WEST ORANGE, NJ — JCC MetroWest presents an exhibit of paintings and mixed media by Gaelen Juried Art Show award winners Lorraine DeProspo and Ellen Hark. The exhibit, which takes place in the Gaelen Gallery East at the Leon & Toby Cooperman JCC, Ross Family Campus, 760 Northfield Ave. in West Orange, will be on view Sept. 11 through Oct. 23. A reception for fall exhibits will be held on Sunday, Sept. 11, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
DeProspo’s compelling paintings depict the light and atmosphere of the Cape Cod shore. She recently was chosen by the Monmouth Museum for their NJ Emerging Artist Series.
“As an artist, my relationship with the sea translates into an abstract and minimalist visual dialog,” DeProspo said in a press release. “The rhythms of the sea are truly ever changing — quiet, gentle, strong, raging. Moments of fog and mist, blurring the lines between water and land, engage my senses and captivate my mind, setting it free to wander.”
Hark spent many years teaching art at South Orange Middle School.
“This body of work is my interpretation of facial expressions,” Hark said in the release. “Playing with graphics, color and texture exposes the soul of my subjects. I invite the viewer to interact with a surface that is both intriguing and puzzling. It is not my intent to photograph or capture a likeness. I want to show the various strata of life that lies beneath.”
Hark’s colorful mixed media pieces are based on mosaic techniques and use cut and torn magazines, newspapers and wrappers.
Currently an instructor at the JCC School of the Arts and Camp Deeny Riback, artist Cindy Klein’s colorful oil paintings and collages will fill the Arts/Theater Lobby. She has a bachelor of fine arts degree from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and also works for the Nikhil Badlani Foundation, traveling to schools and educating students on driver safety and awareness through art.
The Book Arts Roundtable was established to encourage the love of book and paper arts as well as to create a forum for the exchange of ideas and information about books. An exhibit of work by members is housed in the Steiner Court and Arts/Theater Lobby Showcases through Dec. 18. The Book Arts Roundtable meets at the Baird Community Center in South Orange. There are activities for anyone who can’t resist the feel of paper, the wonder of books and the excitement of creativity, including “Booked,” a special event each March celebrating book and paper art.
For more information, contact Lisa Suss at 973-530-3413 or at lsuss@jccmetrowest.org.
Photos Courtesy of Janet Rubin