Thank you, Aimee.

1ST ANNUAL COMMUNITY ARTS EXHIBITION

Juried Photography Exhibition at Sohn Fine Art Gallery To Benefit the Photography Department at IS183 Art School of the Berkshires

Written by: Cassandra Sohn

Sohn Fine Art Gallery is pleased to present its 1st Annual Community Arts Exhibition, a juried group show featuring photography by 19 artists. Staying true to Sohn Fine Art’s mission to integrate Community, Arts, and Education, the exhibition includes supporters and students of IS183 Art School, as well as students of Cassandra Sohn (owner of Sohn Fine Art). A percentage of sales from the show will be donated to the photography department at IS183 Art School of the Berkshires, a non-profit community arts school located in Stockbridge, MA. The school encourages people of all ages, means and skill levels to enrich their lives through hands-on experience in the visual arts.

From journalistic to contemporary, this exhibition features a wide range of photography. Eric Korenman stages mysterious and modern Hitchcock-like scenes where people seem spontaneously buried (and questionably murdered) by flowers. Peggy Braun‘s contemporarily poised Audubon birds stand in contrast to her softly texturized beach scene. Leo Mazzeo‘s saturated abstracts were shot with his iPhone, bringing to question the quote by Chase Jarvis, “The best camera is the one that’s with you”.

Artists will be awarded in two categories, students and supporters. First Place will be voted on by the judges, and the “People’s Choice Award” will be voted on by the public who visit the Gallery prior to and during the reception. So come by and put in YOUR vote! Winners will be announced at the reception on Saturday April 28, 4:00 – 7:00.

The exhibition will be judged by: SCOTT BARROW – Freelance photographer who is inspired and enriched by the magic of light. Barrow’s long list of clients and exhibitions include the Nikon House in Manhattan, Kodak’s Hall of Images at Epcot Center, American Express, IBM, Infiniti, Polaroid, The Wall Street Journal, American Airlines, Berkshire Living Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, Discover, Disney and National Geographic. SAVANNAH SPIRIT – New York based curator and photographer. Savannah’s most recent exhibitions in Manhattan include New York Magazine’s 2011, reviewed Hotter than July and Symbiotaxiplasm. She is the guest editor of ASMP NY’s blog Sharpen and her work was recently in The Nation Magazine and The New England Post. CASSANDRA SOHN – Freelance photographer and the owner of Sohn Fine Art, Sohn photographs for a variety of clientele and exhibits internationally. She started Sohn Fine Art as a vehicle for creative collaborations and the go-to center for photographic arts and archival printing in the Berkshires. Sohn teaches at IS183 Art School and Berkshire Community College.

FEATURED ARTISTS: PATRICK BARRY, CHRISTINA BIEDERMAN, STEVE BLANCHARD, PEGGY BRAUN, DENISE CHANDLER, JOANIE CIOLFI, MARSDEN EPWORTH, SUSAN GELLER, KEN GREEN, ERIC KORENMAN, CYNTHIA HUGHES, LEO MAZZEO, MAURICE PETERSON, PEGGY REEVES, LORRAINE ROMAN, SUSAN SABINO, EDWARD SCHWARTZ, ALEX SOHN, KIM WATERMAN

*20% of sales will be donated to IS183 Art School.

Exhibition March 23 – May 7, 2012
Reception Saturday, April 28, 4:00 – 7:00. Winners will be announced during the reception!
Public can vote for “People’s Choice Award”.

SOHN FINE ART – GALLERY & GICLEE PRINTING
6 Elm Street, 1B-C; Stockbridge, MA; 413-298-1025; info@sohnfineart.com; WWW.SOHNFINEART.COM

My included work:

“Hot Buttered Clock”. (c)Leo Mazzeo.

“Flow III”. (c)Leo Mazzeo.

“I Love You. I Was An Asshole.”, super heavy body gesso, spray paint, and oil on canvas, 36″x60″. (c)Leo Mazzeo.

“Censorship Hypocrisy”, oil on canvas, 36″x48″. (c)Leo Mazzeo.

Based on and referenced from an iPhone photo that I took of Annie Laurie‘s punch during the Art On No Holiday Show, the piece is a loose, oversized still life rendering that begins with a coat of super heavy body gesso applied to the canvas surface with a sea sponge paint roller. I then worked a quick sketch to lay down the forms and headed to Home Depot for spray paint, which I used to vaguely indicate dark and mid-tone areas. The lightest of areas were left white gesso. From this point, I proceeded in painterly fashion with number 10 and 11 rounds to the finished project. Hope you enjoy and I hope to see you at Gallery 25 during your travels throughout the festival!

“Secret Punch”, super heavy body gesso, spray paint, and oil on canvas, 36″x24″. (c)Leo Mazzeo.

The final Storefront Artist Project “12×12″ event was a bittersweet ending to an illustrious run as one of Pittsfield‘s torch-bearing arts organizations. A full house that included many local dignitaries and arts luminaries enthusiastically examined the offerings, so generously donated by talented local artists, with high hopes of bringing home a favorite for the cost of a $25 dollar raffle ticket. While most weren’t able to secure that special first choice, that didn’t matter. The thrill of the chase, hearty camaraderie, and especially the knowledge that one’s contribution to arts programs in the Pittsfield public schools would become a worthy endorsement for the future of the arts in Pittsfield and beyond was more than satisfaction enough.

“Enigmacating”, super heavy body gesso, spray paint, glitter, and oil on canvas, 9″x12″. (c)Leo Mazzeo.

“Hot Buttered Clock”. (c)Leo Mazzeo.

Photograph by Nicholas De Candia.

Photograph by Nicholas De Candia.