Fairfield, CT - The public is invited to a reception at the Kershner Gallery on 7/28 at 4:30 to 6:30 pm for “Reconstructions”, the paintings of Karen Neems, Cherril Kolesik, and Philip Eras. The artists will talk about their work at 5:15 pm.The show runs from to 7/21-9/15. Fairfield Public Library, 1080 Old Post Road or call 203-256-3155.
Philip Eras began art lessons in 1963 while he was a medical officer. When he retired in 1999 from being a physician, he became a serious painter. Having taken art classes at various times, he then studied with a professional artist and later had the first painting he did with her selected for the cover of Connecticut Medicine. Another painting was featured in an AMA journal.
Philip has shown his paintings in area venues, including the Westport Fine Arts show, and in Florida. He creates “objective and non-objective geometric paintings” both of which are in this exhibit. He says his objective geometric paintings “portray an actual event or experience. Some people keep a journal; I paint. When I return from a trip that I enjoyed I usually make a painting recalling the highlights of the trip. If an event moves me I will sometimes make a record of it by making a painting. Because the event or experience is depicted using geometric forms it’s akin to writing in code, and not readily identifiable.” His non-objective paintings do not necessarily portray an idea and are more difficult to start.
Karen Neems is an award-winning photo collage and mixed media artist based in Stamford, CT. She earned her BA at the University of Rochester with studies in Art History, Psychology and Studio Art and now studies at Silvermine Arts Center and with artist mentors. She has had many solo and group shows at area galleries and museums and won awards for her work in photography and mixed media. Her work is in both private and corporate collections.
Karen’s compositions are layered, merged and repeated. She says that” light and shadow draw the viewer in while another image floats on the surface”. In her Spatial Choreography series, combining mixed media and photo collage, “the composition transcends the importance of the identification of the objects. The most recent Deconstructions series explores the synergy that results from the juxtaposition of a photograph and its deconstructed parts.” Karen says she is drawn to the aspects that contain and formalize a space and she aims to create harmony within her work.
Cherril Kolesik received art training at Silvermine as a child and later on. She studied art education at Georgian Court University in Lakewood, NJ, went on to teach art. She then studied interior design at Fairfield University. A class in decorative painting led her to form her own business, which continued for 23 years.
Cherril created her Museum Diaries series, which she has shown at The Gallery Upstairs, The Kershner Gallery, Pequot Library, The Agora Gallery in New York and now in this show.. She says, “I have a passion for viewing the art of different cultures in history” She says she studies in depth one art piece in art museums and galleries that attracts her. “I reject the idea of perfection; it’s the imperfection and uniqueness of my particular hand that I wish to emphasize...I do not use traditional stretched canvases, but rather clip my artwork onto steel rods, resulting in soft edges. I also include ‘boarder texts’ that give the viewer information and a deeper understanding of the work to which I am drawn.”
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