In the Gallery – September 2023

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Opening Reception is September 10th from 1-4 PM
The September show will be on view from September 2 – September 25. See website for hours.

Studio – Members Choice

Gallery 1 – Bonnie Brown – Thinking Outside the Box

My experience with artwork began when I was a child. I would spend hours with a pencil and sketchbook drawing whatever came to my mind. It may not be exactly what I am looking at, instead it would be what comes to my mind.  I would draw cartoons, fantasy landscapes, and abstract works with geometric designs.

As time went on, I created paintings, used pastels, ceramics, and enjoyed exploring various types of art. As I entered adulthood, I entered my work in galleries, street fairs, and areas where I can present what I have created. Before I moved to Island Heights, I took my easel to the boardwalk and painted by the river. However, when I moved to the town, I joined OCAG and presented my work in the monthly shows. My first solo show was at the gallery, and I am presenting my art at my second solo show this September.

Art is what I have always loved, and I am looking forward to others appreciating my creations. The paintings will display memories of places I traveled to, landscapes, cartoons, nature, all with an abstract or fantasy-like twist. Thank you for reading my story.

Gallery 2 – Bonnie Dorsey (Acrylic/Oil)

My art is mainly nature, still life, animal portraits but I have also done some abstract pieces. My medium
is mainly acrylic. I have some oil, watercolor, pastel, mixed media and pen and ink. I work from photographs that I have taken or ones that people give to me.
I started painting when I was 13 (on a whim) and my first piece was an oil painting looking out the window at my great-grandmothers house. I took art in high school where my art teacher encouraged me to apply to art school. My mother did not think that was a wise choice, so she pushed me to study architecture. 

I applied to Pratt Institute where I was accepted. I transferred to a CUNY school to finish out my studies.
I ended up being a high school English teacher but continued to practice art-mainly pen & ink drawings. I did not pick up a paintbrush again until I was around 40 years old where I took a painting class with Elizabeth Paseler at Lacey Township HS. This reignited that spark again. I haven’t stopped creating since. 

 

Pop-Up Gallery – Debbie Heyck “Painted Shells”

Hello, my name is Debi Heyck. I learned in high school that my craft was painting. A kind but strict high school art teacher required the class to turn in a painting every week. Fortunately, after high school, there were places in Trenton to work as a painter and decorator. My first job was at a lamp company applying washes of color and 3-dimensional designs to lamps. The next two jobs were at porcelain studios Bohem and Cybis. I attended Mercer Community College and earned an Associates degree in fine arts. The porcelain companies shut down. I had to move on and found a job at RCA Astro in East Windor. As an artist, I found my niche in the satellite industry by doing epoxy, tape and paint application to space-ready hardware. I also took classes in computer graphics and made paintings in my free time. My work has been shown at the Trenton City Museum in the Ellarslie Mansion, the Trenton’s Art All Night exhibit, the Jackson Libary and juried shows at the Artist Guild.
I got married and moved to Ocean County. In the next years, I spent a lot of days taking my toddler to the ocean and we were always looking for treasures to wash up on the beach, including shells, sea glass and drift wood. I loved the patterns and forms of the shells. When my shell collection grew big enough, I learned to enhance them with my own style of craft. I enjoyed decoupage, pouring clear resins and painting.
I joined the Ocean County Artists Guild six years ago. The artisan fair was going to be held and I thought I of my shells and how people would enjoy buying something they could hold in their hand and decorate their house. I had so many ideas for making the shells tell a little story about the ocean or the sunshine or popular culture. I spent a lot of time looking everywhere for small objects that would be a good design. I still paint watercolors and mixed media and photo reduced some of them for the decoupage.
Since ancient times, people have been intrigued by the bounty of the ocean. Shells last forever. I hope you enjoy looking at these as much as I enjoyed making them. 

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