Artworks of “Emerging” Long Island artists and the art instructors who selected them are on view at Gallery North in Setauket. Emerging was loosely defined as coming into your own artistically, according to Gallery North. Fifteen Long Island artists were selected by five mentors. Artists are students and adults.
Selecting artists from their respective talent pools were Stan Brodsky (instructor at The Art League of Long Island in Dix Hills); Mel Pekarsky (emeritus professor at SUNY Stony Brook); Linda Prentiss (professor at C.W. Post campus of Long Island University), Christian White (studio art teacher at The Knox School in St. James) and artist Nancy Bueti.
The exhibit includes art from each judge providing an interesting comparison between teacher and student. Figurative, conceptual, portrait, abstract, landscape and still life are part of the show. Painting, sculpture, video, drawing and mixed media are presented in the three-room gallery.
One standout is dueling drawings of mythological gods by Honor Randall. Borrowing from sculpture techniques, portraits of Venus and Neptune were created through reduction. Figures emerge on brown paper after marks were made with graphite and/or Conti. The limited color pallet and the poses struck conjure classic marble sculptures. However, each figure is infused with the emotional range of humans.
Another notable is paintings by Janice Sztabnik. Each artwork is rife with psychological tension from implied narratives.
Intrigue can be found in works by Kathryn Cellerini. An abstract maquette for a conceptual installation dangles from the ceiling. The resulted work is represented in a nearby photograph of Cellerini immersed in the full-room installation. Cellerini is also exhibiting a tabletop sculpture. Material for the work includes bees wax, sawdust, thread, wire and crumbled material.
A figurative painting by Susan Canin (Virginia…Perplexed) is a strong work. So are abstract paintings by Ginger Hendler and Margaret Cibulsky. Layered geometric forms add interest to a watercolor titled Sunset by Linnuo Zheng. Folk art and childhood memory seem to combine in Louis Walker’s painting, Snowfall II.
A video by Kristina Stoyanova, “Why Study Philosophy,” features socially and politically-charged content. Stoyanova is also exhibiting a resin sculpture and a series of photographs that appear like negatives titled War Game.
Exhibiting artists include Bill Hawkins, Susan Ives, Francis Roberts, Michelle Chiang, Schuyler White and Zachary White.
Emerging: New Work by Emerging Long Island Artists is on view through March 27 at Gallery North, 90 North Country Road, Setauket. Some of the art can be viewed on the gallery’s website, www.gallerynorth.org.