For the month of October The Friends of the Glen Rock Public Library Gallery are proud to present Kortez, a visual artist and DJ who calls his work “Esoteric Urbanism".
A graduate of the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts, his wide-ranging artwork includes mixed-media collage, drawing, painting, sculpture, print-making, jewelry, graphic design, photography and fashion. His expressive portraits and abstract work spring from sources including graffiti, African, underground DJ culture and social commentary. Recent exhibitions of his work include The Bridge Arts Gallery (formerly in Bayonne), Akwaaba Gallery (Newark), the Newark Museum and the Montclair Art Museum. He currently works as an independent artist, shows his art, and DJs via the artist collective Gathering of Tribes.
The Friends of the Glen Rock Public Library are proud to present Clifton artist Michael Gabriele, for an exhibition of his landscape and still life pastels during the month of September. The exhibit’s opening reception will be held on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2-4 p.m.
The exhibition and opening reception at the Glen Rock Public Library are free and open to the public. The exhibition is curated by the Friends of the Glen Rock Public Library, and runs through Saturday, Sept. 28.
Gabriele has displayed his artwork at galleries, libraries and museums for over 35 years. He’s a member of the executive board of Allied Artists of America, New York, the executive board of the Nutley Historical Society, and serves as the president of the Clifton Arts Center’s advisory board.
For the months of July and August, The Gallery at the Glen Rock Public Library welcomes the photography of Glen Rock’s own, Simon Toffell. The exhibition will include photographs from throughout Glen Rock and surrounding areas, spanning his photography career.
A lifelong resident of Glen Rock, Simon Toffell taught himself photography ten years ago. Since then he has honed his photography skills in many different ways, including long-exposure and night photography. In 2020, Mayor Kristine Morieko recognized Simon as the official Borough Photographer, and in 2022 he was declared a hometown hero- with his own namesake day!
June Gallery group show “Tuesday Painters”
For the month of June, the Friends of the Glen Rock Public Library welcome “The Tuesday Painters”, a non-profit group of local artists who enjoy painting together. The artists hail from Bergen and Passaic Counties, NJ and Rockland County, NY. Artwork by Mike Bertelli, Pamela Leggate, Marlene Basile, Debby Allian, Liz O’Leary, Gerry Bird, Sharon Belinsky, Jean Boyle, Linda Marks, Mary Walker-Baptiste, Sandy Piatti, Etti Aslan, Rose Scaglione, Bob Lockhart, Frances DeBartolo, Lynn Massey and Julia Gabriele. The group was founded by well-known artist and teacher, Billie Samuelson.
The “Tuesday Painters” meet every TUESDAY from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. From September through June, at the Trinity Episcopal Church, 55 George St., Allendale, NJ. New members are very welcome. Once a month they have a live model for figure drawing, and twice a year they have a critique of the members work followed by a luncheon. All the artists share their talent and skills with each other.
For more information contact:
Linda Marks: 973-962-6550
e-mail: lininlog@optonline.net
For the month of May, The Friends of the Glen Rock Public Library Gallery will feature the photography of Glen Rock High School students, lead by teacher Mara Siegel.
The show includes ‘Honors Photo Solo Exhibition’ featuring Marina Martell. In her words “My goal has always been to create photography in a way that combines my point of view with the beauty of the world around me.”
In ‘Capturing Moments through the Art of Shutterspeed’, student photographers Ally Zamparelli, Maya Bickel, Brady Morin, Tyler Brassil and Rose McGoey “developed an appreciation for photography's technical and artistic aspects.” Photography teacher Mara Siegel also noted, “They gained valuable skills in experimentation, analysis, and creative expression that will benefit them in their future photographic pursuits”.
Diane Nafash’s “Sylvan Moments,” a collection of experimental photography, hand pulled lithography and contemporary printmaking with watercolor brings a sense of enlightenment, rewarding those who take a careful look at her imagery. Along with feelings of peace and joy, there is a sense of “lifting up” and “reaching out” that directly engages the viewer.
For most of his life, George Krane lived in Russia and pursued a career in engineering. However, he always had a love for the arts. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, he immigrated to the United States with his family and settled in Waldwick, NJ. It was then that his childhood interest in artist stamps inspired him to start painting on canvas. After years of experimenting with various techniques and materials, George created over 150 original pieces. A collection of his works is on view through April 2019 at the Glen Rock Public Library.
John Dunic, our featured artist this month, is a Bergen County artist formally trained at the School of Visual Arts in NYC with a master’s degree of fine arts from William Paterson University. Dunic paints in a variety of styles including cubism, expressionism, and futurism. Recent awards include Ringwood Manor, Bergen County Arts in the Park, and St. Catherine’s of Bologna.
“Springboard” - the collective name of a diverse group of local artists - exhibits their latest artwork at the Glen Rock Library including botanical drawings, abstracts, plein air landscapes, and expressionist paintings that cover a wide range of subjects. The members of Springboard meet monthly to encourage, critique, and support each other in their artistic pursuits.
This month’s featured artist is Dr. Joy Yoo. Painting outdoors enables Dr. Yoo to express the spontaneity and emotion of the moment by capturing wind, clouds, air, light, and shadow. Most of the oil paintings on exhibition at the library were created during her trip last month to the Canadian Rockies. One exception is “The Village Christmas Tree” which was selected by Ridgewood, NJ’s art council to be included in their latest fundraising note cards. In addition to painting, Dr. Yoo practices dentistry at her Ridgewood, NJ Office.
Peter Grad, a Ridgewood, NJ photographer, has been capturing images for more than a dozen years, often returning to the same spots time and time again. Inspired by parks and gardens throughout Bergen County and New York City, Grad states: “The park is a tapestry, a chromatic continuum providing an infinite palette of both brilliant and subtle hues that, waiting to be captured, can never be duplicated.”
