Art is Timeless at the Peter Lawrence Gallery

Clock by Michael Johnson

Peter Lawrence Gallery is presenting a new exhibit, “Art is Timeless” that will feature functional art/clocks by Michael Johnston and oils, watercolors and ceramics by Jessie Novik.

The exhibit runs from Friday, August 3 to Sunday, September 2 with an opening reception on Sunday, August 5 from 1:00 pm until 5:00 pm. Refreshments will be provided by Johnny’s New Fairfield Food Center.

Michael Johnston of Norwalk, CT is a muralist and street artist. This art form drove Michael’s passion to understand the vast dimensions, styles and genres of art. He realized his own personal obsession with sharp edges, technical designs, futuristic concepts, mechanical images, and clocks could all be channeled into his art. Using recycled and discarded materials whenever possible, often times old electronics, Michael tries to convey movement, flow, and continuity in his art. He considers himself an abstract expressionist, frequently utilizing additive sculpture to intensify and bring to life thoughts and ideas.

Village by Jessie Novik

Jessie Novik has been inspired by the many places she’s traveled, including a hike up to Machu Picchu, exploring rice fields in Bali, camping with Bedouins in Sinai, and scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef. She is an artist and a craftswoman, and states, “No matter what is my vehicle, I will always make art, and I cannot wait to acquire new methods for birthing my overactive imagination.”

About the Peter Lawrence Gallery

Peter Lawrence Gallery is located at 703 Kent Road (Rt. 7), Gaylordsville, Connecticut, and is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 12:00pm to 5:00pm, or by appointment. For more information please contact Peter at 203-746-5533 or by email at peterlawrencegallery@ymail.com or http://www.peterlawrencegallery.com. For area information visit http://www.litchfieldhills.com.

Art in Parking Places Opens Exhibit at Maritime Garage Gallery Senses of SoNo Begins in May

Fisherman’s Restaurant, I Ryan

The Norwalk Parking Authority will be launching another Art in Parking Places when The Maritime Garage Gallery opens The Senses of SoNo, Anatomy of a Bustling Hub with an opening reception on Wednesday, May 16 from 5:00pm – 7:00pm. The event is free and open to the public and parking will be free for the event. The Gallery is located at 11 North Water Street in the Maritime Parking Garage in South Norwalk.

Senses of SoNo exhibit, which runs through July 27, kicks off a yearlong series of exhibits themed on a variation of the traditional five senses: sight= urban elements, smell= food, touch=music, taste= fashion, hearing (sound)= LI Sound. Senses of SoNo includes works of all media from selected artists, including Dana Laird, Joan Jardine, Phyllis Sinrich, Lisa Black, Donna Cassarro Hughes, John Hetzel, Jana Ireijo, David Hollier, Jane Bennett, Loren DePalma, Lynn Stevens Massey, Lorraine Ryan, Mari Gyorgyey, Debra Schaffer, Ellen Hackl Fagan, and Mary Jo Lombardo.

Norwalk Parking Authority Director Kathryn Hebert said, “This exhibit is another exciting project of the Authority’s ‘Art In Parking Places’ series that is being implemented in various parking venues around Norwalk. The Parking Authority and the City of Norwalk are delighted to be bringing artistic creative place making activities for residents and visitors to Norwalk to enjoy.” Currently, another Art in Parking Places exhibit is being installed at the South Norwalk Railroad Station.

Jardine

The Maritime Garage Art Gallery is collaboration between the Norwalk Parking Authority and the Norwalk Arts Commission in an effort to support art in public spaces. The gallery is free and open to the public from 9:00am -5:00pm daily. For more information call 203- 831-9063 or e-mail: maritimegallery@norwalkpark.org.

The Norwalk Parking Authority is a financially self-sustaining organization responsible for the operation and maintenance of the municipal parking system in Norwalk. It is not financed by taxpayer dollars. The Authority is committed to collaborating with community organizations while providing exceptional customer service to parking customers. The Norwalk Parking Authority can be reached at (203) 831-9063 or at the website: http://www.norwalkpark.org

Sound!

Coming Full Circle: Greenwich Art Society Celebrates 100 Years at the Bruce Museum

 Neapolitan Fisherboy by Carpeaux

On the occasion of its Centennial this year, the Bruce Museum is mounting an exhibition of recent and promised gifts to the permanent collection.

Featuring paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints and photographs, the show spans the ages – offering a variety of examples including the Old Masters, American paintings and Contemporary art – and reflects the diversity of taste among local collectors and supporters of the Museum.

According to Executive Director Peter Sutton, the exhibition highlights the remarkable donations received in recent years. “The Museum has benefitted from collectors who are as generous as they are discerning.”

The splendidly tranquil luminist landscape, Sunlight on Newbury Marshes, by the American 19th-century painter Martin Johnson Heade underscores the truth of this observation; as do the 19th-century European works Faun and Bacchante by William-Adolphe Bouguereau and a fine bronze sculpture of a Neapolitan Fisherboy by Jean Baptiste Carpeaux.

Gifts of Modern and Contemporary sculpture have been especially welcome and include the intimately scaled maquette by Henry Moore as well as large-scale works like Robert Rauschenberg’s Greyhound Nightmare sculpture and the promised gift of the exuberantly monumental Keith Haring sculpture Untitled (Three Dancing Figures) Version A. The fastest growing collections at the Bruce are of works on paper, which include recent donations of pieces by Signac and Cuevas, and one of O. Winston Link’s most famous photos, Hotshot Eastbound.

Sutton notes that the permanent art collection of the Bruce Museum includes more than 15,000 objects representing a wide variety of world cultures, with special strengths in American and European art. “These are essential to the many object-based educational programs offered at the Museum and serve to inspire the shows that we organize.”

Installed in the Arcade Gallery, the exhibition will be presented in two successive shows of approximately 50 objects each. The first show will be on view through July 8. The second show opens July 21.

About the Bruce Museum
Explore Art and Science at the Bruce Museum. The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday from 1 pm to 5 pm; closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for students up to 22 years, $6 for seniors and free for members and children under 5 years. Individual admission is free on Tuesday. Free on-site parking is available and the Museum is accessible to individuals with disabilities. The Bruce Museum is located at One Museum Drive in Greenwich, Connecticut. For additional information, call (203 869-0376) or visit the website www.brucemuseum.org.

Peter Lawrence Gallery Presents SCULPTURE FEST 2012

Ghetti-Elvis

The First Annual Sculpture Exhibit and Culture Fest is being hosted by Peter Lawrence Gallery located on the banks of the Housatonic River on Rte. 7 in Gaylordsville through June 17th on Saturdays and Sundays plus Memorial Day. This exhibit will feature works by locally, nationally and internationally recognized sculptors. This fun-filled cultural event will include an artist walk and talk, musical entertainment performed by Broadway stars and jazz musicians, box lunches, wine tasting, and other artisanal delicacies. Visitors to the event can explore sculptures inside and outside.

The Inside Gallery will host an eclectic grouping of smaller works including those by: Suzanne Benton, listed in Who’s Who of America and Who’s Who of American Artists, an international artist whose works are in private collections worldwide; Jocelyn Braxton Armstrong, a critically acclaimed ceramic artist; Dalton Ghetti, a Brazilian-born pencil sculptor whose work is currently on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England; Michael Johnston, an artist who uses recycled electronics to build futuristic, steampunk-style sculpture; Justin Perlman, an internationally trained sculptor and winner of the Marquis Who’s Who in American Art Reference Award; Derek Uhlman, recently accepted into the Copley Society of Art, is an award-winning sculptor who likes to push the envelope; and Patricia Warfield, recognized nationally as a consummate artist, is constantly experimenting with a wide variety of media.

J.B. Armstrong Soul SIster

The outdoor sculpture is situated in a idyliic four-acre garden along the Housatonic River. On display in this beautiful rustic setting will be monumental works by Jan Abt, German-born, New York-based sculptor who creates abstract figurative pieces inspired by Picasso, Henri Moore and the ancient Greeks; Jennifer George Andrea, a kindergarten teacher by day and a large-scale sculpture artist in the off hours; Cindy Booth, a Hudson Valley artist creates large-scale copper and steel sculptures “beyond the thinking mind”; David Boyajian, an acclaimed master sculptor, founder of the Sculpture Barn in New Fairfield, CT who creates monumental works that are both conceptual and rationally accessible; Steven Brooks an award-winning architect turned sculptor loves the physicality of creating forms and shapes with his hands; Margie Cohen who is transfixed by creating whirling, spinning and rolling sculptures out of steel; Jim Felice, a master restorer and award-winning creator of sculptures that, in his use of scrap matter, redefine the use and purpose of industrial materials; Denis Folz an intentionally styleless artist whose works are informed by Van Gogh, Max Ernst and Andrew Wyeth, leaves it to the viewer to define his work; Lannie Hart whose sculptures evoke nature, religious images and cultural references with a strong feminine point of view; Peter Holmberg, a local sculptor whose works are among a collection situated on a private estate; David McNeil a former police sketch artist, now seeks to construct abstract shapes from nature created by a living thing and to capture its energy in its form; M. Meken-Silvestri an award-winning fused-glass artist who works with delicate fragments to create solid works that sparkle and dazzle; Justin Perlman, mentioned earlier; Richard Pitts, a professor at FIT in New York City and a multi-media sculptor who constructs abstract sculptures as metaphors for the natural environment; Judy Rowley who currently uses debris from Hurricane Katrina as the substance of her sculpture to pay tribute to the resilient spirit of the people of the Gulf Coast ; and Marcia Spivak¸ one of the pre-eminent metal horse sculptors in the country.

Denis Folz – Kelp

In addition to sculpture, the Festival boasts live entertainment, and local artisan delicacies. The delicacies include a box lunch prepared by local Gaylordsville Country Store; chocolate truffles, hand-made in the French tradition by Carol Monnerat Artisan Truffles of Branford, CT; simply heavenly cakes baked with all natural, allergen-free ingredients by Izzi B’s of Norwalk, CT; tasting rare raspberry, rhubarb and cassis wines from White Silo Farm and Winery of Sherman, CT, or traditional grape wines and sun-ripened berry wines from Jones Family Farm of Shelton, CT, both Connecticut Wine Trail Vineyards; and more. A Jazz ensemble from the Easton, CT Jazz Guild will be among the performers, as will Broadway stars Niki Scalera (Footloose, Hairspray, Tarzan, Jake’s Women), Tevin Campbell (Hairspray and R&B recording star under the direction of Quincy Jones) and others.

The Sculpture Fest is a ticketed event. Admission includes entry to the sculpture garden and gallery, a box lunch and a glass of wine, a catalog and map of the garden, tours and talks conducted by sculptors, musical entertainment performed by Broadway stars and jazz musicians, and wine tasting. The local artisanal delicacies will also be available for purchase. The events will take place on each Saturday and Sunday for the run of the show, and on Memorial Day Monday. There will be 2 sessions each day at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm. Only ticket holders will have access to the Garden and the activities taking place therein on Saturdays and Sundays.

The sculpture in the Gallery will, of course, be open to ticket holders and those without tickets, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. In addition there will be Free Fridays: On Fridays, during the run of the Sculpture Fest, the Sculpture Garden can be viewed free of charge. There will be no other activities taking place on Fridays.

About Peter Lawrence Gallery

Peter Lawrence Gallery was originally established as a “showroom” for the live-edge furniture of award-winning woodcrafter Peter Lawrence Scalera and his wife, abstract artist Jill Caprio-Scalera (Jage). It was always their dream to have a gallery to show their work and the works of other artists. The gallery is tucked away a few miles south of the scenic village of Kent, CT, between the rolling hills of the Litchfield Hills and the Housatonic River. The Sculpture Festival, to run every weekend from through June 17, 2012, will be the crowning achievement for the inaugural year of the Peter Lawrence Gallery.

Peter Lawrence Gallery is located at 703 Kent Road (Rt. 7), Gaylordsville, Connecticut. It is a part of The Basket Shop and Carriage Barn complex, two delightful country gift shops selling New England Americana. The Gallery will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday and Memorial Day Monday from 11:00pm to 5:00pm, or by appointment. To purchase tickets for the Sculpture Fest or for more information please contact Peter Lawrence Scalera 203-746-5533, visit www.sculpturefest2012.com., or www.peterlawrencegallery.com, or email peterlawrencegallery@ymail.com.

New Show at GREGORY JAMES GALLERY in Litchfield Hills CT

The Gregory James Gallery, located at 13 Main Street on New Milford’s historic green, announces its first show of the new season. The show opens Saturday, April 30, and runs through May 29, 2011.

The public is invited to an opening reception, Saturday, April 30, 5-7 pm. The group show will feature prominent regional artists including; Joel Spector, Bill Rice, Thomas Adkins, Christopher Magadini, Alain Picard, Scott Zuckerman, Julie Hopkins, James Coe, and Frank Federico.

Joel Spector was chosen as one of 20 finalists out of 1750 entries in the 2011 International Portrait Competition hosted by the Portrait Society of America. The Woodson Art Museum has named James Coe as its 2011 Master Artist who will be honored during the Museum’s 36th annual Birds in Art exhibition this fall. Frank Federico and Christopher Magadini will be featured in one-man shows later in the year.

The gallery hours are Monday through Saturday 10-5, Sunday 11-4. For more information, please call Gregory James Mullen at 860-354-3436, or visit the website: http://www.gregoryjamesgallery.com.