Kew Gardens Arts
Kew Gardens Arts

 "Art in The Show/Meet the Artists"

 

 

 

Amy Handy

 

 

“Beachcombing”   Mixed Media on Canvas  

 

Mixed media art provides the perfect canvas for me to combine my favorite creative processes: collage, painting, and using found objects. I spend a great deal of my time editing books from a home office, so my work life hasn’t changed much during our current challenges, but the inability to venture out at all had me dreaming of peaceful outdoor settings. I chose the framing device to suggest both a framed artwork and the idea of gazing out of a window at a scene far removed from apartment walls.

amyhandy123@gmail.com       @amyfhandy

 

 

 

 

Ana Reza

 

 

 “Beautiful Fragility of Life”  Digital Photograph  

 

It’s easy to say that I have been part of the Kew Gardens neighborhood for 15 years. As an immigrant, I am glad to found here a strong, welcome and sensitive community that always opens its arms to me. I don’t remember when I started to be a photographer but I am sure that here I have found a fountain of inspiration, creativity, fun and friendship. Thank you Kew Gardens for your big heart and for giving our families peace, hope and happiness. @margy29

 

 

 

Andreas Lachanas

 

 

“Serenity”  Photograph 

 

Andreas Lachanas is a New York based artist. He's an avid woodworker and photographer who enjoys collecting driftwood and turning them into “works of art."

 

 

 

Anthony Mavilia

 

 

“Women of Burano” Photo Composite 

 

 

 

“Stillscape: Old Bethpage ” Photocomposite 

 

Anthony Mavilia is Director of the Abingdon Square Painters, a cooperative artist’s studio begun in Greenwich Village in 1947 and now located in Long Island City, NY. He has studied and exhibited in Europe and the United States and organized an Artist Residency in Venice, Italy at the historic Palazzo Ca’Zanardi. 

Anthony Mavilia is a painter, printmaker and photographer. He has most recently focused on creating photo composites; pieces he terms “erasures”. In this process two or more photos are layered, manipulated and “erased through” to create a wholly new image: a “mash-up” (and partial negation) of the realities captured by the camera and visual ideas suggested by these images. In all of these works the passage of time is suggested by texture – erosion, decay and transubstantiation – which in its turn references the human condition: the transience of life as well as the pressure and force of the human presence on all things around us.  Anthony Mavilia’s work can be viewed at https://abingdonsquarepainters.com/portfolio/tony-mavilia/ and anthonymavilia.smugmug.com

Contact him at tonymav2001@gmail.com

 

 

 

Ayumi Tamaki

 

 

“Mountain and Flower”  Watercolor 

 

 

My name is Ayumi and I am from Japan. I have been living in Kew Gardens for 12 years and love my community. The artwork I made is inspired by David Hockney, a British painter, and by Mount Fuji, which is the most famous mountain in Japan. The color and composition give me a feeling of peacefulness. I hope you feel the same way from my artwork. 

 

 

 

Barbara Quattlebaum

 

 

“Peaceful”

 

I lived in Kew Gardens for over 30 years. After a long career as a Registered Nurse, Director of Nursing, Professor and Administrator, thoughts of how to spend my retirement entered my mind. Art was always an interest but it felt out of reach because I didn't have the basic ability; I didn't know how to draw. However, after seeing a flyer advertising art lessons, my sister and I quickly signed up. Little did I know that would change my life. I met Liana Shemper, who is an amazingly talented artist and gifted art teacher. It is through her that I was blessed to not only learn how to draw and paint, but to also realize dreams I never knew I had. 

 

 

 

Carmine Santaniello

 

 

“Antinous”   Lithography  

 

“I am greatly inspired by urban images such as graffiti, street art, decaying paint, marred surfaces and natural urban decay. I see them as intriguing environments that work so well to house my figures and portraits. I love the contrast of the beautiful human form in a somewhat abstract urban setting. The juxtaposition of the two - artistically as well as aesthetically - creates an emotionally charged work of art.”
 carminesantaniello.com   

 

 

 

Carol Lacks

 

 

“Friends for the Journey, Friends for the Road” Photograph

 

The camera is a kind of license that brings with it opportunity. It is the license to enter the neighborhood shoe store, to photograph the owners at work and then to walk around the store photographing the dust and rust on very old Singer sewing machines. It is the license to talk to and photograph a woman with her leather-jacketed pet iguanas resting on the brim of her hat and to freely stroll through the doors of a company that manufactures carousels, While listening to marvelous music, it is an opportunity to photograph the incredibly long expressive hands of the conga player and the famous pianist in the corner playing a song that he wrote decades ago.

 

My favorite part of photographing is the story telling. Sometimes the story is created with a group of photos and sometimes one photo can stand alone. My photo for the banner was taken in Hawaii at a visit to a monastery. The monks in this photo seemed to be good friends and the scenery was beautiful. Therefore the title “Friends for the Journey, Friends for the Road.”

 

 

 

Christopher Blosser

 

 

Mixed Media 

 

I am a longtime resident of Kew Gardens for twenty years and enjoy the neighborhood with my wife, three children and three cats. Favorite pastimes include volunteering with the Kew Gardens CSA or browsing Kew & Willow bookstore. If you enjoy my work you can find more, including a complimentary downloadable coloring book, at christopherdoodles.blogspot.com -- wishing my fellow neighbors peace, safety and security in these times.  blostopher@gmail.com

 

 

 

Ed Kaplan

 

 

“Sugarloaf Frostie” Acrylic on Canvas

 

Ed Kaplan was born on Long Island in 1971, and currently resides in Queens, New York. He received his degree in Advertising Art and Design, but considers himself a self-taught painter. For the past 25 years he has designed and executed fine art paintings and commissions, as well as murals and custom airbrushed automobiles.

@ed.kaplan

 

 

 

Erick Wilund

 

 

“Moonglow”  Oil and Graphite 

 

 

Erick Wilund is an artist who works primarily in graphite and oil, and also has a background in graphic design and photography. His primary interest is exploring the terrain of the human face and form. Commissioned work available on request. He can be reached at erick.wilund@icloud.com

 

 

 

Evelyn Bennett

 

 

“The Room in the Club”  Acrylic

 

During this difficult and isolating time, I find peace and happiness in pursuing my hobby - painting cozy and colorful indoor scenes, frequently with whimsical details. I like to include windows and the view beyond. I work in acrylics and generally on small canvases. 

 

 

 

Geovanny Lopez

 

 

“Melifluous”  Digital Illustration 

 

During these times being outside is good for everyone. I created this artwork to bring the outside living back inside our homes for the time being. We have been indoors for way too long. While I will never be able to portray actual people, trees or birds, I do want my artwork to look like it once truly existed, that is, a living memory. These living moments reminds us to take one day at a time and helps us relive with nature those special outdoor memories and ultimately reconnect with mother nature. 

#illustrationartists

 

 

 

Grace Anker

 

 

 “Dreaming of Venetian Remembrances ” Terra Cotta Sculpture 

 

Grace Anker (Trieste, Italy) makes sculptures and functional ceramics. By taking daily life as subject matter while connecting on the everyday aesthetic of middle class values, Anker tries to develop forms that do not follow conventional criteria but are based only on subjective associations and formal parallels, which incite the viewer to make new personal associations.

 

Her collected, altered and owner sculptures are being confronted as aesthetically resilient, thematically interrelated material for memory and projection. The possible seems true and the truth exists, but it has many faces as Hanna Arendt cites from Franz Kafka. By choosing mainly formal solutions, she often creates work using creative game tactics, but these are never permissive. Play is a serious matter: during the game, different rules apply than in everyday life and even everyday objects undergo transubstantiation.

 

Her works are based on formal associations that open a unique poetic vein. Multilayered images arise in which the fragility and instability of our seemingly certain reality is questioned. By focusing on techniques and materials, she absorbs the tradition of remembrance art into daily practice. This personal follow-up and revival of a past tradition is important as an act of meditation.

 

Her works are characterized by the use of everyday objects in an atmosphere of middleclass mentality in which recognition plays an important role. By contesting the division between the realm of memory and the realm of experience, she considers making art a craft which is executed using clear formal rules and which should always refer to social reality.

 

Her works are notable for their perfect finish and tactile nature. This is of great importance and bears witness to great craftsmanship. Grace Anker currently lives and works in Queens.  potterswheelny.com

 

 

 

Jacqueline Herranz-Brooks

 

 

 “Havana Malecón”  Digital Photograph

 

Cuban author and interdisciplinary artist based in New York. Her work takes various forms including documentary photography, soundscape interpretation, multimedia installation and urban interventions. Jacqueline is interested in the processes of fictionalization of memory and in the production of autofiction. jacquelineherranz.com

 

 

 

Jeanette Longobardi

 

 

“Fire Island Beach Chairs” Digital Photograph

 

 

Jeanette Longobardi is a local Kew Gardens resident whose photography focuses on nature and landscapes. 

She loves connecting with the locals and neighboring communities during Art Show season and enjoys how artwork brings everyone together.  The photo selected for this show is a fan favorite due to the bold and bright colors of the chairs against the grey background. It exudes positive energy and a love of summertime on Fire Island, New York. 

For more information on Jeanette, to see her portfolio and/or place an order. please visit her at www.LongobardiPhotography.com or via Instagram at @LongobardiPhotography

 

 

 

Joellen Tabor

 

 

 “Let Love Live”   Mixed Media on Stone 

 

 

I am a creative person at heart and have an absolute LOVE for Nature of any kind and through various forms of artistic expression.  I create collected branch sculptures…aka the everlasting bouquets, in addition to other “reuse repurpose” forms.  If it has a story it has a purpose.  This amazing window of opportunity created by Tony Mavilla and Carol Lacks brings to life my rock with abstract colorful trees. A former Creative Director in the beauty industry, I found that my passion was to create hands-on pieces.  Thank you all for this opportunity to make our community much brighter during these trying times.

joellentabor@nyc.rr.com

 

 

 

Jorell Rivera

 

 

 “Window”   Digital Art   

 

Reading comic books and watching cartoons while growing up in New York City inspired me to create art that channels the bright colors, outsized emotions and exaggerated movements found in those works.  Whether I am drawing a sketch of a person’s face or painting an entire cityscape, I want to bring the same energy those books and cartoons did by using bold colors, high contrasts, and big emotions.  I use digital tools to illustrate works that give me purpose and clarity. I have been drawing and painting since I have been able to do so, and I will continue to until I cannot. jorellrivera.com

 

 

 

Laraine Fletcher

 

 

“Taos Pueblo Door”  Digital Photograph

 

I grew up in Queens, in Ozone Park, and I remember being so happy in the darkroom my father had in the basement of our home, a small space next to the furnace and the coal bin. I got my first camera in 1967, a Pentax Spotmatic, a mail order from Japan. After that I was never without the camera hanging from my neck. The rest is history. Lots of happy years behind the lens.

 

 

 

Liana Shemper

 

 

“Memory of Cinque Terre, Italy”

 

 

 

“Autumn Walk Through Forest Hills Gardens”

 

Liana Shemper was born in Odessa, Ukraine, a lovely seaport city on the Black Sea shore. Liana graduated from the prestigious School of Fine Arts in Ukraine, where her studies of classical painting and drawing became an excellent foundation for the future development of her own style. Liana continued her education in New York’s Parsons School of Design. For the past twenty years, Liana’s work has been exhibited and sold in many galleries.

 

For the last thirty years, Liana has been teaching classical painting and drawing to adults and children in Kew Gardens. Whether you are a complete novice or an experienced artist, or somewhere in between, you’ll learn and improve under Liana’s tutelage. The key is the individual approach to every student. Liana teaches all media, including pencil drawing, watercolor, oil, acrylic, etc. Classes are taught both in-person and virtually.

If you would like to take classes or get more information, 

please contact Liana at: (917) 873-5402   lianashemper@yahoo.com

 

 

 

Linda Hernandez

 

 

“Serenity” Acrylic on Canvas

 

I enjoy painting beautiful scenes from nature, standing alone, usually without human or animal counterparts.  The breathtaking scenery makes me feel tranquil and wondrous. It evokes a real understanding of the power of nature undisturbed. When I add human or animal life, they are always a very small part of the picture, in importance and in size, always respectful of the magnitude of their surroundings…a perfect world....

linterpreter@yahoo.com

 

 

 

Lynne Muchinsky

 

 

“Amsterdam” Gouache

 

 

 

 “Lilly Girl”  Watercolor 

 

I moved to Kew Gardens in 1992 where the view out of my window faces Forest Park. On many occasions the park has given me inspiration for a painting. I see something new and wonderful each time I sit on a bench or walk on a trail. My usual media is watercolor but lately I have taken to using gouache because the colors are so vibrant. I work in a hospital laboratory where it can seem hectic and stressful. Painting keeps me sane, especially in recent times where things can seem chaotic and uncertain. It centers me and brings me peace.

 

 

 

Malka Fraenkel

 

 

 “Manichini Veneziani ” Photograph

 

My passion in life has always been to travel.  I've taken a boat down the Orinoco River in Venezuela and climbed Arches National park in Moab, Utah.  I've met people from all over the world and experienced different cultures.  One of my favorite places is Venice, where every windy street brings unexpected pleasures.  Anthony Bourdain said the following: The journey changes you, it should change you.  It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you; hopefully you leave something good behind. That will always be what I strive for in my travels and in life.

 

 

 

Margaret Rose Vendryes

 

 

 “Elia and Ariel” Oil on Canvas

 

Margaret Rose Vendryes is a black, queer, radical artist historian with an active studio practice in Southeast Queens, New York City.  Born on the island of Jamaica and, with the exception of two years of high school in Jamaica, raised in Queens.  She completed her Fine Arts BA at Amherst College, an MA in art history at Tulane University then continued on to Princeton University where she completed her doctorate in 1997.  Vendryes has traveled extensively with visits to North, East, and Western Africa being among the most impactful for her art. She has collected African sculpture for over three decades. Vendryes is currently Professor of Art History, Chairperson of the Department of Performing and Fine Arts at York College, CUNY and Director of the York College Fine Arts Gallery. Her studio practice has expanded to include site-specific public works and interactive installations created to engage local populations in Southeast Queens. www.mrvendryes.com

 

 

 

Maritza Farnan

 

 

“Window Sill History ” Photograph

 

 

 In the busyness of our lives, when we go from one thing to another- we often miss what is in front of us to see and enjoy - if we could have only taken the time.

However, even when we do have time, we don't think to stop and look and see the different colors and shapes of what surrounds us. We don't use our gift of sight, to actually see, enjoy and reflect on the diversity of creation that exists in nature, or is made by man.

After a few weeks of the Covid19 lockdown, while boiling some water for tea, I noticed how pretty the different bubbles looked in the pot, and how pretty was the design that they were creating. Too many years to count, I've just glanced at a pot of boiling water, but never took the time to actually see the fluid design of the forming and emerging bubbles.

In the same way, this "artwork" is the result of not just looking at blotches of paint on my window ledge, (that I had wanted to wash and scrape off), but to view it as a random work of art, with colors and shapes to see, to photograph and enjoy.

Sometimes, striving for a positive attitude can help change our outlook, and perhaps provide pleasure not only for ourselves, but for others as well.

 

 

 

Marjorie Rubin

 

 

“Morning In Hawaii”

 

I’ve been dabbling in several media for years... pottery, weaving, embroidery and more, but found my love in painting with gouache. Animals are usually my favorite subjects, especially the ones at the Queens Zoo where I volunteer.

 

 

 

Neene Nuñez

 

 “Global Peace Project” Mixed Media pnunez.com

 

 

 

 “The Fish”    Watercolor and Collage on Paper

 

 "Use of colors and textures” describe my work the best. I love using watercolor and collage with paper. I use paper with different textures, thickness and made of various materials. I work on watercolor paper. Sometimes I try to duplicate the patterns on the paper or use paper to add texture to my painting.  I love the challenge of details, especially in rendering textures.  With an illustration background, my work tends to be more narrative rather than abstract, though I am inspired by abstract paintings with organic shapes and texture. I recently discovered the work of Hilma af Klint, a Swedish abstract painter whose mystical paintings predate Kandinsky’s. She was ahead of her time with her vision and use of texture, paper and paint and subject matter, a true inspiration!”

Thanks, Neene

Neene N. Maruzzelli
m: 917.697.8474 e: neenemarz@gmail.com  http://pnunez.com

 

 

 

Paul Brainard

 

 

“Telephone #7”   Oil on Canvas  

 

 Paul Brainard was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he studied at the University of Pittsburgh for a Bachelor’s degree in painting and drawing with a minor in Art History and Psychology. After studying at the Carnegie Institute Museum studio school, he moved to New York in 1996 to attend the Pratt Institute where he received his MFA in painting and drawing. He has exhibited widely in the United States and Internationally at the Second Street Gallery (Charlottesville, VA), Lodge Gallery (NYC), 31 Grand Gallery (NYC), Freight and Volume and Arts and Leisure (NYC), Dietch Projects (NYC) Allegra LaViola Gallery (NYC) Guerrero Gallery (SF) and Andrew Edlin Gallery (NYC). In 2010 his European debut solo show "Living Dead" at Dvorak Sec Gallery in Prague was well received and reviewed. In January 2018, he showed at Galleri Oxholm in Copenhagen. He has also curated many painting shows in New York, "Totally Gay for Sports" (2013) at the Lodge Gallery, "True Faith" (2007) and "Breed" (2011) at the Greenberg Van Doren Gallery, and "Die like you really mean it" at Allegra LaViola Gallery in 2011.  paulbrainard.com

 

 

 

Rebecca Kanfer

 

 

“Branches”    Watercolor  

 

 

Rebecca Kanfer is a professional artist who has worked on landscape based oil and watercolor paintings for over 15 years. Her recent works explore ideas related to temporality of the landscape and the healing connections humans can have to the natural world. Through use of sensitive color palettes and line-work,  she seeks to evoke a sense of quiet, serenity, and ephemeral moments that provide a sense of peace and joy. 

rebeccakanfer.org

 

 

 

Robert Murphy

 

 

“After the Rain” Acrylic on Canvas

 

 

 

“Lilly Lying Down” Acrylic on Canvas

 

My name is Robert Murphy. I am usually called Bob, but you can call me Rob, Bob, or Robert. I have found it necessary to express myself through visual art, music or conversation my entire life. I studied with some fine painters in New York. This experience was priceless. I enjoy the work of Joaquin Sorolla, John Singer Sargent, Monet, Gaugin, Van Gogh and a more recent painter, Norman Rockwell. I read somewhere that Norman Rockwell used technical devices, such as cameras and projectors. I have had my own experiences painting a portrait in this particular way. I met a lovely woman in a shop and I thought I could work from her image and she agreed to my photographing her. I was able to capture some nice images on my phone. It was all very pleasant and she was indeed kind to permit me. I then began a journey that is ongoing. Struggling with heretofore adequate drawing skills, I decided that I would buy a prism device and that caused more problems. I felt a bit dishonest in my effort to take a short cut but so far I have not been successful. When I see the astounding immediacy of Rockwell's people, I have to tip the hat to him. I am greatly moved by Freud. He is so very different and I think as powerful as any painter can be when he describes his subjects. I have a cat named Lilly. Thank you.

robbiemurphy1@yahoo.com

 

 

 

Rosemary Sherman 

 

 

 “Catskills Reverie”  Acrylic on Canvas

 

 

 

“Summer Sunflowers” Photograph

 

If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere (Vincent Van Gogh)

 

My passionate love of Nature and Art are inherently linked. I find inspiration and joy while painting landscapes. I am drawn to the unfinished, untouched, raw dramatic vistas of the Catskills. They are quiet, dark, majestic, peaceful and spiritual. The Catskills have miles of mostly untouched wilderness. There are patches of navy blue, emerald green dotted with yellow, red and bronze and silver. The energy of the color is vivid and the natural light brings a spiritual unmatched sense of beauty, grace and peace to all those who take a moment to look.

 

 

 

Tony Rodriguez

 

 

“In My Solitude” Photograph

 

 

 

“Stairway to Heaven” Photograph

 

Since retiring several years ago, I began acting on a long held desire and began to work in mixed-media, photography, to paint, draw, and write. I have been encouraged by many. Their stories have emboldened me to follow their path. I thank them all, especially my partner Lynne. Thank you, Tony Rodriguez

Tony@PossumSlideStudio.com

 

 

 

Victor Shemper

 

 

“Passage of Summer” Watercolor

 

Hey! My name is Victor Shemper and I am currently 16 years old. I have lived in Kew Gardens for basically my entire life, just as I have been doing art for the majority of my life. I am currently a high school student planning on following my passion for art wherever it takes me. I have experimented with numerous mediums and styles of art including jewelry making fashion design, graphic design, and of course classical painting and drawing. I am constantly inspired and motivated to make more art. Art makes me who I am and helps me pave the path toward my future.

visit: designsbyvictor.webstarts.com or my instagram: designsby_victor

 

 

 

Weimin Mo

 

 

“Park Lane South” Oil on Canvas

 

 

 

“The Church in the Gardens ” Oil on Canvas

 

 

I am a Plein air artist. Whenever I choose a view in nature or a simple object to paint, I feel not only attracted, aesthetically, to the exquisite combination of lines, shapes, colors, etc., but also emotionally connected to some of my personal experiences in the past. Therefore, painting is in fact my intimate conversation with the outside world. To my mind, so is the action of viewing an artwork. I wish my art may remind you of some related moments in your life experiences and enable you to relive the sweet delightful feelings you had then, so as to tell yourself that the inconveniences caused by the pandemic are just temporary.  

weiminmopaintings.blogspot.com


Thank you.
 Weimin Mo, Ed. D

 

 

 

William Jackson

 

 

 “Cricket Warrior” Photograph 

 

 

 

“The Swing”  Digital Photograph 

 

 

William Jackson is a visual artist and writer living in Kew Gardens, New York. His paintings, assemblages and photography have been shown in cities across the US.  His doll photography and his writing on dolls were published by Haute Doll Magazine. His novel, "Free!" was published in 2010. He lives in Kew Gardens with his husband. For more information on the writing of William Jackson visit www.williamljackson.com for Write Out. For more information on the photography of William Jackson visit www.ningyoboyscloset.com

 

 

 

Kew Gardens Artists Ages 4-14

 

 

Twenty-two Kew Gardens Artists, ages 4-14, sent in their wonderful artwork to be included on this group banner. We received self-portraits, landscapes, COVID-19 precautionary messages, depictions of favorite fictional characters, abstracts that reveal emotion and artwork focused on togetherness and love.  

 

"Experimenting with new mediums is something I enjoy doing as a young artist. Watercolor and collage are both common mediums that I use for many of my works. I feel that nature is one of my most frequently used inspirations. Basing my work off of natural components is seen throughout some of my favorite pieces. An inspiration to me would be my mom, Neene, and her techniques as an artist. Though I do different types of art, I am very inspired by her perspective of art and that is the reason why I love expressing myself this way. Similar to how my mom focuses in on details, I tend to do the same to add more depth."  Izabel Maruzzelli

 
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