Members of the Plainsboro Library’s Artists’ Group present “Local Color,” an annual exhibit featuring drawing, painting, dyes, recycled art, sculpture, mosaic, and mixed media. A reception will be held on Sunday, September 27, from 2 to 4 p.m., where each of the 33 exhibiting artists will cast their vote for a fellow artist to win the “Best in Show.” The exhibit runs through Tuesday, September 29.
“As in every artists’ group show, the members bring their individual expertise in various mediums and their unique viewpoints as well,” says Donna Senopoulos, the director of the library, a member of the group, and a resident of Plainsboro. “This results in a collection of art that is eye-opening and inspirational; it gives the entire group — and all art lovers — the opportunity to see the different possibilities in interpreting a given theme, and it encourages us to try new things. It is fun as well.”
Artists from the West Windsor and Plainsboro area include Liz Adams, Leena Thakar-Bagawde, Susan Freeman, Patrick Goldsmith, Olivia Helck, Timothy Helck, Lavinia Kumar, Kathleen Liao, Sandhya Modi, Julia Pankratova, Maria Pisano, Sheela Raj, Murali Sappa, Donna Senopoulos, Tatiana Sougakova, Marcia Tavares, and Sladjana Vasic.
Viewers can see paintings of local scenery such as Julia Pankratova’s “Princeton Fall” and mixed media such as Liz Adams’ “The Preserve,” which uses dyes made from plant sources at the Plainsboro Preserve.
Finding new or unusual resources doesn’t stop there, as evidenced by Marcia Tavares’ painting with coffee, “Driving By.” Several pieces focus on color itself, as in Maria Pisano’s “Fall Leaves I” and Sladjana Vasic’s “Exploring Green.” Another celebration of color is Patti Amor’s “Koi” — a lazy susan crafted from glass and tile mosaics. Entries also run to the abstract, and include “Local Tonality: In Harmony,” a mixed media drawing by Kathleen Liao. Gallery visitors can see a 3D representation of our local farms including Leena Thakar-Bagawde’s “Harvest Season.”
“Exhibiting artists were also given the option to write notes or poetry about their work, in homage to the literary term, local color — loosely defined as writing derived from the features of a certain place or from its inhabitants,” says Senopoulos. Accompanying some of the artworks are Nancy Scott’s Adoption Match Party and Art Lee’s Pockets Full of Local Color. Donna Senopoulos’ “A Day at the Beach” is a watercolor that incorporates journal notes. Liz Adams jots down her notes on the dyes from the Preserve, and Patrick Goldsmith presents “Earth Squared,” a mixed media collage on a beer carton with commentary on protecting our environment.
Also exhibiting are artists Elizabeth Peck from Princeton, Russ Rice from Cranbury, Susan Berke from East Windsor, Nancy Scott from Lawrenceville, Art Lee and Aarti Mantri from Monmouth Junction, Joelle Hofbauer and Mohanan Jayamohan from Kendall Park, Elaine Rosenberg from North Brunswick, Lynn Cheng Varga from Yardville, and Patti Amor, Thelma Fried, Marilyn Holland, Lonni Merrill, Annette Newmark, and Evie Sutkowski from Monroe.
The Plainsboro Library Artists’ Group is open to all area adult artists, professional and amateur, and provides an opportunity to critique artwork and to network. The group meets on the first Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the library.
Art Exhibit, Plainsboro Public Library, 9 Van Doren Street, Plainsboro. Sunday, September 27, 2 to 4 p.m. Closing reception for “Local Color,” an exhibit of drawings, paintings, recycled art, sculpture, mixed media, and more created by members of the Plainsboro Library’s Artists’ Group. On view to September 29. 609-275-2897. www.lmxac.org/plainsboro.
