art

It was a bigger project than he anticipated but artist Kevin Feary said he got a lot of enjoyment out of meeting a group of residents of the Premier Genesee Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Batavia so he could paint their portraits.

"The original plan was 'I'm going to be able to do this in three or four months,' " Feary said. "Well, that was a joke because I couldn't."

He expected each portrait to take just a few hours. Some of them took 20 hours to complete and that didn't include the time spent getting to know his subjects.

"I came in to meet them, got to know them, even interviewed them, say a little bit, took some notes, because it is really good to know as much as you can about somebody to get their likeness," Feary said. "I think for me it's even more important to know something about you than to just look at you and try to paint your shapes. I know that I can get it to look like you, but I think that if I knew more about you I can get the essence of you."

When Feary isn't painting, and besides this project, he has carried on with his other art projects. He lives in Batavia and works in construction.

The idea for the project came to Feary while working on a committee at GO ART! to evaluate Ripple Grant applications. He said he found some of the ideas in the applications pretty mediocre and he thought he could do better and one day he told Heather Grant, staff at GO ART!, that maybe he should paint portraits of residents at the nursing home.

Then he kind of forgot about the idea until one day Heather Grant called him and asked if he wanted to apply for a Ripple Grant himself to paint those portraits. He hesitated.

"I thought, 'am I ready for this?' Is this something I can really actually go do?' "

Then he said yes and asked about the deadline.

"Tomorrow."

"I don't know how it goes with most artists but for me, I'm not the flamboyant Picasso, 'I am the greatest,' " he said. "I second guess myself all the time. So I didn't want to say yes I could do something that I didn't know if I could pull off. So I said, 'Well, OK, yeah, I'll apply.' "

When Feary started on the project, staff directed him to the memory unit.

"I came in a couple of times without even thinking about painting," Feary said. "(I came in) just to get to know some people. I remember coming in and Cindy -- I don't remember her last name -- was the aide there. This woman had a heart of gold. You could see a great patience in her. There is a lot to learn just from watching her and the residents. They all seemed pretty happy. I mean, they really seemed happy.

"I would go in one day and play crazy (eights) with them," he continued. "That was the big game that we played and then maybe have a snack. They would figure out who I was going to paint and then I would come in the next day and they would be a huge table playing crazy eights and I would be in the next room over and somebody was in a chair while I painted."

When he started meeting with residents of the nursing home, some at first were eager to get their portrait painted. Some changed their minds when it came right down to it. And some were wary of the whole idea altogether.

"It's amazing that some of them were, you know, afraid, or apprehensive at least, to have this done for whatever the reasons are," Feary said.

The project got interrupted when Feary had to take a break for medical reasons. When he got back, the first portrait he did wasn't of the person he was scheduled to paint because she changed her mind.

So, Feary just hung out for awhile and as he sat next to one of the residents, Cindy came up and asked her if she would like her portrait painted.

"She goes, 'how much is it going to cost?' " Feary recalled. Cindy told her it is free. "You don't have to pay anything," so the woman replys, "Can we start right now?"

Feary thought, "Great, I've already blown an hour."

After working on the portrait until it was nearly finished, it was time for him to leave, so he showed it to this woman.

Her disappointment was obvious.

"Well I'm just scornful," she said.

"I felt so bad," Feary said. "That's not why I'm here. I thought to myself, 'that's not what this is about. I can't let that happen again."

After that, Feary would only do a preliminary painting, just one color, while in the home, and then he would take a photo back to his studio and finish the portrait there.

Feary is an experienced, accomplished, award-winning artist, but that doesn't mean there still aren't things to learn and the nursing home project proved also to be a great learning experience. For those who view the portraits in the order he painted them, the progress in how he handled light is apparent.

That is one of the reasons Feary took on the project, to make and see that kind of progress.

Above, he's holding one of the final paintings, of Agnes, and nearly everybody picks it out as their favorite of the collection.

"The thing with her is I could see she was genuinely kind and she just had, you could just feel, the happiness about her," Feary said.

The idea for the project, as Feary said, popped into his head while judging Ripple Grants. That process could have sparked a lot of ideas, so when asked why portraits and the nursing home, Feary said, I don't know where it came from. I don't have a good answer for that."

He said he just thought it would be good for the residents of the nursing home.

"I know that a lot of these people don't get visitors," Feary said. "So I thought that I want to bring a little joy or happiness to these people. That was kind of the idea for the project. Then, also, for them to have a keepsake or the family to have a keepsake."

Photos by Howard Owens except for bottom photo, which was submitted by Premier Genesee.

The Batavia Society of Artists opened its annual spring show at the Richmond Memorial Library.

Tessa Lynn, a resident of Batavia, received Virginia Carr-Mumford Scholarship.

Lynn believes art is the culmination of all of human history and like art of the ancient past, she tries to focus on visual stories that may inspire a more considerate future. After attending Genesee Community College, she plans to pursue a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts. Eventually, she would like to illustrate books.

"My hope is to always keep creating art," she said. "I don't believe that there is ever a point where a creator should stop learning, even after years of practice and observation. My artist journey has only just begun."

Brian Kemp won first place in the member's competition.

Karen Crittenden, second place.

Third place went to Nicole Tamfer.

Sometime in the 1940s, Leslie Krajeski's uncle purchased three oil-on-canvas portraits of people who were once prominent citizens in Genesee County -- Alfred Cary, and James and Susan Kelsey. The artist did not sign the portraits.

Alfred Cary was a brother of Trumbull Cary, Batavia's original postmaster and founder of the Bank of Genesee. He was born in Connecticut in 1777 and died in Batavia in 1855. He donated the land in Oakfield for the former Cary Seminary. James and Susan Kelsey were residents of Alexander and were associated with the Genesee Wyoming Seminary, which opened in Alexander in 1845.  

Krajeski called The Batavian after we did a piece about Noah North, a mid-19th century portrait artist from Alexander who painted portraits primarily in 1830s and 1840s in Genesee County and in Ohio. She wondered if these portraits could have been by North.

The portraits, however, do not seem to match the style of North. North was known as a folk artist. His style was flat and spare. Also, he painted primarily on wood. These portraits, on canvas, include backgrounds and shadows and details not visible in the North paintings available for comparison.

So, does anybody know who might have painted these portraits?

UPDATE 10 p.m.: Oops, Trumbull was not the first postmaster.  City Historian Larry Barnes provides this: " James Brisbane, appointed July 21, 1802, was the first.  Trumbull Cary came to Batavia in 1805 as an 18-yr-old teenager.  He was not appointed to the postmaster position until 1815.  However, there is a twist to the story.  Although Trumbull was not the official postmaster until 1815, in practice he discharged the duties of a postmaster beginning in 1805 when he worked as a clerk first for James Brisbane and later for his brother, Ebenezer Cary.  Ebenezer was the first official postmaster after James Brisbane."

This is a painting by Noah North of Oliver Vaughn, a resident of Darien who died at age 14 in 1833.

I stopped by to see it today at the Holland Land Office Museum because until a few days ago, I hadn't heard of North, who, it turns out, is a painter from Alexander of some minor national renown. His name has never come up before, at least in my presence, in any discussion of local artists.

The painting of Vaughn is one of North's earliest when he was still being trained by M.W. Hopkins, of Albion.

He is recognized among collectors and art historians as a folk portrait artist (also called "naive" or "primitive"). 

He relocated to Ohio where he continued to pursue his portrait career and then returned to WNY, married a woman from Darien, and settled in Mt. Morris, where he eventually adapted to the new medium of photography (working in daguerreotype).

Within the region, North's work can also be seen at the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester and the Genesee Country Museum in Mumford. His work is also in the collections of the National Gallery of Art, the Museum of Folk Art, and the Shelbourne Museum in Vermont.

For the next four hours, one of his paintings is available on eBay for $9,000.

Submitted photos and press release:

In 2014, the owners of the Village Bakery & Café in Downtown Rochester contacted Karen (Todd) Flack to paint a mural to illustrate their fresh food philosophy which boasts local farm products, produce and free-range eggs.

Flack was excited about the project and she developed a farm scene stretching across nearly a full wall in the Café. The 10' x 25' painting features the sun rising behind mountains that edge a farm with chickens, a cow, trees, a wagon, fields and flowers and a banner that reads: "It's not just what we use. It's what we don't." Patrons have been enjoying the mural for nearly four years since her original artwork was developed.

An adjunct Art teacher at Genesee Community College, Flack teaches all of her students to do their homework and use a variety of resources to maximize the impact of a visual assignment. In fact, she collected approximately 150 images for visual reference while doing the Village Bakery & Café painting. In her 10 years of teaching at GCC, Flack has enjoyed teaching students of all ages.

She has also worked various art restoration projects and architectural conservation projects including assignments in the Senator's Mansion in Churchville, The First Universalist Church in Rochester, and privately owned works by artists such as Andy Warhol and Ramon Santiago. She also designed the commemorative button for the Second Annual Orleans County Heritage Festival in 2017.

As both an artist and educator, Flack was recently honored when she discovered the mural in the Village Bakery & Café was being used as a reference by R.I.T. graduate student, Kelly Ryan in a teaching unit for a seventh-grade studio art class at The Harley School in Brighton.

The unit Ryan developed teaches students about effective use of the foreground, middle ground and background to develop great compositions, how to foster creativity and apply acrylic painting techniques. The farm-scape unit included a guest artist session where Ryan's students met Flack to discuss not only the mural, but the students' artwork, as well.

"I was so impressed seeing all of the pieces these young budding artists created using my work as inspiration," Flack said. "Most artists hope their work inspires or educates and it was humbling to see it first-hand in these students." 

Ryan's unit also served to illustrate the various careers available to artists.

"With each unit I teach, I work hard to make sure my students see the opportunities their learning and skills can produce," Ryan said. "Having Karen come into the classroom created a real-world connection for the students that demonstrated how art can be used to communicate messages, in this case the farm to table concept, to the community through a social context.

"The farm-scape unit culminated with a student art exhibit at the Village Bakery & Café. The public display really drove the students to produce their very best work."

Flack's mural, which was one of four nominated for the Best Mural in Rochester in 2014 is visible at the Village Bakery & Café at the Armory, located at 145 Culver Road in the City of Rochester.

To appreciate Flack's additional creativity in arts go to her website here, which features a video of her playing her violin or "fiddle" as a guest appearance with the Marshall Tucker Band at the Rochester Lilac Festival, and also her work at the Perry Chalk Art Festival where she won first place in 2016 and was the featured artist in 2017.

(In addition to the Culver Road location in Rochester, Village Bakery & Cafe has two other sites: in the Eastview Mall in the Town of Victor; and in the Village of Pittsford.)

Press release:

The fourth ARTiculations Ability Exhibition® -- a forum for artists with disabilities in Genesee, Wyoming and Orleans counties to display their work publicly -- will open at Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) in Batavia on Tuesday, April 3.

Titled "Life, Lines & Light," it features the work of Beth Allen, DMV, a veterinarian and mental health activist, whose photographs of animals, plants and beautiful landscapes, mostly in Genesee County, depict inspirations from her own life journey.

A product of a partnership between ILGR and the University Heights Arts Association (UHAA), the Exhibit will be on display through June 22^th.

The Opening Reception, is Friday, April 13th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at ILGR’s office, 113 Main St., Suite 5, in Batavia. Allen will be handing out a few of the photo postcards she has created for sharing as Door Prizes at the Reception.

An amateur photographer who picked up the hobby from her mother, Allen found the "mindfulness" she employs when taking pictures to be soothing for her mental health issues, and useful in the support groups she facilitates, so she has dubbed the process "Mindful Moments."

Other artists with disabilities residing in the Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties are encouraged to submit their work to this juried competition, as there will be additional ARTiculations® planned quarterly exhibits in the future.

For more than a year, ILGR has been “art partnering” for people with disabilities with the UHAA, a group of artists in North Buffalo with a commitment to community that places art in businesses and nonprofits through an established ARTpartnering program.

The organizers are pleased to note that the ARTiculations Ability Exhibitions® have “mapped” into UHAA’s system by placing a plaque with a Quick Response (QR) code scatter bar graph that can bring up information about it when scanned by your smart phone.

For questions on the event, please call Bridget Mosman at (585) 815-8501, ext. 400.

Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) is a member of the Western New York Independent Living Inc. family of agencies that offers an expanding array of services to aid individuals with disabilities to take control of their own lives.

Is there anything better than the feeling of working with your hands? Of crafting, creating, and unleashing your creativity? We think not. March is Arts Awareness Month in Genesee County, so there’s no better time to get crafty!

Whether you want to dig in and create something yourself, or be inspired by those who do, we’ve rounded up the best places in Genesee County to celebrate art, artists and Arts Awareness Month.

1. GO ART! The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council, a.k.a. GO ART!, is a community organization that promotes art and culture and provides a range of opportunities for new and local artists. They’re also the sponsor of Arts Awareness Month! Since 1962, GO ART has been dedicated to the growth and promotion of artists and making art an integral part of everyday life. They hold classes, exhibitions, educational seminars and more. Check out their call for artists, classes and events, and more on their website.
2. Fired Up Ready to Paint Ceramics.  Located on Ellicott Street, Fired Up is the go-to place for all your ceramics needs. Stop by and paint a squirrel, elephant, plate, or whatever strikes your fancy! All ceramics are handmade by the owners in their home and brought to the shop for your painting pleasure. Guests are welcome to stay and paint or take the item home to decorate there. You can also bring your own paints, so each color is just right.
3. Art Ah La Carte. Art Ah La Carte is a teaching studio and art gallery committed to learning in an entertaining environment for all ages- because you’re never too old to be an artist! The studio specializes in a variety of art mediums to explore methods in acrylics, chalks, pastels, oil and watercolor paints. They offer group and individual art lessons, paint parties, sip and paint nights and more!
4. Neighborhood Art House. Located on Walnut Street, Neighborhood Art House is a studio and shop offering classes, workshops, paint and sips, paint your own ceramics and more- they really are a “one-stop art shop”. Whether you’re looking to attend a class or schedule your own, Neighborhood Art House is the place to go. 
5. Country Cottage. A hidden gem tucked off Route 20, Country Cottage is chock full of unique gifts and handmade decorative items. Stop by and unleash your whimsical side as your browse through the aisles. Almost everything you’ll find is handmade with care by artisans, and there’s always time for a stop at the pond out back.   
6. Karen’s Yarn, Paper, Scissors. If yarn is your preferred method of crafting, Karen’s is the perfect place for you. Stocked with yarn beyond any knitter’s wildest dreams, Karen’s hosts how-to classes for crocheting, as well as wreathes, painting and more.

With so many great places to get crafty, there’s no better time to stop by one – or all – of Genesee County’s great studios and shops. Classes, events and exhibits can be found on the Genesee County website year-round, so gather up your smocks, brushes and favorite paints colors and have fun!

Batavia City school administrators and teachers presented art awards Friday evening to students at the Richmond Memorial Library in the district's annual art show. The student art will be on display at the library for the remainder of the month.

GO ART! hosted the opening of its annual juried art show Thursday night at Seymore Place in Batavia.

Top prize this year was awarded to Alex Sergovia for his painting (top photo) Celestial Blues. Sergovia could not be present at the opening last night.

The work displayed was selected from numerous entries by the jury, which also selected the winning entry.

Above sits Artist David Burke. His three paintings are the tree on the left, and the two paintings above him on the right.

The Fine Arts program at Genesee Community College is proud to welcome the entire community to the Roz Steiner Art Gallery at the Batavia Campus to experience this year's student exhibit, "Master Peace," on display from March 1 - April 6.

The "Master Peace" exhibit will begin with artist receptions from 12:30 to 2 p.m. and again from 5 - 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 1; the public is invited to meet the artists and explore the exhibit's debut.

Entitled "Master Peace," this exhibition showcases artwork recently produced by students enrolled in Fine Arts courses at Genesee Community College. Each piece is crafted for a specific class project reflecting a range of the course's learning objectives challenging students to use their fundamental learning and refined technical skills to create pieces that communicate and express their concepts and messages.

The exhibit includes artwork produced in GCC's Two and Three-Dimensional Design, Drawing I & II, Painting I & II, and Ceramics I & II courses.

"The student exhibits are a time for students to celebrate their achievements and show off their accomplishments," says Art Gallery Coordinator Mary Jo Whitman. "This year's exhibit features a range of diverse and exceptional artwork. I am looking forward to the exhibit's opening and for our community to have the opportunity to view the artwork created by our talented students at GCC."

Roz Steiner Art Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information on all upcoming events at the Roz Steiner Art Gallery visit www.genesee/edu/gallery.

The above work by Alex Segovia is entitled "A New Beginning."

Submitted photo and press release:

"The Kite Boy" -- An Acrylic Exhibit by Alex Segovia will be displayed in the Oliver’s Gallery in the Seymour Dining Room at GO ART! in Downtown Batavia now through April 7.

There will be an artist's reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, April 15.

Segovia writes: "I was born September 4th, 1970, in El Salvador, Central America. I come from a very humble poor family. We were cotton pickers. I had a wonderful childhood, in spite of having limited resources and also my country having a civil war, that lasted 12 years.

"I was good at drawing, writing and making kites. Sometimes kids would come up to buy from me drawings and kites. I do not have any education in arts, but I did finish (high school) and since I went to an American school, by 14 years old, I was already speaking English.

"The 2 most important jobs I've held in my life, (are) making furniture and being part of an NGO that did social work in poor communities. Since most people don't make much money in my country, and I wasn't the exception, I could not buy the proper materials for painting. It was until I came to the U.S. that I eventually started drawing and painting."

GO ART!  201 E.  Main St.   Batavia, NY 14020

Gallery Hours: Thursday, Friday 11-7 / Saturday 11-4 / Second Sunday 11-2

585-343-9313
www.goart.org

Press release:

The Arc of Genesee Orleans will again be presenting an Art Show & Film Festival in celebration of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.

It will be held Saturday, March 17 at the GCC Stuart Steiner Theatre located on 1 College Drive, Batavia.

There will be a collection of artwork created by individuals served at the Arc of Genesee Orleans on display in the foyer at Stuart Steiner Theatre. You will have an opportunity to meet and talk with the artists from 12:30 to 1 p.m. and the Sprout film screening will begin at 1 o'clock.

You can enter to win a beautiful framed work of art courtesy of an artist served by the Arc of Genesee Orleans. Admission is free.

For more informatiom, contact Shelley Falitico at 343-4203 or visit arcgo.org

Press release:

GO ART! is offering the opportunity to participate in the Second Annual Juried Show. The theme is "ELEMENTAL." You can interpret it any way you would like. Any Media. No larger than 3'x3'.

Submissions will be accepted March 1-3.

The exhibit will hang from March 8 - May 5. The reception will be held on March 15, 6-8 p.m. Cash awards will be distributed at that time.

The awards will be based on the amount received from the submission fees.

GO ART! Members may submit up to 5 works for $30. $5 for each additional piece.
Non-members may submit up to 3 works for $30. $5 for each additional piece.

Contracts may be found at www.goart.org/galleries

More than 25 years ago, artist Michael Price started on a journey to unravel the mysteries of the great painters of the Renaissance, starting with how they used stones and crystals -- called pigments -- to create the colors they brush onto canvas.

In the 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries there were no tubes of paint.

As Price suggests, painters were the better for it.

No tube of paint can match the luster of ultramarine derived from lapis lazuli, nor the luminance of gray created by grinding stones into the powder and mixing the powder with oil, Price said during a lecture Thursday afternoon in the Roz Steiner Art Gallery at Genesee Community College.

Through the middle of next month, a collection paintings by Price, in a show called "The Chromatic Nude," display what Price has done using Renaissance techniques applied to more contemporary subjects.

Price's work isn't just a matter of using pigment-based paint for his work. He's also studied the geometry of Renaissance arts and applies the Golden Rectangle and Golden Proportions to his own work.

He's written a two-volume book, as well, on these subjects, called "Renaissance Mysteries."

Price, a resident of New York City, is originally from Stoke-on-Trent, England, and he attended the London Central School of Art and Design and Stoke-on-Trent College of Art. He has exhibited worldwide, including solo shows in the Post Gallery in Houston, Texas, Galerie Poller in Frankfurt, Germany, and David Findlay Galleries in New York City.

The YouTube video below covers the same material as Price presented in his lecture at GCC.

Chromatic Improvisation #9: Echo Discovers Her Echo

Chromatic Improvisation #7: Remembrance of Things Past

This is an example of pigments and tools that would have been used by a Renaissance artist -- or more precisely, the apprentice of the artist -- to make paints. From the website of Michael Price.

Artist and musician Chris Humel was featured in an opening art show reception at Independent Living of the Genesee Region at 113 Main St., Batavia, on Friday night.

Titled "8 X 10," the show features the work of Humel, who uses intensely hued acrylics, to depict postage stamps and other mail-related themes. Twenty years ago, he co-founded the still-active band BC Psychos. 

"I am a person with disabilities," Humel said. "I am 55 years old. I have been battling schizophrenia and related depressing problems for most of my life. My work is about breaking out of isolation and 'going postal' in a good way, by making contact with artists, writers and through the Post Office."

This is the third show in the series of the ARTiculations Ability Exhibition sponsored by ILGR and the University Heights Arts Association. The goal is to help artists with disabilities reach a wider audience. The association has a program to place art on the walls of local businesses and nonprofits.

Together they are looking to reach more artists with disabilities and feature them in art shows. ILGR serves Genesee, Wyoming, and Orleans counties.

"This gives them a venue for their art in the community," said Rae Frank, director of ILGR.

The partnership with University Heights helps integrate artists with disabilities into the wider artists' community, said Mary Ouimette-Kinney, cofounder of the association.

"It doesn't matter if somebody is in a wheelchair or has PTSD, we just want to make sure that people who are interested in art and would like for their art to be seen to put their art on walls," Ouimette-Kinney said.

Mary Kate, of Buffalo, with a postcard she made at last night's show. Humel has created a handmade postcard program for people to share with each other through the postal mail.

An opening reception was held at GO Art! last night for a show by artist Sean Madden.

Madden's work is recognized throughout Western New York. He is a teacher at Byron-Bergen High School.

Madden's early influences were Ernst Fuchs and Salvador Dali. He as also influenced by the psychedelic-era work of Robert Crumb, Robert Williams, and S. Clay Wilson.

In the paintings on display, Madden mixes well-executed realism with surrealism and his wild imagination and love of color.

The show runs through March 2.