Fall Art Show Opening reception
The Art League of the Chathams will feature its Fall Art Show with an opening reception, Sunday, September 10, 2023, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Chatham Twp Municipal Building, located at 58 Meyersville Road. The reception is free and open to the public; refreshments will be served.
Member artists will adorn the walls of the strolling gallery with their works. Pleine Aire Art by six artists will be the focus in the Lundt-Glover Gallery. The French term, Pleine Aire Artmeans “out of doors” and refers to the practice of painting entire finished pictures out of doors.
Donatella Casirola Bocchieri (Chatham Twp) Born and raised in Italy, she completed most of her artistic studies there. After an approach to architectural drawing under Giorgio Diegoli, she studied dry media and oils in the atelier of Ezio Carboni, where she was exposed to the Lombard Luminism tradition. In NJ she took classes in plein air painting with Edward Sprafkin and then continued her studies at the Cambridge Studio School, Cambridge, Mass., with Brett Gamache, for five years. She is now back painting in her beloved NJ. Donatella is a member of the Morris County Art Association, as well as the NJ Plein Air Painters (NJPAP) and the Art League of the Chathams.
Nancy Kingman (Madison, NJ) Enjoys being outdoors and finds inspiration for her paintings in nearby parks and nature preserves. Nancy has studied plein air painting with Edward Sprafkin and Anne Kullaf. She has gone on plein air watercolor trips with Anne Kullaf to the Tuscany region of Italy, including Florence, Siena and small villages; Paso Robles, Calif.; and Philadelphia and New Hope, Pa. She paints in oil and watercolor, and currently takes classes with Julie Friedman at ArtSpace Studio in Morristown, NJ. Nancy is a member of the Morris County Art Association and the Visual Arts Center of NJ, as well as the NJ Plein Air Painters (NJPAP) and the Art League of the Chathams (ALC).
Betsy Mirabelli (Chatham Borough NJ) Paints landscapes in watercolor. She studied watercolor with Elizabeth O’Reilly at Parsons and the New School in New York City, where she was first introduced to plein air painting. She later took classes at the Visual Arts Center of NJ in Summit with Nancy Korde, Anne Kullaf, and Fernando Catague. She has gone on plein air watercolor workshops with Kullaf to Aspen, Colo., and to Siena, Italy. Betsy is a member of the NJ Plein Air Painters (NJPAP), as well as the Art League of the Chathams (ALC).
Debora Thedinga (Berkeley Heights, NJ) Inspired by the surroundings of her native NJ, has a wide variety of impressive landscapes. She is drawn to scenes with water: ocean beaches, and inlets, lakes, streams, and ponds with beautiful reflections and ripples. When Debora ventures beyond NJ, she often brings along her paints and an easel. Last year she took a mini pochade box to Italy and made small oil paintings of the view from her hotels in Venice, Florence, and Positano. Debora studied art at Rowan University, has taken classes at the Visual Arts Center of NJ and has participated in workshops around the country. Her awards include third place at the 2020 Lebanon/Califon Juried Art Show, Best in Show at the 2017 Cranford Paint Out in Cranford, NJ, and honorable mentions at the 2020 Medford Arts Great Outdoors Juried Exhibition and the 2016 Pascack Tri-State Juried Exhibition. Debora is represented by Swain’s Gallery in Plainfield, NJ. She is an active member of the National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society (NOAPS), the Visual Arts Center of NJ, and the National Association of Women Artists, as well as the NJ Plein Air Painters (NJPAP) and the Art League of the Chathams (ALC).
P.J. Aduskevicz (Clinton, NJ) Is a landscape painter, who loves the versatility allowing her to paint a range of images, from realistic to abstract. Playing with color is her favorite part of the painting process. She loves to create moods and mystery through the use of color, line work, and bold marks. The results can be colors that sing next to each other, support the tone, and even sparkle. P.J. works in pastel and oil. She is a member of the NJ Pastel Society, as well as the NJ Plein Air Painters (NJPAP) and the Art League of the Chathams (ALC). She takes classes with Julie Friedman at ArtSpace Studio in Morristown and has studied with John Traynor, Barbara Jaenicke, and Jacob Aguiar.
Rita Riekstins Feeney (Morris Plains, NJ) Herartwork is largely inspired by the exciting colors she finds in florals and other vivid displays of shapes in nature. In her loose abstract florals and landscapes, bold colors are complemented by the use of texture in different media. Rita often references photos for shapes, but relies on her inherent sense of color to illustrate emotion. Splashy watercolors or acrylics form her underpaintings, which begin abstractly. Then, through the use of pastel, acrylic or more watercolor, her floral shapes are found. She also enjoys plein air painting, which allows her to fully immerse herself in her artwork. Rita received a BFA degree from Syracuse University, majoring in textile design. Rita is an Award Winning Signature Member of the NJ Pastel Society, an Exhibiting Member of the Essex Watercolor Club, an Elected Member of the NJ Water Color Society, an Associate Member of the Garden State Watercolor Society, a member of the Livingston Art Association, a member of the NJ Art Association, and a member of the NJ Plein Air Painters (NJPAP). Various collectors have added her artwork to their private collections.
The Art League of the Chathams is open to new members-both artists and supporters. It offers a $1,000 Rosemary Howlett scholarship for the Chatham HS senior who plans to study art as a career. For more information visit artleagueofthechathams.org.
Photos by Nancy Kingman
