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Hastings Preview Exhibition for the 2018 Studio Tour

Every year I look forward to the events leading up to the RiverArts© Studio Tour and my own Open Studio.

On Sunday, Jay and I attended the first Preview Show Reception for the 2018 Annual RiverArts© Artists Studio Tour (aka RiverArts Studio Tour 18), which was held in the Hastings-on-Hudson Municipal Building (through April 28th). Every local artist participating in the Studio Tour can put a painting in the Hastings, Irvington or Tarrytown shows. This year I choose the largest Oreo I have ever painted, Cosmic Oreo, for the Hastings venue.

I come for the art, but stay for the chance to spend two blissful hours talking art with other artists. Here’s what Jay comes for….

Husband Jay Sloofman Digging In

Notice that he headed right for the sweets rather than the other options, which sparked ideas for other paintings.

This year I got a chuckle out of seeing Oreos on the buffet. Maybe Cosmic Oreo influenced that decision, combined with Oreo Mandala from last year, and my annual Oreo Cookie Contest…

The Hastings Preview Show is well attended every year, and the Municipal Building is a wonderful space for a artist reception.

The exhibit includes a variety of media – paintings, drawings, sculpture, etchings, photography and multimedia. 

Mosaic, charcoal and painting

Vicky Youngman and her ceramic sculpture, “Breaking Free”

“Trumped” by Neil Lahey

Mitch Goldberg with his etching, “Richard”

Brooklyn Bridge by photographer John Maggiotta

Mosaic by Kristin Javier

Towards the end of the reception, two of my friends asked me to demonstrate Oreo biting before they took their own bites… out of the painting!

Artist Deborah Offner-Freidkin and RiverArts Board Member Kara Kenkeit

For more information on the other two Preview Receptions in Tarrytown (tomorrow, March 29, show ends April 29)) and Irvington (April 17, show ends April 27th), go to the RiverArts Studio Tour page.

The RiverArts Studio Tour itself takes place the weekend of April 21st and 22nd from 11am-5pm. My studio will be open both days. I hope you eat first – but not too much – so you can enjoy the desserts, both real and painted.

RiverArts Studio Tour Returns – with a New Face.

Slowly the artistic world is returning to some sense of normalcy.

After canceling two annual Studio Tours due to the Covid-19 pandemic, RiverArts® decided to go ahead with a one-day no-frills event this upcoming weekend, on Saturday, October 23 from 11-6pm, instead of waiting until the traditional late April date. More than 70 artists from Hastings, Dobbs Ferry, Ardsley, Irvington, and Tarrytown are participating.

You can download the map at https://2021studiotour.riverarts.org and visit studios at your own pace. This is a free event.

Recently I went to the Preview Show at the Hastings Municipal Building of this years abbreviated 2021 RiverArts Artists Studio Tour, this year as a visitor rather than a participant. I decided to take a break this year to figure out my 2022 post-Covid strategy now that I’m living in an apartment. (In 2020 I only got as far as my postcard…) The Hastings show is up through October 24th, while the Dobbs Ferry Library Preview is up through October 29th.

Now let me introduce you to a new face on the Tour.

My walking buddy and fellow realist, Linda Friedlander, decided to participate in the Studio Tour for the first time. She is an accomplished artist, and her striking still life painting greets you on the left as soon as you enter the Hastings Municipal Building.

Linda Friedlander, “Elaine’s Bowl/Amy’s Apples”, 2015, Oil on canvas, 24 x 36 inches

Lets take a closer took. The details of the fabric and porcelain are so rich, the apples so enticing, and that pierced dish is so exquisitely painted. I would never have that kind of patience!

Linda caught all the subtleties of the glass reflections and cast shadows from the pierced porcelain.

This is the best of contemporary realism. Linda’s fascination with transparency and complex tabletop compositions evoke the work of Janet Fish (who had a fabulous retrospective at DC Moore Gallery in NYC a few years back) – the ultimate compliment to Linda since I love Janet’s work and she’s such an acclaimed artist.

You can see Linda’s work for yourself this Saturday at the Dobbs Ferry Presbyterian Church. She’s number 11 in Dobbs Ferry on the Studio Tour map.

If you can’t make it, you are invited to the Opening Reception of her solo show on November 14th at the same location from November 7 -December 12.

Back to the Hastings Preview Show for a moment. I must point out this epic painting by veteran Studio Tour participant, Madge Scott. It has much more presence in person.

“Identity Series Welcoming Committee”, 2021, oil and other media, gold leaf, 24 x 50 inches, by Madge Scott.

When you come right up to the painting, you see that a section of the dress is a beautiful collage (which I actually missed the first time around until Linda pointed it out to me.)

And then there’s Vicky Youngman’s ceramic piece, Breaking Free, which I was drawn to the last time I saw it, but has since taken on a whole new meaning to me given this brave new world we all live in.

Vicky Youngman, “Breaking Free“, 2018, clay and glaze, 15 x 12 x 3.5 inches

Here’s Vicky on the right with Kara Lenkeit, who is on the Studio Tour Committee.

Below you can see more of the tribe. Thank you to Kristen Javier (on the left below), talented mosaic artist, who posted this photo on Instagram.

I wish I had taken more photos of people like Doug Coe, retired RiverArts Executive Director, not to mention a selfie or two… But wouldn’t you know that I found this ethereal photo of me entering the Hastings Municipal Building on Instagram. There I am, in all black, with my big purse.

It was such a shock to see the front hall empty. In this new world of Covid, the banquet table of delicious food from past years went AWOL, but I was somewhat consoled by outdoor music near the Hudson River.

I’m looking forward to going to the Studio Tour this Saturday – and seeing what Linda and other artists have been up to lately. That’s the value of the Studio Tour. It’s a great opportunity to talk to artists and hear firsthand about their techniques, materials, and how they think about the creative process.

It’s an annual tradition that has been sorely missed. I’m glad RiverArts didn’t wait until the spring to return. Hope you can make it.

Thank you RiverArts!

Sometimes things in life have unanticipated consequences, many of them positive. Our 1997 move to a home in Ardsley from a smaller townhouse changed my artistic life.

After two years, I transformed the living room with its 3 walls of natural light pouring through the windows into my studio. I started painting regularly and soon had a body of work to show.

So I decided to have my first Open Studio and participate in the RiverArts Studio Tour. RiverArts is dynamic and growing non-profit organization serving the Rivertowns of Hastings, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington and Ardsley.

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That was over 15 years ago. The successful expansion of this event (now 80 artists strong) and RiverArts itself is reflected in this beautiful 4 page multi-color brochure featuring a painting by every artist on the tour. Mentally contrast this with the 1999 2-color single page flyer with a map and list. (You’ll have to your imagination since I can’t find the old pdf).

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Now let me introduce you to Jen Moore Smith, the producer of the 2016 RiverArts Studio Tour, a huge task that has grown to include three  preview exhibitions in different venues during the month of April, a Saturday night artist reception, a closing reception, and an extensive Studio Tour website including bios/statements and multiple images from each artist. Just uploading 400 images was a big task!

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And Jennifer did her job gracefully and thoroughly from start to finish, always smiling, never losing her sense of humor. Bravo Jennifer! As the tour continues to grow in size and complexity, hopefully the management of the tour will be split among a multiple people.

And did I mention that these events served food? Wonderful food and a lot of it too, which you can see in the photos from the Hastings Municipal Building Preview Exhibition, where one of my prints was shown. This event was free and open to the public. (Why do I keep thinking Last Supper when I look at the first photo?)

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Here’s the lady who was responsible for this banquet, Patricia van Essche. She recently joined the RiverArts Board and this elaborately presented food magically appeared this year. As you can see, she did a great job! Now my husband looks forward to these events with newfound enthusiasm.

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I want to take a moment to say thank you to Jennifer Moore Smith, the unsung hero of the tour, to Doug Marouk-Coe, the Executive Director of RiverArts, as well as the Board, and to all the volunteers who made this event possible. A special thanks to Patricia, who sponsored a successful artist lunch at her house in March, and looks out for all of the artists in the community like our mother hen.

I look forward to all the upcoming RiverArts events, especially the Music Tour, which is listed on the website. With so much going on, it’s an exciting time for RiverArts and the Rivertowns.

RiverArts Studio Tour Events

You might think that my upcoming April 22 and 23rd Open Studio is just a weekend event. It’s actually part of a large and ambitious annual local program, the RiverArts Artists Studio Tour.

The first event was an Artists Welcome Breakfast on March 17.

Most recently, Jay and I went to a RiverArts kickoff event for the 2017 Studio Tour (Hastings-on-Hudson Municipal Building, 7 Maple Avenue). Every artist on the Tour was invited to submit a work for this exhibition (open all of April).

This attractive banquet table greeted us as we came through the door. There was quite a crowd. Of course I whipped out my camera at the sight of food…

Kudos to Doug Coe, Executive Director of RiverArts, for shepherding this entire event, and to active Board Member Kara Lenkeit, who always has a smile on her face.

A special thanks this year to Peggie Blizzard (with her artist husband Larry) for bringing back the Dobbs Ferry ArtWalk. Due to her initiative, along with Ellen Crane, I’ll have a painting in a Dobbs Ferry store for two weeks to gain awareness. (Now I just have to pick which one!)

This year I chose to show Oreo Mandala: Studio Tour Oreo Cookie Contest Entries since its concept is inextricably bound to the Studio Tour itself.

This original print is a composite of 9 unique Oreos bitten by 9 different people who all came to my Open Studio in previous years.

Let me introduce you to Marisa Silverstein, another participating artist, who kindly took this photo. She and I both attended a timely and informative workshop on “Artists Using Social Media” – tips and tricks to increase your web visibility around special events like the Studio Tour. Luke Joerger of Hastings Digital hastingsdigital.com presented a lot of useful information which Marisa and I are still processing.

The workshop and a post-workshop discussion with Marisa inspired this post.

With only two weeks to go, it’s time to hunker down and get my studio in shape. Easier said than done since the room was dismantled by the painters last week. Wish me luck!