Warren Township Artists Highlighted In Library Art Space
In December, the Art Space at SCLSNJ’s Warren Township Library branch, located at 42 Mountain Boulevard in Warren Township, had a decidedly local flavor, with paintings by a Warren Township amateur artist on display on the art wall; and glazed pottery by a renowned sculptor who lived and worked in Warren Township exhibited in the display case.
Warren Township resident and amateur painter David Greene started painting three years ago after retiring from his job as a biochemical engineer. His first pieces were oil paintings, but he soon switched to watercolor when the Warrenbrook Senior Center offered a short course in Watercolor Painting.
The initial program attracted a mix of new and experienced painters and continues to meet once a week. The experienced painters have been very generous and patient in teaching the novices the finer aspects of watercolor painting and the center, with the support of a most generous benefactor, has provided the facility and materials for painting.
At present, Greene is still learning by studying the paintings of others and trying to develop his own style. Although he has experimented with various types of paintings, he generally paints realistic landscapes. His favorite painter is Vincent Van Gogh, but Greene enjoys a wide range of artists and styles.
Greene and his wife Martha are originally from Connecticut and moved to Warren 20 years ago, after having previously lived in Massachusetts and England. They are both regulars at the programs for adults offered by SCLSNJ’s Warren Township Library branch.
The display case features works of art created by designer and sculptor Waylande Gregory, who lived and worked at his studio on Mountain Trail in Warren from 1939 until his death in 1971. Gregory has been praised as “the most outstanding ceramist of the [1925 -1950] period.”
In 1936, he built an impressive fountain entitled “Light Dispelling Darkness” displayed at Edison’s Roosevelt Park. In 1937, he began working on a fountain for the grounds of the 1939- 1940 New York World’s Fair. The celebrated “Fountain of the Atom” was featured in a March 1939 “Life Magazine” photo spread.
He spent more than a year creating the sculptures that surrounded the fountain at his Warren Township studio. His career peaked in the early 1940s. In later years, Gregory gave up working in clay and started working in metal, hammering out images from flat, malleable sheets of lead copper. SCLSNJ’s Warren branch is proud to be exhibiting these unique pieces created by a celebrated local sculptor. For more information, contact SCLSNJ’s Warren Township Library branch at 908- 754- 7554.
(above) David Greene stands with his painting of the Coddington House (on the right) at SCLSNJ’s Warren Library branch’s art space.
(above) Pictured are Waylande Gregory’s sculptures featured in SCLSNJ’s Warren Township Library branch’s art space.
