELLO

Kent Lakes, NY

"Portland Head Lighthouse"

$250

"Mediterrian Terrace"
$150

"Blk capped chickadee"
$60

Artist Statement | Joseph R. Cuccinello

I remember back in school I was not a very good art student but it was easy credits.  One day at the ripe old age of sixteen a friend of mine gave me an old solid body guitar to learn how to play.  I decided to refinish it, I did so by carving in the portrait of Jimi Hendrix. I never realized this would be the start of my passion for wood carving.

     Over the course of the years my passion for working with wood had me making coffee tables, end tables and bars for people as well as building wooden radio controlled boats, airplanes and building doll houses. One day a friend asked me to refinish a bar for him, also giving me free reign to do what I want.  I did the refinishing and carved a country scene on the bar top and sealed it in. So began my love for relief wood carving, the rest is history. 

Deciding to further my quest in the arts I started to test my hand in acrylic painting.  Thanks to the encouragement and help from my artist friends I have been creating paintings that highlight air, land and sea subjects. 

My work mainly depicts Americana Folk Art in all it’s wonderful elegance.

July Artist of the Month : Chris Casaburi

    Art At The Kent Library

Sponsored by The Friends of the Kent Library 

with Arts on the Lake

Exhibition Dates: July 1st to July 31st

Chris Casaburi

Biography 

 Dec. 2022 marks 20 years Mr. Casaburi has lived in Lake Carmel. Born in NYC moved to Long Island where he was exposed to photography and filmmaking by his father (who shot Super-8 film of kid’s sports and family events). After college Chris worked as a mechanical engineer at Con Edison in NYC.  After a year and a half, he quit his job to chase his dream of becoming a photographer.

10 years later Chris’ portraits graced the covers of Forbes, BusinessWeek and many other magazines. He’s photographed Beyonce, Michael Bloomberg, Daymond John and other notables. Eventually Chris starts making short films, and soon after offered video services. His films have won Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Music. Last year 2021 WINNER of Hometown Media Award (with local PR guru Lisa Kaslyn) for “Hospitality Heroes” video series for the Putnam County Business Council.

"Masks. Jason Samuel, Actor"

"Brian Williams, NBC Studios"

"Sybil Ludington Statue, Carmel, NY"

$125

Artist Statement | Chris Casaburi

Creating photographs magnifies life and lets me bring joy to myself (hopefully to clients + audiences as well). I love color and light, and the drama of black & white.

People and nature inspire me. I couldn’t live without them.

The environmental prints were captured using Hipstamatic app on my iPhone.  After 25+ years of photography and 15+ working in video… using digital cameras, drones, microphones, iPhones… telling stories is more rewarding than ever. ❤️

Chris Casaburi
917-771-8027
www.casaburi.com
www.executivephotovideo.com

June Artist of the Month: Charlotte Tramontana

   Art At The Kent Library

Sponsored by The Friends of the Kent Library 

with Arts on the Lake

Exhibition Dates: June 1st to June 30th

Charlotte Tramontana

Biography 

 

Charlotte Tramontana (b. 1990, they/them) is a speculative fiction novelist who likes to doodle what they’re writing about. This exhibit is a showcase of their artwork since 2020 revolving around the Undine Isles series they have been writing and developing since 2008. An earlier exhibit of their work took place at the Kent Public Library in December 2019, after which “Guided Doodles” became a regular program here, and continued online during quarantine for over a year.

Charlotte has worked at the Kent Public Library since 2016, and was program coordinator from 2018-2022. Though they work full time in Poughkeepsie these days, they still frequently visit and occasionally pitch in at KPL because this is where their people are. Charlotte holds a BA in Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies from SUNY New Paltz. In 2021, they also began work on a separate project with fellow KPL staff member Theresa Paras, a fantasy series for middle grade readers, and they are very excited and hopeful to share stories and doodles of another world with the KPL community in the future.

The Coffin of Angela Yates

2020

Septima in Little Italy (detail)

2022

Young Alisha

2021-2022

Artist Statement | Charlotte Tramontana

I have wanted to be a writer of stories since before I could actually write anything, so the things I draw are people and objects that appear in my two writing projects, the older of which is the Undine Isles series (the world of the gay mermaids).

I accidentally started writing what would become The Undine Isles at the age of 17 and have not been able to walk away from it since (despite repeated attempts to walk away because I am acutely aware that the whole concept is completely bonkers). But as a lesbian, I grew up used to the way that any character who was like me would eventually get punished for it, often with deadly force. All who participate in global pop culture still live under the effects of a historic precedent called the Hays Code, a rule of the motion picture business dating back to the 1930s that calls for all fictional universes to punish their queer-coded characters so that real-life LGBTQ people wouldn’t start getting ideas.

When I wrote the first lines of what would become The Undine Isles in October 2008—the inciting incident in which my disoriented protagonist washes up on the tropical shores of Locust Island, only to learn that she’s a mythological creature now—I didn’t know that I was doing anything more than telling my teenage self a story, as I had done a thousand times before as far back as I can remember. I definitely didn’t know that I was attempting something for which I had never even seen a blueprint. I just did it to feel good.

I draw for much the same reason: because it is a source of joy to physically see some trace of the places and people that exist only in my imagination. I don’t draw—and will probably never do so—because I think that I am very good at it. I believe wholeheartedly in the Queer Art of Failure, a concept proposed by gender theorist Jack Halberstam in his book by the same name. I believe that performing this Art (because as the great feminist theorist bell hooks stated, queerness is “about the self that is at odds with everything around it and has to invent and create and find a place to speak and to thrive and to live”)—showcasing imperfection while focusing solely upon the joy of it all—is a radical act.

A challenge to everyone who reads this statement: give yourself permission to create or express one thing without falling victim to fears that you’re not good enough, because that’s not what art is about, and it’s not what being alive is about. You can do it. 

May Artist of the Month: Patty DiVito

  Art At The Kent Library

Sponsored by The Friends of the Kent Library with Arts on the Lake

Exhibition Dates: May 1st to May 31st

Patty DiVito

Artist Bio

Patty DiVito is a Hudson Valley native who has been exploring abstract paint pouring techniques for several years. Patty served in the US Army and was based in Europe which gave her the opportunity to be immersed in art and culture and ignited her passion. She returned home where she raised her children while earning a master’s degree in communication disorders. Prior to her recent retirement, Patty worked as a Speech Language Pathologist with school age children with disabilities. She often used painting and crafting as a fun motivational way to provide her students opportunities for communication. Paint pouring has given Patty a unique form of self-expression that gives immense satisfaction and allows her creative side to thrive. With the use of color, paint additives, and pouring techniques, she strives to produce paintings that provide interest, balance, and give a sense of movement.  Patty has a strong connection to nature and is inspired by colors and patterns in the land, sea, and sky.  She has participated in various local art shows. Patty continues to expand her creative endeavors by working with watercolor, alcohol ink, photography, and digital clothing/accessory design. 

Bursting Bloom

12x12 Acrylic on canvas

Wood floating frame

$80.00

Blue Lagoon

14x14 Acrylic on canvas

Oak wood frame

$140.00

Outer Limits

10x10 Acrylic on canvas

Wood floating frame

$70.00

Electric Vibe

11x14 Acrylic on canvas

Wood floating frame

$80.00

Artist Statement: 

There is something about paint moving across a surface that is so alluring and mesmerizing, as there is a certain calmness and stillness within the flow.  The reaction and transformation of the paint as colors are tilted, blown, or dragged across each other to create various effects is both soothing and exciting as pleasant surprise occasionally occur. My artwork is intended to provide interest, induce an emotion or feeling, and perhaps provide a moment to escape or dream. Fluid paint pouring for me has been a journey of exploration that continues to teach deeper lessons such as patience, trust, perseverance, and acceptance, all of which has helped me to learn and grow as an artist.  

April Artist of the Month: Bridget Pavalow

 Art At The Kent Library

Sponsored by The Friends of the Kent Library with Arts on the Lake

Exhibition Dates: April 1st to April 30th

Bridget Pavalow

Artist Statement: Bridget Pavalow is an author-illustrator based in New York. She’s written two comics, “After Life” and “Secretive Quarrel,” her stories focus on self-discovery through magical adventure. As a person — and an artist — she’s never been fully represented in the media and is inspired to share her stories with others who also need to see their full selves in the media. She strives to have tough topics, such as mental health, body image, discovering gender and sexuality, be a focus in her stories and illustrations so they can be embraced with open arms.

Bridget Pavalow

Social Media Marketer and Illustrator

Available for in-house and freelance work.

Instagram | Twitter | Etsy | LinkedIn

BridgetPavalow.com

Fire

Digital

8x10

$400.00

Meditative Witch

Digital

8x10

$400.00

Cozy Halloween

Digital

10x8

$400.00

March Artist of the Month: Mary Ellen Staten

 Art At The Kent Library

Sponsored by The Friends of the Kent Library with Arts on the Lake

Exhibition Dates: March 1st to March 31st

Mary Ellen Staten

Life through a lens, seems to have been a life’s motto for me. Always  trying to capture the essence of life. Line up our lives, compose the shot, focus and fire. Some times you get it and sometimes you don’t. And when you don’t you refocus and shoot again. But you learn to be more patient, more steady, more selective about what we focus on. This passion of photography is a spiritual journey for me and to “ Capture the Spirit “ of that beautiful moment. 

Contact for Web is Instagram: 

MePhotography222

February Artist of the Month - Jeanette Rodriguez

Art At The Kent Library
Sponsored by The Friends of the Kent Library with Arts on the Lake
Exhibition Dates: February 1st to February 28th

Jeanette Rodriguez
Teaching Artist, Alcohol Ink Painter and Jewelry Designer 

Artist Statement

 

I can't say I paint what I see, I paint what I feel. There is a stillness in nature that speaks to me. I believe it speaks to all of us, but the everyday situations of our lives can interfere with that connection. For me making some effort to connect with nature is essential, like walking in a park, watching the sun rise, or seeing reflections on a lake, our colorful planet is inspiring. When I can silence the outer world and inner mind chatter, it allows me to enter into a flow state. I experience a loss of time and a deep connection with myself. Just like listening to music that speaks to my soul, art transforms me into a space of serenity.
Website: jeanetterodriguez.net
Instagram: jralcoholinks

Jeanette Rodriguez has always engaged in art. She's been a teaching artist for over a decade. A graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York City, Rodriguez is an award-winning artist who has exhibited in galleries and whose work hangs on the walls in private collections. She is the Founder of Soul Painting, a workshop that helps students tap into their intuition. She loves creating art and sharing the process of making art with others.
 
Years ago she had the opportunity to teach in Mayer, Arizona, and the Big Island of Hawaii. Upon returning to New York, she began teaching Soul Painting in the Hudson Valley area. Jeanette is fascinated by students who initially believed they were incapable of creating art become painters, jewelry designers, and full-time artists!
 
As an artist, she finds that painting helps her release stress; it has assisted her in healing during rough times in her life. Jeanette admits it's not always easy. She's learned to live in the moment and trust the process. The ever-changing and peaceful energy of nature, from the transformation of luminous fall colors to the silence of winter, is what Jeanette strives to capture in her paintings. She shares her creative teaching style with the same motivation and enthusiasm to help students release stress and help them discover their inner-artistic gifts.

Sea of Light

8 x 11.5

Alcohol Inks on Yupo paper

$250

In Bloom

12 x 12

Alcohol Inks on Yupo paper

$250

Night Meets Day

12 x 12

Alcohol Inks on Yupo paper

$350