This is a place where you can find various creative and artistic venues in Syracuse, New York; gallery showings, craft shows, individual artists and crafts people, and everything in between. If you'd like to have something posted here please e-mail me @ thedecorativepaintbrush@gmail.com.
Closing reception for Maria Rizzo’s painting exhibit Trees are Life At Health Science Library, 766 Irving
Avenue, Syracuse, New York, 13210 January 25th, 2013 from 5
p.m. to 7 p.m.
Syracuse, NY (January
2, 2012)—Syracuse-based artist Maria Rizzo will be speaking about her art and
artistic process at the closing reception for her exhibition Trees are Life (on display during
January at Health Science Library, Syracuse). The event is free and open to the
public. Maria Rizzo's recent paintings are a tribute to trees. To create these
"Totems of Life," she uses her memories of nature as a reference and
intuition as her guide. The painting process is her journey to find beauty and
balance among texture, color, and form. It is also a political journey in which
she uses her art to create an awareness of endangered trees, the beauty and
frailty of nature and, consequently, the necessity of recycling.
Maria Rizzo’s
paintings have been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in galleries and
museums throughout New York State and abroad, including the Red House Gallery
in Syracuse, the Frederic Remington Museum in Ogdensburg, and the Museo d' Arte Contemporanea diLissone in Italy. She is aNYFA MARK 12 alumni. Maria Rizzo was
born in Bologna, Italy in 1987.
"Maria’s
beautiful use of color and light generate a dreamy landscape creating an
amazing backdrop for her large ancestral trees. Using texture and paint Maria’s
paintings draw you into a dreamy woodland landscape of pure majestic
reverence." —The Syracuse Art
Scene: Mary Mollica
"[Rizzo’s] trees breathe life into the room…they are
almost storytelling, are spiritual and always have wonderful moodiness."
—Artist and Curator: Linda Bigness
“Maria's trees are like people, expressing
true character."
Hey Everybody! This is my first entry on what I hope to be a
very successful blog. Although, this isn't the only blog I publish (my other can be found here The Decorative Paintbrush) this blog is dedicated to YOU; the local artesian,
the local crafter, and all the creative people of CNY.
For years I've been going to shows; gallery or craft, and
have met amazingly artistic and innovative people on my journey! When I leave
these shows I feel energized, electric even, not only because of the individuals I've met, but because of their work as well.
I wanted a place to showcase this energy, a place to harness it somehow and put it into words. Blogging seemed
like a logical progression for me. I
know there are a lot of great local “art” writers, a lot of blogs covering a
variety of artistic genres, this is just my little corner of the universe. A
place where I can share some of the beauty, creative energy and basic
information that flies around my head.
Maybe it will help cure some of my insomnia (probably not).
I hope you’ll stick around and read my first article, better
yet, subscribe, so you don’t miss any of my crazy musings! If you’d like to contribute something, an article
idea, an artist to cover, or a show to check out, please shoot me an e-mail @
thedecorativepaintbrush@gmail.com! I WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!
So here we go…Yesterday, I had the privilege of stopping
into the Tech Garden, an industrialized styled gallery located at 235 Harrison
Street, Syracuse.
Curator, Ty Marshall, constructively put together an amazing
cast of characters showcasing their original, though provoking art work. Here's a small video that he put together promoting the show:
Now, I
must admit, in full disclosure, I’m a bit bias, my friend Steve Nyland was one
of the artists who participated in the show, so I was extra excited to come down and take a peek..
Respectfully called “5”, the reception was very well received by
all who came to view it. The collection of
distinguished artists included: Niki Dellios, Nate West, Kathryn Petrillo and
Maria Rizzo and Steve Nyland of course! (That's the curator, Ty Marshal, in the background)
(Photo by Eddie Colelli)
First artist up, Maria Rizzo’s Trees: Totems of
Life. Maria’s beautiful use of color and
light generate a dreamy landscape creating an amazing backdrop for her large ancestral
trees. Using texture and paint Maria’s paintings draw you into a dreamy woodland
landscape of pure majestic reverence. You can find out more about Maria and her
work here: Art It
Another spectacular artist from the group was Kathryn Patrillo. Kathryn’s art
is so alive with color and movement making it visually captivating. You cannot look at Kathryn’s work and not
feel happy! She describes it this way, “…moving images tumbling through the
color of the visual spectrum” Just beautiful! You can connect with Kathryn
here:
Niki Dellios’ art captivated me, especially with the
lighting. These pictures do not do it justice at all. Placed in a darker section of the gallery, strategically placed independent lighting illuminated the pieces creating depth and movement. It’s hard to see the glitter and forms that
she has developed using various materials, but believe me-Incredible! Niki calls these abstract paintings “Land Art”. No tools
or brushes are used to manipulate the materials. How cool is that! In her own words, “She repeatedly
saturates the piece with water and allows the water to take its shape, on the
surface, so that over time, the surface of the canvas comes to resemble various land-forms In essence, this technique resembles real precipitation, and creates
a similar effect to the corrosion produced by rain.”
To find out more about Niki and her art please click here
Now, onto my wonderfully artistic friend Steve Nyland and
his Zombie Art! Steve creates his
abstract zombie images on a variety of canvases. Besides your regular cotton pre stretched canvas,
Steve also paints on wood, as well as housing shingles. Literally, whatever he
can get his hands on, pretty much! Nothing
is safe from this man’s quest for expression. Using acrylic paints, Steve
carefully manipulates his brush to create intricate creatures, which are not
only thought provoking, but politically charged adaptations of Steve’s interpretation
of humanity. They are meant to be fun, not scary,”… rather a discovery of a new
visual language through painting” or in other words a way for Steve to poke fun
at the world around him.
Although I love Steve’s Zombie work, I am particularly drawn
to his “Letter” paintings. These pieces are amazing. Layer upon layer of
acrylic encrusted lettering create a 3-d effect that makes one wonder what lies
beneath the rambling inscriptions.
Again, the photos do not do the piece justice.
For more info on Steve, his artwork and where he’ll be next
you can find him here. If you would like
to read his interesting perspective on things, art as well as life, please visit his informative blog
here.
Now, although I had the honor of meeting our 5th
artist, Nate West I sadly did not get pictures of his incredible work. I did however get to meet his beautiful
children which I’m sure Nate would say are his greatest works yet! I was able to
catch a glimpse of a few paintings first hand and must say they were fabulous.
So, that’s that! Thank you all for your gracious gifts of
artistry and thank you audience for letting me share! I had a wonderful time! Now I'm off to buy some shingles-thanks for the inspiration Steve!
