MAG Opens "Multiple Impressions" Group Show

As part of its commitment to keep the arts alive in Westchester, the Mamaroneck Artists' Guild is presenting the work of seven artists in its gallery in an exhibition entitled "Multiple Impressions."

"We call the show a spotlight show, as it features six of our artists with 2-D work on the wall, and one person with their 3-D ceramics," said MAG Director Suzanne Montresor. "It's a group exhibition with many media represented. Each artist works in his or her own way, with their own style, so there's no theme."

Last Saturday, the Guild hosted an opening reception for the artists. These types of events are open to everyone and give the audience a chance to look at the art and discuss the work with those who created it. "Multiple Impressions" runs through Feb. 27. 

"It's a chance for artists to have a mini-solo show without having the expense of the whole gallery or the responsibility of bringing in just their followers," Montresor said. "It's a way to share the whole fun and the whole idea of exhibiting your work."

Photographer Larry Davis included several pictures for his part of the exhibit, all featuring shadows of places that are local to Larchmont. A close look and one can spot a nearby park, the firehouse and Chatsworth Gardens.

"I just find them very intriguing and they make beautiful patterns, and the textures that they fall on add to it," said Davis, who has been pursuing photography for around 15 years. "One of a basketball hoop is actually a shadow of the hoop on asphalt and the texture for me brings it all out. It's very sensual."

Catherine Caufield Russell's artwork in the show was inspired from painting en plein air, French for "in the open air."

"Leaving the studio, armed with a colorful palette, ready to reveal the brilliance of the outdoors," she explained. "Capturing the beauty and totality of the moment is always a great challenge. My favorite studio has natural light, infinite subjects and endless space. It is the great outdoors."

Paintings on display include those featuring the spectacular east end light in Montauk and Sagaponack in the Hamptons.

"I am especially fond of its uniqueness and wild charm; it has captivated my imagination for years," Caufield Russell said about the light. "This body of work also includes paintings inspired by the coastal shorelines surrounding Connecticut and Westchester. I am looking forward to painting more local scenes, such as Manor Park and Rye Nature Center."

Mount Vernon's Inge Pape Trampler decided to display several media, such as watercolor, acrylic, bronze and glass.

A long-time painter who has been designing stained glass work for 40 years, Trampler features several watercolors of windows that she designed for Staten Island's "Our Lady Star of the Sea."

"These are from 17 windows that I had designed for them," she said. "I took my original designs and made them more colorful with the watercolors. There are about seven to 10 layers of each color on there."

Her acrylic paintings, aptly titled "Exodus" and "Genesis," also have a religious tone to them. "I take a verse from the Bible and then I design something according to it," Trampler said.

The other artists featured are Sheila Fane, Fabian Wes Fleurant, Elaine Finsilver and  sculptor Sally Spielvogel.

"If you have one piece in a large group show, sometimes it gets lost," Montresor said. "With six to eight pieces each, it really shows their style and what body of work they are putting together; it gives everyone an idea of what that person does."