Artists: M
Connie Manna
About
Ms. Manna earned her BFA from School of Visual Arts and pursued a freelance career in art direction, illustration and pre-press printing services, creating a client base of ad and travel agencies, trade magazines and newspapers in addition to medical and educational journals. Her paintings have been in group and solo exhibitions in NY, NJ, CT, DC and MI and her paintings are prized by her collectors. A professional teaching artist since 2014, Ms. Manna created an acrylic painting program for artists of all ages and level of experience. She calls it Paint a Masterpiece a Day, which she presents at various locations in NY in addition to Norwalk Community College and Westport Continuing Education in CT.
Artist Statement
Connie Manna’s paintings depict quiet, fleeting moments of urban and rural scenes, at once familiar, yet surreal. The viewer seems to be caught in the space between contemplation and anticipation of an impending event. Light and shadow define both space and subject to convey a distinct, surrealist mood which has been compared to the styles of both Edward Hopper and Magritte. Ms. Manna continues to add to her series of paintings, “Growing up Bronx,” which highlights familiar places from her childhood. These paintings are a skewed, dreamlike vision, inspired by memory, emotions, and the passage of time. Some are single-subject. While others are a composite of images that share the canvas at unrealistic sizes and angle.
Acrylic on canvas 36 x 45 inches $3000
Acrylic on canvas 36 x 45 inches $3000
Acrylic on canvas 40 x 30 inches NFS
Fruma Markowitz
About
I was formally trained in photography and fine arts at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, Israel, graduating with a BFA in Photography in 1984. In 1988 I discovered the creative possibilities for using computers in both my commercial and creative work. I began working solely with digital equipment and processes in 2003 – exhibiting my photographs widely in Fairfield County, CT and New York City.
Artist Statement
I have always been fascinated by what my childhood self called “the olden days.” Looking at faded sepia portraits of family forebears, and hearing my parents’ stories of growing up as new immigrants, gave me an acute sensitivity to the way time works to both elucidate and obscure human experience. Photography, as a so-called “time-based art” became the perfect medium for me to express my own interpretation of time - as fleeting moments captured and preserved, as more permanent visual diaries of daily life matters, and as testaments to the wear, tear and constant dynamism of modern life.
Sandra Meagher
About
A Smith College graduate, Sandra Meagher is a Life Member of the Art Students League, where she studied with Robert Beverly Hale, Robert Brackman, David A. Leffel and Vincent Malta. Courses with Eve Ingalls at the Silvermine Art Center in New Canaan and seminars with Robert Reed in New Haven followed, laying the foundation for her further creative development.
Primarily known for her drawings in charcoal, she also engages in painting, photography, video and poetry. She has had more than 15 one-person shows and been juried into shows at the Mattatuck and Discovery museums and Art of the Northeast, among others. Her installation “Diary,” featuring a quilt of dryer lint and softener sheets, took first prize at the Katonah Museum’s tri-state juried show “Breaking the Rules.”
She is an artist member of the Silvermine Guild, as well as Art/Place Gallery in Fairfield, the Westport Art Center’s Artists Collective, the Rowayton Arts Center, and the Katonah Museum Artists Association. She was one of five regional artists invited to take part in The Dialogue Group, which explored creative interaction and collaboration culminating in an exhibition at the Silvermine Art Center.
Meagher has received fellowships to the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and the Vermont Studio Center; and her work has been the subject of study at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. She is the author of “Nora,” a book of 12 drawings and 3 poems. She maintains a studio in Port Chester, New York.
Artist Statement
I mostly draw. I reach for charcoal, graphite, or grey pastels, allowing only an occasional hint of color. These tools unlock the creative process, their passage across paper a mirror to ephemeral emotions and memories. The process is intuitive. I am looking for inner connections, as well as visual harmony.
Charcoal on paper 19 x 22 inches $800
Charcoal on paper 22 x 30 inches $1,500
Charcoal on paper 22 x 30 inches
Charcoal on canvas 24 x 26 x 3 inches
Charcoal on paper, collage 17 x 24 inches $800
Charcoal on paper 30 x 22 inches $1,000
Peter Mendelson
About
Peter Mendelson is a Connecticut based artist specializing in fine art photography. Initially inspired by the New American Color school of the 1970s and the work of British photographer Martin Parr and Italian photographer Massimo Vitali. Over time, he developed his particular style, using perspective, light, and color to capture the psychological power of urban and coastal spaces, aiming to inspire viewers to re-imagine the world for themselves. Peter has participated in solo and group shows in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Illinois. His work can be found at Sorelle Gallery in Westport, CT and Jules Place Gallery in Boston, Massachusetts, and as well as in private collections throughout the US.
Artist Statement
My photography is foremost about bold color and composition, with the aim of not just recording, but revealing. In an attempt to perceive beyond the superficial, I often compose my photographs in a straightforward manner, stripping out the non-essential to expose what is fundamental about my subjects. Cultural artifacts, signs and structures that would often be overlooked form a core part of my subject mat
Robert Meyer
About
Robert has been sculpting and involved in the creative aspects of the art world for many years. As President of Meyer Design Associates, he created award winning annual reports and corporate communications for Fortune 500 companies throughout the Northeast and Chicago.He is a member of the Silvermine Guild of Artists, the Sculpture Guild and the New England Sculpture Society. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Colorado and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Rochester Insitute of Technology. He is a past Trustee and Executive Director of the Silvermine Arts Center in New Canaan, CT and a Founding Member of the Katherine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center.
Artist Statement
For me, my sculptures create a sense of calm. I know a sculpture is finished when that feeling comes over me. I once noticed a young woman at an opening had been sitting in front of one of my sculptures for 20 minutes or so. When I went over to introduce myself, she said she loved how calm it made her feel. “It was like meditating”. Perfect, but if someone has a different reaction to my sculpture, that’s fine. That’s the way it’s supposed to work.
Styrofoam, Cherry Wood, Plaster, Marble, Burlap. 22"H 19"W 5.5"D
Styrofoam, Plaster, Matchsticks, Twine. 23"H 12"W 5"D
Fabricated Steel from Styrofoam & Plaster Original 132"H
Styrofoam, Plaster. 15"H 22"W 7"D
Fabricated Steel, Aluminum. 25”H 21”W 7”D
Cast Bronze from Styrofoam & Plaster Original. 25"H 11"W 6"D
Toby Michaels
About
Toby Michaels began teaching 1st grade at Coleytown School in Westport, CT and later became art teacher in the Weston and Darien, CT elementary schools.
In 1978, she received her Masters Degree in Art Therapy and Counseling, initiating an Art Therapy program for Norwalk Hospital’s Department of Psychiatry where she practiced for 17 years. Michaels later moved on to lead art therapy groups at Silver Hill Hospital. At the same time, she was appointed Adjunct Professor of Art Therapy at Quinnipiac College in Hamden, CT.
Currently an award-winning full-time artist, Michaels is a member of Art/Place Gallery, Women’s Caucus for Art, Westport Arts Center, Fairfield Arts Center, Silvermine Guild of Art, and is represented in the Westport School’s Permanent Art Collection.
Media appearances include Cablevision’s “Creative Women Today” and the award-winning film “Years in the Making”, a documentary which celebrates late-life creativity.
Artist Statement
Going beyond the limits of logical thinking, my abstract paintings become spiritual and metaphysical adventures, inspiring me to inquire into the “unseen”, the endless cosmic and universal possibilities that give life to artistic expression.
Making art for me becomes a doorway into Self-Knowledge, allowing for a deep connection to a Higher Source, the basis of all creativity.
Duvian Montoya
About
a. 1975, Norwalk, CT; lives and works in Easton, CT.
Duvian Montoya’s early work has been described as “magical realism,” perhaps in part owing to the influence of author, and fellow Colombian, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Pieces from this time period focused on themes of immigration, Latin American identity in the U.S., and displacement.
In his current phase, Montoya has moved away from the intense stylization that characterized his early work. Newer pieces have an increased focus on technical skill and detailed imagery. His scenes are culled from some of the most banal moments in our every day life. This quietness allows Montoya to make surprising choices and subtle statements about the way we live our lives today.
Montoya’s work is actively collected by both public and private institutions, including the city of Norwalk, the city of New Haven, the Mattatuck Museum, Disney and Gulfstream Worldwide.
Artist Statement
Painting on a canvas shaped like an “app” on your phone I reference catalog pages and the letters they’ve used to identified objects of desire to represent the commodification of ourselves on our “created pages” of social media. Our glamorized self, which only lives on the internet and is void of true human characteristics (hence the natural elements being void and blank) is then monetized with likes, followers and “friends” that corporations then buy to turn our brand into a platform for their own goods and services. Through various scientific studies its been proven that these new brands of self form a false understanding of who we are and generate a sense of jealousy, hatred and envy in those that view them. Without real human interactions we risk the loss of true friendship and rely more on a matrix of misconceptions and false relationships by living behind a screen and/or app.
Oil on board 49 x 49 inches $5,799
Oil on board 49 x 49 inches Private collection
Graphite on watercolor paper 13 x 13 inches $649
Guache on watercolor paper 14 x 14 inches $1,099
Graphite on watercolor paper 13 x 13 inches $649
Oil ink on watercolor paper 13 x 13 inches $549
Nancy Moore
About
There are many ways to unlock parts of ourselves. For me, the key was a box of crayons. In 1998 I treated myself to a deluxe 96-pack of Crayolas. I opened the lid, and the scent transported me to the floor of my childhood playroom, where I spent hours drawing. The smell and feel of those crayons, coupled with my reverence for nature, led me to paint my first series of “self-portrait” chameleons, the idea being that women continually shed and grow new skins in order to fill many different roles. In 2006 I was invited to show these paintings at Yale University’s Environmental Sciences Center, part of the Peabody Museum, a show that remained there for the entire year.
Today my mixed-media paintings on paper have strayed far from animal subjects and into other realms, and the materials I use have expanded to include gouache, watercolor, wax crayon, colored pencil, metallic paint, graphite, ink, encaustic, and woodburner. These artworks, along with my limited-edition giclee prints, hang in homes from Vermont to California, and I have exhibited widely in galleries, museums, universities, and other public institutions.
I’m an artist member of the Silvermine Guild in of Artists in New Canaan and the Ridgefield Guild of Artists. If you’d like to see more of my artwork, please explore my website: www.nancymooreart.com
Artist Statement
The idea of transformation continues to fascinate me: transformation of materials into images, of words into art, of male into female, of animal into landscape, of pattern into nature. I’m now deeply involved in creating an “Unconventional Women” series, large paintings that depict women who are not beautiful in the conventional sense, women who are not doing conventional things. I’ve added a “Gender Warrior” series of woodcuts to my portfolio, and I’m creating fiber art, knitting a series of “Blanket Statements”: baby blankets on which I’ve stitched messages about gender identity and expectation.
Lina Morielli
About
Lina Morielli was born in Montreal, Canada and grew up in Darien, Connecticut. Her experience in art and design includes studies at Parsons School of Design and three decades in New York City designing and editing crafts for Woman’s Day and Family Circle magazines among others. This background in craft informs the tactile nature of her studio practice where, Morielli explains, the “immediacy of materials…help me access and express my ideas quickly.” Morielli’s work has been exhibited widely in Fairfield County, Connecticut and also throughout Westchester County, NY. Her work has also has been featured in solo exhibitions in New York and Los Angeles. Her paintings and mixed media art is in over one-hundred private collections and has been permanently exhibited in public spaces as part of the Connecticut One Percent for Art Collection as well as at area hospitals and universities and public buildings including: Yale Medical Center, Bridgeport, CT; Stamford Hospital; the State Superior Court House; and Sacred Heart University, College of Education and Healthcare. Visit her website LinaMorielli.com
Artist Statement
I am interested in the subconscious, memories that resurface, trauma that lingers and most importantly time as we live and work in the present and how global events can shape artistic expression. I incorporate symbols and markings that evolve along side my materials that create a unique visual language that captures the essence of a 50 year journey. The process of self expression reflects an ongoing dialogue between my inner world and external influences. This process of artistic evolution is a testament to the power of creativity as a mirror to our lived experiences. Visit her website www.LinaMorielli.com
18 x 18
30 x 30
24 x 24
18 x 18
Susan Murray
About
Over the years I have explored and worked in a variety of art related fields - photography, printing, graphic design, computer illustration, set design, and decorative painting. As a self taught artist, I learned each craft by diving in and immersing myself in a medium, striving to master each, and discovering that there is always more to learn!
For the past ten years, I have been a principal partner in my art business, Finished With Style, LLC. Creating fine decorative finishes and hand painted furniture for homes and businesses throughout the North East.
Recently, a renowned person in the art world gave me a great compliment by calling my fine artwork as “artistic alchemy”. I believe it is because of my constant experimentation and exploration of reactive mediums and the use of light to create one of a kind, original works of art.
Artist Statement
My artwork is a subjective form of thought. It brings my vision into the light that speaks from my soul. My goal is the constant pursuit of provoking emotions through the visual. Playing with the use of light, vibrant colors, reactions, distractions, and illusions allows one to question not only what it is, but how it came to be.
“The Magic of Calm” Mixed media on canvas 41 x 49 inches framed $2,600.00
“The Magic of Calm" Detail
Cynthia Mullins
About
Cynthia K. Mullins, an award-winning Connecticut painter, enjoys painting a range of subjects. Drawn to landscapes, still life and “closely cropped” florals she paints au plein air or in her studio. Her work has a blueprint of reality transmuted by her own sensibility and creative decisions. Whether painting abstractly or staying close to natural scenes, she infuses her own energy and invites the viewer to engage in their own experience.
Ms. Mullins has exhibited her work in many solo, juried and group shows in such venues as the Nylen Gallery in Westport, the Carriage Barn Arts Center Gallery in New Canaan, The Merritt Parkway Museum in Stratford, The Lockwood-Mathews Museum in Norwalk, Rockwell Gallery in Ridgefield, the Gallery in the Park at Pound Ridge Reservation in New York and the sylvia wald + po kim art gallery in New York City. Ms. Mullins is regionally known for her Merritt Parkway series. She has won numerous awards for her oils and pastels including an Award for Excellence, given by New York Times art critic and writer Benjamin Genocchio, at the Ridgefield Guild of Artists 31st Juried Exhibition.
Ms. Mullins’ painting roots run deep as she is the great, great granddaughter of renowned Hudson Valley River School painter Aaron Draper Shattuck and, of the same school, the great, great grand niece of Samuel Colman. Currently, she sits on the board of the Ridgefield Guild of Artists as Secretary and Co-Creative Director and designs and installs shows for galleries and individuals. www.cindimullins.com
Artist Statement
I experience a certain degree of difficulty when writing an artist statement since I believe that a lot of what comes out me is not totally conscious but a spontaneous outpouring of personal interpretation, deliberation and continuing adjustment between painting and artist. I do adhere to a certain amount of known painting techniques that I have learned and developed over time, but the end result is a mix of that knowledge and whatever flows out of me.
My work has a blue print of reality transmuted with my own sensibility and creative decision whether working more abstractly or staying close to natural scenes. I am not interested in a literal depiction of what I see although I almost always seek inspiration from either one of my photographs, a still life set up or painting outside en plein air. With visual information I make decisions as to composition, color, style, focus and so on. For me, there is a definite dance, or interaction between the emerging painting and myself. Back and forth, one informs the other as the artwork forms.
I have great affection for and love to view this world finding much of it beautiful. I think one can paint almost anything and make some enchantment. Overall, I think that’s a major goal of mine.
Oil on linen 24 x 24 inches $1,700
Oil on board 24 x 18 inches $1,500
Oil on board 24 x 18 inches $1,500
Oil on canvas 36 x 36 inches $2,900
Oil on aluminum board 12 x 24 inches $1,150
Oil over watercolor sealed 18 x 24 inches $1,250