Meet The Firefly Artists

I’ve been an Artist for eons, exploring as all true Artists do, a myriad of subjects and with enough mediums that fill drawers and cabinets throughout my studio. I’ve been zigging and zagging throughout my journey with all the bumps and joyous bursts I could grab. Some of my work through the years has had autobiographical underpinnings, some of it was icy flat. I’ve worked big and I’
ve worked small. But when it comes down to it, I love color.

I love studying Art History. I’ve been doing it steadily now for decades. My personal library still contains the first book in which I saw the work of Georgia O’Keeffe in the 1970’s. I wept each time I opened it. I had to limit myself to 10 pages a day since I was exhausted from looking, from feeling, from studying. I remember stroking the large pages hoping to absorb something, something
unknowable to me at the time. Her work somehow spoke to my soul.

Though I’ve absorbed some of Georgia’s iconography, when I’m painting in traditional oils I reach backwards to techniques of the Old Masters. I enjoy the process of grisaille painting with the painstaking layers of glazes but I do it with a modern flair. Speaking of modern, I may reach backwards to compositions inspired by Raphael’s Madonna del Prato but I may do the painting
using digital mediums with Siberian irises as subjects.

My classical Art education in New York City was probably the last gasp of formal training before the onset of conceptual and performance art took hold. My professors were all active and renowned in their fields, Wolf Kahn, Herb Aach, Robert Birmelin and Louis Finkelstein. The foundation in color and design they taught is still the basis of all my work. I am indeed fortunate to have studied with professors who opened their SOHO studios and used the NYC art scene as an integral part of their classroom.

The proximity I still have with my studio one hour’s train ride from the array of museums and galleries in NYC is rejuvenating, inspiring and jump starting. My education never ends.

Being an artist, I enjoy producing functional ware and artistic vessels that take shape from a simple lump of clay thrown on a wheel. Adding texture and glazes to complete the form can be fun yet challenging because so much of the end result depends on the firing in the kiln. When a piece comes out of the kiln even better then you had hoped, I always feel so elated yet pleasantly surprised. On the other hand, if a piece is awful, I try to learn from that mistake and try again.

A lot of my ideas come from browsing in stores or from fellow potters who inspire me. I’m also a gardener, love to cook, travel, and I truly cherish my time with family who also give me inspiration and encouragement to challenge myself, each and every day.

I also hope you will enjoy my mini paintings; my very first love as a little girl. A lot of the mini paintings come from larger paintings I painted in the past. I find these tiny paintings to be charming and whimsical. Much of my subjects come from Cape Cod, my favorite place to be.

I have been surrounded by art my entire life. I come from a family of artists who have worked in just about every medium possible so that has made it very easy for me explore any material I desired. I consider myself primarily a printmaker working in etching, woodcut, linoleum, silkscreen and monotypes but I also work in book arts, collage and sculpture as well.

My first love in printmaking was working with relief prints. Carving from linoleum and wood was therapeutic for me. The smell of the wood and the way the knives cut through the material to create the image connected me to my art and made what I did complete for me. The process was just as important and the product. My prints are done in very small editions and most pieces are one of a kind as I usually embellish each print individually which makes each piece unique in its own right.

Much of the work that I do is influenced by my travels and are reflective of my visual and emotional experiences. Some of the work that I create is extremely realistic and detailed and other pieces are more abstract focusing on line and color.

My sculptural pieces are assemblages of ephemera and most of them connect to book arts which is another love of mine. I have always been a collector, saving scraps of paper from different events, ticket stubs, old photographs, small tokens and pieces of my past, pieces of these stories, never able to throw anything away because I was married to the memories that they held. As my art has evolved these pieces of ephemera became a focal point of some of my work. Frequently I assemble these pieces to create a story that is personal to me but may make the viewer create one of their own, maybe triggering a memory from their past as well.

As a whole the variety in my work can best be described as eclectic, but all of the imagery has a connection to what I have experienced through my relationships and travels.

Moving frequently around the country, and world, since the age of twenty-two helped me discover the most powerful form of communication for me was photography. I could very easily show what I couldn’t always articulate about rural Kansas, or the tides of Pornic, France, or Brooklyn barbershops, the floors of an intensive care unit, or an NBA locker room.

Capturing what is at once both personal and universal, with the contrast between the two as bold as shades the of black and white they are usually in. My work has been displayed nationally, on mass produced commercial products, and in juried fine art exhibitions. My husband, two children, and I currently call Brooklyn, NY our home.

Holding degrees in Jewelry Design from FIT in Manhattan and in Art Education from New Paltz, Jill loves many different mediums. Favorites include making jewelry with epoxy resin, photography, using old books to create Christmas ornaments, crochet, clay, wood and painting with acrylics on canvas.

After working in the Library system for the last 18 years, Jill is now at home taking care of her family. She looks forward to getting back to painting on canvas. Among inspirations, her garden is a favorite. A lover of flowers and birds, she particularly enjoys the Northern Flickers that frequent her yard.

Another passion is working with her husband on wood projects. Owl, bird, bat, butterfly, bee, and ladybug houses are among the fun things they have created in their wood shop in the garage.

For Jill, art is a happy place that opens up any space and makes it brighter. She will always be creating.

I’m an self-taught acrylic artist, crafter and sometimes poet! For many years I have belonged to a group of painters, The Harbormasters, who meet at the Huntington Senior Beach House in Centerport. My work has been displayed at several local libraries, the Daniel Gale Real Estate Office on Main Street and the Northport Art Walk. I’m a graduate of Northport High School, SCCC and St. Joseph’s College. My aim as a painter is to add a bit of humor or the unexpected to whatever I create.

I grew up on Long Island’s South Shore. Drawn to water and seascapes, I spent many summers at Jones Beach. This is reflected in my paintings of ocean waves and sand dunes. In later years I traveled to the Midwest, visiting the Grand Canyon and several National Parks. The natural rock formations and the amazing vistas across the Midwest left me with an indelible impression of nature’s beauty. These magnificent visuals led me to painting. I started my journey by taking various Adult Education Classes. With an intense desire to dig deeper, I enrolled in the Stevenson’s Academy of Fine Art under the teaching of Attila Hejja. While at the academy I learned the basics of drawing and the beginnings of painting with oils. Unfortunately, after 18 months the Academy closed due to the untimely death of the owner Attila Hejja. I continued to take classes at the Art League of Long Island for several years, focusing on still lifes and landscapes. The next leg of my journey was studying the Masters of Art with an emphasis on portraits. I attended the Teaching Studios under the tutelage of Nanette Fleur, painting copies of Masters such as Joaquin Sorolla and William-Adolphe Bouguereau. I then continued portraiture classes with live models at the Art Guild of Port Washington, studying under Robert Silverman. Desiring to delve into other areas of oil painting, I studied under other accomplished artists. I have studied under Rob Zeller, Devin Cecil-Wishing, Sharon Pearsall, Howard Rose, Paul Foxton, Jane Hunt and Kathy Speranza, I am a member of the Art Guild, Nassau County Art League, and the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association. I have exhibited some of my work at libraries on Long Island and at various art associations. After raising my family and working in the pharmaceutical industry I retired in 2017, giving me free time to pursue my love of painting. I now spend most of my time with fellow artists, continue painting classes and workshops and painting from my home studio.

An “A” in mechanical drawing opened the door to Mary Brodersen’s teaching career when an administrator from Yaphank’s Longwood High School went up to SUNY New Palz to recruit Art Majors. She taught there for one year, and then proceeded to spend the next 45 as an elementary school art teacher in North Bellmore.

She says that if she could have, she would have always been a painter. However, everything excites her. Printing, painting, textiles, mosaics, and now woodcut; all she touches and all she sees. “My husband and father were carpenters, so I bring some sense of how to build things, too. I don’t make art because I think it’s what might sell in a gallery. I make what inspires me.”

One particular moment when she realized this involved a collage class she took. She had brought scraps of leftover fabric that she had prepared to help birds make their nests and the teacher told her to put it away. That she wasn’t teaching a quilting class. “I understood. I’d paid for the class. I put them aside and did what the instructor desired, working with paint, studying color and grayscale, warm and cool. I never forgot my own idea, though. Once I’d obeyed, I turned back to it. The finished product got all sorts of attention. ‘What is that? It’s amazing!” people said. It started a whole new era for me!”

“Throughout the years, I tried to always remain current. Children have confirmed this is working,” she smiles, “When I ask them why they’re giggling, ‘You’re so modern!’ they say! … I was always taking classes and visiting galleries and trying to absorb everything. I also made sure to answer a few open calls each year. When my son was young, and I was REALLY busy, I picked up a camera in order to keep whatever had inspired me handy until I could make more time.”

“Eventually, I realized, something was missing – ME! I learned to pass the camera and make sure I was included in the memory. I suppose some of those efforts make me one of the originators of ‘the selfie.’”

Exceptionally well-traveled, Mary visits a foreign country each year. “I’ve been retired for 10. So, last year I was able to manage three.” It began with a trip to Denmark to visit a family farm. She was immediately hooked and has since stepped foot on every habitable continent at least twice. She often ponders what may be the essential symbols of her experience, which she incorp83orates into her work. The Eiffel tower for France, giraffes for Africa. Temples and Trees for Cambodia. In China, she saw a giant lock on the door of concubine quarters in the Imperial Palace, which seemed to fit the sense of tight control she experienced there.

Like so many classic tales of great adventures, though, her travels have often led her to more fully appreciate the beauty right at home. “Hawaii, in particular, really did that for me,” she says, “I was so awakened and inspired by the trip. Then, I came home and my eyes were still open. I began to realize I didn’t have to travel to feel that way.”

“Travel excites me. I bring it all home, and then I experience the same excitement once I get there. That’s what I want to offer with my art. I want to bring that excitement to you!”

Steve has been observing life since his eyes opened, and for the better part of that time he’s been capturing moments in his photographs, like fireflies in a jar.

A passionate image-maker, Steve’s pursuit of beautiful light, panoramic vistas and mercurial moments has spurred him to create evocative landscape, people and abstract exposures. For 19 years, his “Light of Day” Desktop Calendar (and companion book series) has been a successful business building tool, and sought-after premium. Steve’s recent work in includes the release of his latest book, “Images Wit Words – The Art & Sigh-ence of Punography”, a collection of visual puns, dad jokes and happy accidents that occur when a photograph and its title come into focus at the same time.

Over the past 6 years, he has chronicled the inspiring exhibition of the USA Patriots (formerly the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team), during their annual visit to NYC and the surrounding areas. The images reflect the team’s message that “life without a limb is limitless”. Steve’s work is documented at https://wwast.shutterfly.com.

In addition to his landscapes, Steve is an avid sports and concert photographer, a current member of the Firefly Gallery Artists, a NSUH Auxiliary Photo Contest Winner, and producer of more than 45 Shutterfly sites. His work has been featured in local restaurants, in Long Island magazine and local newspapers.

Steve is a career marketer having founded, built and sold several digital agencies in NYC, the most recent iteration of which was acquired by Accenture Interactive. Much of the agency’s leading-edge work focused on an immersive, “customer-obsessed” positioning, increasing awareness, trial and revenue for global CPG, e-commerce and financial brands.

Steve resides in Greenlawn, NY, and after much encouragement, he’s making the move to share his images with a larger audience. You can see more of his work at www.stevecaputophoto.com and on Instagram @stevec2011.

Long Island Award Winning Professional full time Artist for over 35 years, painting Land & Seascapes, Lighthouses & Historic villages.

Jo-Ann’s specialty is commissioned Home & Garden Portraits, with close to 500 homes rendered across Long Island & out of state. Her commissions also include, Cars, Boats & paintings of Your Favorite Places.

Jo-Ann’s latest little gems are her small holiday scenes that she sprinkles with a crystal dust & are framed in gold or silver. They sparkle so magically.

“My Paintings Reflect the Beauty of Long Island & my Collectors are so Happy to have their walls adorned with the Places that they Love so much…I call it Personal Art…♥ My Paintings bring Joy to everyone, & that’s why I Love being the Local Artist.”

Please visit Jo-Ann’s website at www.JoannCorretti.com or call 631 786-3467
My Talent is my gift from God…My paintings are my gift to You…11:11

As a young boy, I studied art in high school and worked at the Rockport Art Association, setting up shows and doing odd jobs. It was here that I was influenced by many of the local artists. I was privileged to learn and work with such artists as Stow Wengenroth, Don Stone and John Terelak.

I worked in the commercial fishing industry as a young man and moved to New York in 1983. I began working in construction and settled in Northport to raise my family because of the similarities it had to my hometown. I worked as an Ironworker in NYC, then as a carpenter in both NYC as well as Long Island.

Due mainly to health issues I resumed my artwork in earnest several years ago, with concentration in watercolor, graphic art and etchings. The art of plate etching and stone lithography is becoming a lost art due to the increased use of computer imaging. It brings me joy and fulfillment to share my printmaking with others, and to keep the old ways and traditions alive.

New York City born, Cori Forster knew at an early age that she wanted to pursue a career in the arts. She began her journey as an undergraduate student at Queens College, majoring in Fine Art. She then transferred to the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she majored in Fashion Illustration, to complete her degree.

In the 1980’s, Cori Forster earned her living as a freelance artist. She worked in various design houses and companies including Kelloggs’s Cereal, Jean St. Germain, El Greco’s Candies’s Shoes, Ann Rothchild & Co., as well as illustrated for many clothing catalogs. While pursuing her art career, Cori returned to Queens College and completed her Bachelor of Arts in Education with a minor in art, then preceded to earn a Master of Science in Education.

Being married and raising three children naturally compromised the amount of time Cori had to dedicate to her art. After a decade of teaching in the N.Y.C. public system, Cori felt an unavoidable void which she could no longer ignore. Consequently, when she and her family moved to Long Island, Cori decided to find her way back to her true love: art.

Cori now devotes her time to painting landscapes, nature, still life and portraiture. She mainly paints in oils and focuses on traditional representational techniques. Cori currently studies painting at the Art League of Long Island, Teaching Studios of Art, The Art Guild, and attends many workshops year round. Her paintings have been exhibited at the Art League of Long Island, Trapani Art, Art Guild of Port Washington, Huntington Arts Council, Mills Pond Gallery, and featured in Newsday. In May of 2019, Cori Forster had her first solo exhibition at Yasha Gallery in Greenpoint Brooklyn. Most recently, Cori Forster is now exhibiting her work in the “Firefly Artists Gallery” in Northport, New York.

She started painting at age twelve under the tutelage of noted East End artist, Joseph B. Hartranft and went on to major in art history in college.She works mostly in paper collage and oil. She says moving bits of paper around a flat surface is much like sculpting. She adds that after cutting up hundreds of bits of paper and not being able to stand the paper cuts anymore, she switches to oil. She gets inspiration from the places she has been and has lately been working with spray paint.

Ann has participated in several juried shows on Long Island and has won the L.I. Arts Alive Poster Competition, the Long Island Chamber of Commerce Art Competition, and the Greenport Annual Poster Competition. She currently has work being shown at the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook. Ann’s work has appeared in Art Basel under the auspices of the Brooklyn Art Library Sketchbook Program and on covers of The Vine Times in California. She is pleased to say her bee and butterfly collage was chosen by CBS Sunday Morning to open a segment on Mohammed Ali. Her oils and paper collages can be found in private collections.

Artist, entrepreneur and Reiki Master, Debbie Granger, grew up in Northport. Her love for working with stained glass began twenty years ago when she and her husband decided to take a local adult education course. Immediately hooked, she has continued taking classes and otherwise connecting with artists who also work in glass ever since.

“My business is called, ‘A Different View,’ because I like to put glass in windows where is view isn’t so nice,” says Debbie. “I do a lot of custom work, consulting closely with clients. My real passion, though, is following my inspiration. Especially since I began practicing Reiki, I’ve found it fairly easy to tap into. I’ll be walking along or just thinking to myself and suddenly I’ll know: I want to create this.”

With great care taken in selecting color, texture and soldering lines, the finished works evoke symbolism, hearken to fantasy, offer beautiful views, and capture interesting creatures. They range from the deeply mystical to the lightly whimsical, featuring a great wealth of beauty in between.

Jan’s fine art talents include painting portraits, landscapes, still life’s, botanical watercolors, and most recently, has extended to include teaching as well. Jan has been exhibiting her work in locations throughout New York for more than 30 years, and in July of 2014 she began taking on students. She is now sharing her personal artistic approach, style, and techniques with other artists through classes at the Art League of Long Island.

Jan has developed the unique ability to blend her artists soul with her vast practical business knowledge to create communications that powerfully resonate credibility, emotion, and authenticity. Her work serves to open doors, initiate dialogues, and cement long term, meaningful relationships between companies and their clients and prospects.

My father was always available to teach me painting, and sometimes I would just sit behind his easel and watch him paint.

I paint in acrylic, mostly landscapes and seascapes of local scenes. I greatly admire the Hudson River Painters, and I have tried to emulate some of their techniques in my work.

Katheryn Laible is a writer, a photographer, and handy in many ways. She was recently named a Managing Partner of The Firefly Artists of Northport, whose Main Street gallery grandly re-opened in a beautiful new location in May, 2019. She is also President of Laible & Fitzsimmons, Inc., founder of the Synchronicity Network Newsletter, which draws on decades at the fusion point of interests to serve and celebrate those who care about Art, Science and the Common Good on Long Island and beyond.

Katheryn spent five years as Acting Director of Leadership Huntington, Long Island’s first and only Community Leadership Program. For nearly ten years she was Assistant Director of Vision Long Island, the region’s premier Smart Growth organization. She has served as a consultant, program coordinator, and grant writer for many other organizations, notably the Nassau County Museum of Art and Nathan Hale VFW Post 1469. In 2012, Katheryn participated in a month-long Rotary Group Study Exchange throughout Minas Gerais, Brazil. In 2017, she wandered through a bit of Italy. Most of her work, though, focuses on the beauty of Long Island and her “Northern Paradise” just outside the “City of Ships,” Bath, Maine.

Katheryn is a Centerport native. She has lived across Long Island, just inside the beaches of Delaware and now resides in Syosset with her family.

To see more of Katheryn’s work visit Fine Art Photography: KatherynLaible.Zenfolio.com and Synchronicity Network Newsletter: synchronicitypc.com

Kirk’s work brings the viewer into the location and the “vibe” of the subject. He says that “When painting, I feel that all is right with the world and those that have his art on their walls feel the same”.  Everything from the color, the brushstrokes, the composition and the tempo is uplifting. He constantly expands his horizons and loves to discover new places and subjects and techniques. He also paints LIVE Music and paints at Galas and other events & weddings including a famous actress in LA.
“I have the joy of painting the beauty, serenity or or drama I perceive and then when someone takes that art home and shares it with their family or friends, that joy is amplified exponentially!”
Known for his plein air (outdoor paintings) and Maritime works, Kirk travels the globe painting the people and the landscape in competitions and invitationals , painting from life without the use of photography. He loves to capture the sense of place and the real feeling of the environment whether it be the Grand Canyon, the Bay of Fundy, the Florida Keys, West Texas, Northern Michigan and 8 times a Top Competitor at Plein Air Easton. He’s worked hundreds of mediums with oil painting tying with stone carving for his favorites.

Plein Air combines two of the greatest things on Earth…” Painting and being outdoors!” He has competed in over 47 plein air competitions with the very 1st one right here in Northport.

Kirk is a Internationally famous & collected artist recognized with over 180 awards including Museum purchases and best in shows. He’s a member of the Salmagundi club, The American Impressionists Society (AIS), The American Society of Marine Artists (ASMA) and a signature member of the Oil Painters of America and has been included in 3 OPA Nationals, 4 Easterns, 3 Salon shows & won Awards at 4 OPA paint-outs.

3 citations form the US Coast Guard for Art as a public Service and has been painting with the non-profit group, Splashes of Hope, for almost 20 years, painting murals and scenic ceiling tiles for hospitals, VA Veterans Centers, shelters and children’s treatment centers. He’s a film & TV actor and past nominee for nassau co Poet laurate.

I began my career as a graphic designer. Over the years, my experience expanded to include all aspects of marketing including brand development, web design and art directing photo shoots. After winning the 2005 Gilroy Garlic Festival Poster Contest with a design that featured a rustic sepia image of garlic bulbs, I considered pursuing photography as more than a hobby.

My portfolio includes subjects such as landscapes, cityscapes, race horses, vintage cars and portrait photography. Photography shows include Northport Tasting Room and Wine Cellar in July 2008, July 2011, November 2014, December 2015, April 2016 and a two artist show with her son Theodore Lau in July 2018; Huntington Arts Council Art-rium in 2011, Huntington Arts Council Juried shows in December 2016 and December 2018; Suffolk County Historical Society in 2008.

I have been a primary member at the Firefy Artists Gallery from its inception in 2011, taking the role of co-managing partner with founder Kate Sydney in 2014. Today, I continue to be an active member in the gallery.

In addition to my work with The Firefly Artists, I continue my work as a graphic designer for several local businesses and clients across the country.

www.jenniferlauphotography.com

John Lazzaro is a documentary filmmaker and documentary photographer based in Long Island, NY. In his approach to photography, Lazzaro draws upon his experiences from documentary filmmaking in order to create a realistic, visual, and thought-provoking dialogue of the macabre. His main focus is capturing abandoned buildings and vanishing architecture throughout New England.

Fascinated by history, storytelling, and visual design, his documentaries address topics of social awareness. Hindsight (2010), offered a painful look at Long Island’s heroin epidemic. His most recent documentary, Masters of Cruelty (2018), takes an eye-opening look at New York’s animal abuse laws as told through those fighting against cruelty cases on Long Island.

His photo book, The Walls Still Talk, documents the decades of neglect and decay of the Kings Park Psychiatric Center in Kings Park, NY as a result of deinstitutionalization. In February 2020 at fotofoto gallery in Huntington, NY, Lazzaro exhibited his latest project, A Vanishing New York, which explores the last remaining abandoned sites in the Empire State.

Lazzaro is a member of The Firefly Gallery in Northport, NY and fotofoto gallery in Huntington, NY. He is also a contributor for Untapped New York.

To view John’s work please visit: johnlazzarophoto.com

In college I became interested in black and white photography, having to take pictures of countless architectural models for portfolios and presentations. From there, I began to explore black and white infrared photography, as I was fascinated with how the variations in lighting affected various elements, making the pictures look more dramatic and intense. I used my 35mm Nikon N2000 and infrared film to explore and experiment on my own.

After purchasing a new Lumix FZ1000 for use on a trip to Europe, I decided to re-purpose my 15 year old Nikon D70 DSLR and had it permanently modified to take Infrared photos above 590 nanometers. I recently purchased a Nikon D7000, and plan on converting this camera to full spectrum…from ultraviolet to infrared. This will give
me the option to take full color, or black and white infrared, and to explore new and different post-processing techniques in order to achieve varied results.

I spend most of my time taking pictures of architecture or landscapes, and candid shots of my 7 year old daughter…when she’ll let me!

My background is in optics and optical design, mechanical and electronic engineering. Working for a majority of my life for the world famous Schneider Optic of Germany. During that time, I was involved with all aspects of imaging with an emphasis on Large Format Photography, Television and Film. Working in various aspects of imaging/photography, with clients such as Ansel Adams, John Sexton and Industrial Light and Magic (George Lucas) has afforded me a rich education in various aspects of visual art.

I started painting about 7 years ago with my first “Kindergarten Watercolor” classes. Since then, continued classes, workshops and an effort to “make art every day” has advanced my capabilities in various mediums.

I was honored to be accepted to the first group of “Artist in Residence” at the Art League of Long Island, where I was able to pursue my art education in various mediums.

In conjunction with the Andrew Wyeth 100th Anniversary Retrospective at the Brandywine Museum in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, I was involved in demonstrating the science and art of Egg Tempera painting. During this time, several of my own Egg Tempera paintings were on exhibition at the museum as well. With a continued connection and comittment by the Brandywine, I will be continuing to demonstrate Tempera and will be teaching classes in this medium.

Check out www.ecraigmarcin.com to see more of Craig’s work.

Based in suburban Long Island, NY, I have been an artist for as long as I can remember. During my school years I took every available art elective, was named “most artistic,” won the annual art award, was the art editor of the school newspaper, and won “best graphics in the Diocese. This, plus my love of art and obsessive need to make beautiful things, lead me to pursue a BFA from Pratt Institute. Since then I’ve enjoyed a 30-year career as an award-winning designer and creative director, while practicing fine art techniques in my personal time.

These days, I have been exploring acrylic pour painting in which paint is applied to the canvas without brushes. Carefully mixed paint is poured onto the canvas using a variety of methods and then manipulated using various techniques like tilting, blowing, spinning, or dragging. Mastering these techniques is only part of the equation; choosing pleasing color palettes, determining the order and dominance of the colors, perfecting the balance of paint to canvas size, and applying it with a bit of control are the aspects of this method that are really exciting. 

I work in a variety of methods and mediums including ceramics, acrylic paint, photography, jewelry, and mosaic tile. I obsessively up-cycle and refinish furniture, dabble in faux paint finishes, and love to tackle home improvement and decorating projects. I also sew, crochet, and garden.

 Artists Website URL: jmariotti.com

I’m a native Long Islander.  I’ve been drawing as long as I can remember.  My formal art training began in College, where I earned a BA in Liberal Arts with a major in Fine Arts, Studio.  Printmaking and photography were my main concentrations as I continued toward my Masters.

After college, I fell in love with all things needlework;  working with fibers as they evolve into something completely different.  I love the entire process from start to finish.

My work is more of a craft than a fine art.  The body of my work consists of embroidering on photos printed on fabric, wool appliqué, Russian Punch Needle, needle Felting (“Woolies”), custom cards, quilting, and sharing these skills with others. 

Working with people is the ultimate reward. When someone responds to my work with “it makes me smile”, I’m satisfied that I’m doing what I was meant to do.

Drigo received his BFA in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He has also studied at The Art Students League NYC and The Stevenson Academy on Long Island. An oil painter of still life and portraits, he has been concentrating on landscapes the last few years.

“I don’t think you have to go far to find a beautiful passage in nature. Literally look out your front door. How I interpret that in paint will naturally change and evolve with time and ability. I’m looking forward to see where it goes!”

Over the years, the artist’s works have been represented by numerous art galleries on Long Island, local libraries, public schools and in private collections. She has been the recipient of Town of Oyster Bay awards and the Award of Merit from the Suburban Art League.

Catherine is currently a member of the Art League of Long Island. She has a Master’s Degree in Literature from Long Island University.

Art and art history have been of intense interest to the artist throughout her life. In particular, the Impressionistic era, with its focus on color and light, continues to be a daily source of influence and inspiration for her art.

Howard Rose graduated from the School of Visual Arts, NYC, and Graduate studies at C.W. Post, and the New School in NYC. Since 1974, he was head product designer for a major leatherwear company in Santa Monica. In 1980 he started his own graphics and product design company on Long Island. In 1989, Howard saw the paintings of a western painter named John Nieto. The amazing colors and large sized paintings of American Indians caught his eye and he hasn’t looked back since.

Howard has studied with Artists, Alfred Chadbourn. Charles Sovek, Matt -Smith, and Ovanes Berberian. He had is first art studio in Roslyn NY for 18 years where he taught and specialized in landscapes. The beaches of Long Island became his favorite subjects including the dunes, waves, and sky’s found in some of the most beautiful beaches in the country.

He teaches oil painting classes in multiple venues on Long Island, including the Art League of Long Island, National Art League and runs classes at his studio in Syosset, Long Island. Howard runs many varied workshops including; Color Mixing, Iphone photography, Design and perspective and an intensive Calligraphy and Penmanship course.

His articles and instruction techniques have been published in various magazines, including “Artists”, and “American Artist” Magazine. He runs annual workshops in Tuscany, Paris, Venice, Barcelona, and many locations on the east coast. He runs plein air workshops all over the east coast.

After Attila’s untimely passing, Irene continued to study with other artists who were trained in the classical method. Her instructors include Robert Zeller, John Morra, Devin Cecil-Wishing and Howard Rose among others. She continues to study to expand her knowledge in this exciting endeavor.

She is fascinated by the beauty and details that ordinary objects have and she attempts to transfer that into her paintings. She paints portraits, still lifes and landscapes. She has exhibited her art in several libraries throughout Long Island. Irene has lived on Long Island for over 30 years and is honored to join the Firefly Artists.

Kate Sydney is an alchemist of timeless designs with a modern edge and natural feel. She employs striking gemstones and precious metals in each of her one of a kind creations. Kate takes Mother Nature’s gifts and concocts wearable vessels, which are reflections of the staggering beauty of our planet.

“I create pieces that I infuse my heart and being into. I carefully select each gemstone and think about how I want to showcase the magic it possesses just by being itself. I want my clients to feel like the best version of themselves when they’re wearing my designs….like the glow from the gems might seep into their body and light up their spirit.”

Although she has been making and selling jewelry since the age of twelve (more than 25 years), in 2013 Kate earned a certificate in Comprehensive Jewelry Training from the only licensed and accredited jewelry trade school in New York, Studio Jewelers, Ltd. There, she added fabrication, forging, stone setting, wax carving, and casting to her skill set.

In 2011, Kate co founded an artists cooperative in the heart of Northport Village called The Firefly Artists. In the last eight years, Firefly has showcased the work of over one hundred Long Island artists of varying media.

In 2018, Kate Sydney was selected for two juried exhibitions through the Huntington Arts Council. Her piece, ‘Eaton’s Neck Arrowhead’ was awarded an honorable mention for the ‘Discovering Long Island’ show.

To view Kate’s latest creations, visit her website katesydney.com.

What intrigues me about glass is its liquidity and the ability to control it, or not, with heat and time.

My glass pieces capture the movement that is inherent in the glass” All of my pieces are created of sheet glass, glass frits, stringers and powders that are cut, assembled and fired multiple times (sometimes 5 or 6) at temperatures between 1200°F and 1600°F to develop color and form. Each firing takes between 12 and 24 hours. Straight pieces meld together to create curves and leave spaces as the heat of the kiln moves the glass. Various objects and handmade molds made of metal and ceramic that can withstand the heat of the kiln are used as forms to shape the glass.

I have studied with leading glass artists in the US, attending workshops at Bullseye Glass Resource Centers, Bonny Doon Glass, Corning Museum of Glass Studio, AAE Glass and Oatka School of Glass learning the technical aspects of kiln-forming glass. Through a great many hours of experimentation my work has evolved and continues to do so as I explore new ideas, sometimes pushing the
technical limits.

See more of Jan’s work at www.glasspiecesstudio.com