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.

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.

I’ve been making images since I was handed a camera in my teens, a long time ago. Resonance is at the core of why I love doing what I do. The camera is my permission slip to memorialize moments incredible natural wonder, forging a fleeting glimpse into a fixed gaze, turning the temporal into something tangible. All in the effort to make a connection.

My subjects range from landscapes and seascape to flowers, urban scenes and even vintage vehidles. I will sometimes employ IC (intentional camera movement) to create more abstract interpretations of those landscapes, surfacing more of the aura of the scene. I also repurpose abandoned windows as frames, to create vistas we might all wish to view from our kitchen table or living room. These I call, “Paned Expressions”.

For 23 years, my “Light of Day” Desktop Calendar has been a successful business- building tool, and sought-after premium. Even iphoneography has afforded me an outlet for creativity, and these images have found their way into my series of “punographic” books entitled, “Images Wit Words”, capturing the happy accidents that occur when a photograph and its title come into focus at the same time.

As diverse as that all may sound and appear, there’s a strong throughline of hope and affirmation in all of my work. My self-view is not so much as an artist, but more a journalist of our surroundings. There is so much beauty and joy in the world around us, if only we take time to see. I feel blessed with the gifts of sight and sensibility to bear witness to that, and obliged to capture it for those could not see it first-hand. The greatest reward comes in the connection that an image makes with a viewer. It’s more than liking a picture, it’s a conscious or subconscious link, a resonance between the viewer and the scene, and indirectly, between the viewer and me.

If you’d like to see more of my work, you can visit www.lightofdaygallery.com, or follow me on facebook and instagram @lightofdaygallery.

In addition to her BFA in Textile Design from the Rhode Island School of Design, she was a Senior Designer for a major women’s apparel retailer, designing jewelry and accessories.

Dianna currently resides in Westchester with her husband and two young children. Always visiting her hometown, she is consistently in awe of the beautiful town she was so fortunate to grow up in. She continues to work as a freelance jewelry designer and as a TA in a school as she explores the potential future of becoming an educator.

Her passion for camping, hiking and enjoying being outdoors with her family is a driving force behind the inspiration for her work. Being home from the pandemic, she found painting and drawing again as a creative outlet, igniting her passion to push herself as an artist. She is active in the Northport Arts Council in Northport, NY and the Carriage Barn Arts Center in New Canaan, CT. In her work, she connects with nature, observing it through an ethereal, dreamlike lens as the core of all of her pieces. Her paintings and fine art prints featuring landscapes, terrain and flora create a transcendent, soft textural moment that you can not only see, but ultimately feel.

Using a mix of watercolor, acrylic and oil pastel she creates texture, color, and detail to create work that evokes a transcendental world of blurred landscapes and natural elements. She uses a layered approach to my paintings by building up color and details to create these moments in time.

@diannahollyn_studio on Instagram and Dianna Hollyn Studio on Facebook.

Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, I was inspired artistically at a young age by all that surrounded me. From the graffiti filled subway cars, NYC museums, to the street artists in Washington Square Park. Most of all I was influenced by my eldest brother, an artist himself, and my father, a carpenter by trade. I would sit and watch them create from a young age, feeling joy as I saw their visions come alive either on paper or in wood. They inspired me to create my own art and so I did! I continued my exploration of art through high school and college.

After graduating, I was a freelancer, package designer, and became Assistant Art Director for a manufacturing company which exposed me to working with photographers, food stylists, printers…an amazing experience and knowledge learned.

As life has it – it takes you in a different direction – somewhere you never thought you would end up – yes the New York City Police Department. After having my child, art and creativity took a different aspect for me – creating fun projects with my child, exposing him to a world of artistic expression just as my brother and father had done for me.

After retiring, I rekindled my love for art, painting and creating. I began painting signs and art on wood {thanks dad!} and created unique one of a kind pieces, which were sold locally and online. In 2021, I decided to leave my sign business behind and broaden my art;  a new journey of creative exploration of painting with acrylics, oils, gouache, mixed media and water colors.

My art has been [is] a reawakening and deeper exploration of the heART; connecting to my creator within. I like to work intuitively letting my brush lead the way! All that I create are encoded with the energies which shine through when painting them.

May my work evoke and awaken thy Love within thy soul.
Loretta

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.

Audra Donroe is a teaching artist from Northport, New York. Her work focuses on using line, shape, and color, to create trail guides and abstract maps. Whether they are visceral moments or actual locations, Audra’s work forces you to question the balance (and sometimes battle) between structure, routine, and liberation through expressive details, movement, and pattern. When she isn’t painting, Audra enjoys hiking with her dog and using her love of creating to make laser engraved keepsake objects.

Deidre Elzer-Lento is a mother, grandmother, wife, retired Technology Education teacher and school administrator, photographer, gardener, traveler, crafter and friend; but not always in that order. Holding degrees in Industrial Arts Education from NYU, school district administration from LIU and Special Education K-12 from St. John’s University she is the consummate educator. She taught photography in the wet darkroom, transitioned to the digital darkroom and has never looked back. She believes that looking through the lens of her camera allows her to see the present and appreciate it. Sharing and manipulating the images she takes is her ultimate reward.
Deidre’s work resides in the permanent collections of museums and businesses including The Library of Congress, Northport and Huntington Historical Societies, Gurwin Photo Gallery and St. Joseph’s Hospital Photo Gallery. She has been published in books, newspapers, magazines and newsletters. Her photos have graced the cover of G&D Magazine twice, received top awards in many photo contests and aired on ABC News NY and News 12 Long Island. As Past-President of The Huntington Camera Club and a member of The Firefly Artists Gallery she continues her journey with like-minded friends. She calls Long Island’s North Shore her home.

deidre-elzer-lento.pixels.com

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 is passionate about watercolors, both painting them and teaching them ~ making her students enjoy the beauty and fun of this medium. She is capable of capturing the essence and beauty in diverse subjects – flowers, landscapes, still life vignettes and portraits – people and pets. Her students say she loves to teach them her craft – she is the teacher that they have been looking for to help them advance their own watercolors.

Jan took her classes on-line and has been doing them virtually with a 3 camera set up reaching students around the country. She keeps her regular students engaged, while many new ones have joined her nationally and internationally.

She has in-person workshops at The Landgrove Inn in Vermont, The Omega Institute and there’s usually a European Art Workshop each year. In-person classes will resume April-December at the Huntington Arts Council on Long Island. Visit her website for details on all classes and workshops

She has retired from a 45 year graphic design career – now she is utilizing her marketing skills – once used for her clients – for her art, classes and workshops.

Follow her on Facebook and Instagram where she posts recent paintings and how to videos on posting YouTube videos of her demos and sign up to receive info on upcoming classes & workshops.

Jan is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology with an Associates in Applied Science degree, graduating with high honors. Those very skills she learned in college are ones that she accesses to this day.

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.

Rachel Morgan Kalina has been creating and selling The Wood & Watch jewelry since 2007. She’s taught jewelry making and metalsmithing classes to students at venues such as The Art League of Long Island, The Firefly Artists, Nest on Main, Gallery North, and Socrates Sculpture Park. Rachel prides herself on providing encouragement and individualized attention to students in a welcoming environment. For more information, visit @thewoodandwatch (Instagram) and woodandwatch.com, or contact: thewoodandwatch@gmail.com.

As a longtime Northport resident who grew up in nearby Commack, I never fail to appreciate the natural beauty surrounding us here, from the rocky Northport north shore to the ocean on the south shore. Many of my paintings are landscapes inspired by these areas. I am especially drawn to water, and I am not even an Aquarius! I work in watercolor, pastel, and more recently, oil. I love the richness and forgiveness of oil. A teacher told me once, “dark makes light”, so I strive to have high contrast in my pieces.

With a BFA from Syracuse in Illustration, I have had a very varied career including Fashion (assistant buyer for a junior sportswear chain), my own graphic design studio for industrial accounts, many years working for Thomas Register, once the world’s largest industrial directory later decimated by the internet, and ending the last 12 years of my career as a pharmaceutical representative.

Throughout all these careers, while we raised three wonderful children, I always found time here and there to pursue art. I studied watercolor with Andrew Stasky in the eighties, took various classes at the Art League of Long Island including portraiture with Nanette Fluhr, attended the Stevenson Academy of Fine Arts, an atelier with Atilla Heija, pastel workshop upstate with Alain Picard, and more recently studied oil painting with David Peikon at ALLI. Some Juried Shows I have participated in include The Firefly Gallery, the Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum, the Art League of Long Island, the Huntington Arts Council, and the Northport Historical Society. In retirement I have found my joy with lots more time to paint!

Mary Kiernan  |  Instagram: @marykiernanart  |  631-742-4059  |  mkiernan1222@yahoo.com

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

Kristen Memoli resides in Huntington, New York. She works as a clinical psychologist, is a mother of two boys and a self-taught artist. Kristen’s art is often inspired by contrast and contradictions. Many of her works explore concepts of light versus dark, life versus decay, and joy versus heartache. She most enjoys abstract, landscape, and urban exploration photography as well as creating multimedia pieces. In her multimedia pieces she often includes writing and typed text. As part of her professional work in the field of autism, she focuses closely on language and how words impact people’s thoughts and emotions. Incorporating words into her work helps her convey much more depth than just images or objects alone. Her most recent and most expansive mixed media piece is her first book, The Secret Soul of Things which employs both her abadnoned photoagraphy and written essays to explore the hidden symbolism behind everyday objects and structures.

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!”

Tina Nadeem is a Long Island art educator and artist, who was born and raised on Long Island, NY. She grew up in Hickville and lived in Long Beach and Hawaii for a brief time. She currently resides in Old Bethpage with her husband and 2 young children.

Tina has taught art on all levels, from kindergarten to advanced placement and portfolio preparation for high school seniors. Through her work with students, Tina’s art has inspired her to develop her pieces to include messages of self confidence and mental well being. Her work reflects the human connections to ourselves, each other and our environmental surroundings.

Tina’s works use a variety of mixed media with no limits as to how she creates. Carving, printmaking, crafting, painting, and redesigning are common methods of choice. Tina gravitates towards bold contrasts of colors and materials, and her process begins with the found materials themselves, ending a result that she had not anticipated. She gravitates towards a mix of old and new, using vintage materials, giving them new life and purpose. Her work is also reflective of the cultural traditions from her husband’s Pakistani culture, a beautifully historic blend of music, food, colorful fabrics, poetry, and love.

In addition to art making, Tina, her husband, and children also enjoy spending time at their CSA at Restoration Farm and camping across the country in their RV, finding inspiration as they wander and explore their peaceful surroundings.

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.

Silvia Maria Rey is an educator, author, and award-winning artist from New York. Originally from Havana, Cuba, she immigrated to the United States in 1961 with her parents and brother. She attended Cardinal Spellman HS where her first formal instruction in the fine arts cemented her love for the visual arts. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Herbert H. Lehman College and a Master of Science in Education from The City University of New York. She also holds advanced certificates in the field of education focusing on the literacy needs of bilingual students and second language learners as well as in leadership. She has also been trained in family therapy and peer intervention. As a teacher and school administrator she made sure that the arts were prevalent in all of her schools. She has presented widely in both local and national conferences advocating for literacy and arts in the schools.

The focus of her art work is on landscapes, still life, florals and figures – in pastel, pencil, watercolor, acrylic and oil. She also creates mixed media collages incorporating family legacy photographs. Her first published book titled “In the Eyes of the Beholder: Literary Interpretations of an Artistist’s Work. She works on Long Island where she has been teaching at the State University of New York at Old Westbury since 2004. She also teaches pastels at The Art Guild of Port Washington. She has exhibited in both group and solo shows and her work is represented in several private collections.

She currently lives on Long Island along with her son, daughter-in-law and a menagerie of fur, finned and feathered babies.

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.

Christine has been painting, drawing and creating since her father put a paintbrush in her hand when she was only 5 years old.

Her professional creative experiences range from having co-designed the first ever internet presence for The New York Times, to designing and managing multiple web-based titles as Design Director for Time Inc.  In addition, Christine has authored and illustrated several books in the genres of fiction, non-fiction, graphic design and typography.

Christine’s artistic story is told through her vibrant landscapes, portraits and still life art.  Her vivid works are brought to life with pastels, oil, acrylic and the occasional simple sketch with a trusty No. 2 pencil.

Christine and her family are recent transplants to Northport and are immersing themselves in all the culture the Village has to offer.

Helen Towey earned a B.A. degree from Hunter College in N.Y.C. with  a major in English and a minor in Education. She received a M.A. degree in education from Adelphi University.

After retiring from a career in teaching, Helen followed her lifelong passion for art by taking classes at the Art League of Long Island, the Teaching Studios of Art in Oyster Bay, the Art Guild in Port Washington, and with Howard Rose in Syosset.

Helen has studied with such notable artists as Nanette Fleur ( portraiture, painting from the masters), Howard Rose (landscapes, seascapes), Devin Cecil-Wishing (still life), Carlos Russo (floral still life), and Greg Follender (figure drawing).

In Helen’s view, art is an expression of one’s vision of the world. She hopes to continue learning and refining her expression of that vision.

Helen is currently exhibiting at The Firefly Artists in Northport and at Barnes Gallery in Garden City.

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