Tercentennial Exhibition Extended At River Glen Gallery

By Shannon Hicks

A collection of paintings, all done en plein aire, on view at River Glen Fine Arts Gallery will remain on view for three weeks longer than originally planned. Thanks to the surprising success of the show, the show will receive a new look this week as well.

“Tercentennial Celebration: En Plein Air Exhibit of Newtown and Sandy Hook” features more than 70 brand-new works depicting scenes in Newtown and Sandy Hook. Among the artists with work on view are Melody Asbury, Patricia Barkman, Shane Blomberg, Betty Christensen, Marilyn Colman, Ron DeFelice, Will Doyle, Frank Federico, Leslie Levy, Barbara Madden, Dick McEvoy, Ruth Newquist, Alain Picard, Sandi Randall, Ralph Schwartz, and Peter Seltzer.

While not all of these artists are Newtown residents, all are award-winning Connecticut artists who have accepted the challenge of working outdoors at some point during recent weeks in order to create new images for the tercentennial plein aire exhibition.

A handful of paintings sold during the exhibition’s opening reception on August 14, and more have sold since then. With the interest in the show very high, gallery director Carol Garbarino has decided to extend the show’s run to October 23.

With the hope that more people will think about returning to see the show again, artists who have already seen some of their works sell have agreed to put new works on view. Those works should be on view by this weekend, if not already.

The gallery is full of color and framed pieces of all sizes and styles, featuring landscapes and familiar buildings.

Silent Auctio

 To Benefit NSA

In addition to extending the run of “Tercentennial Celebration,” River Glen Fine Arts Gallery is hosting a silent auction to benefit Newtown Scholarship Association.

A painting by Frank Federico, called “Morning Shadow,” is being bid on. The work was done during a morning in late June at Ferris Acres, the farm along Route 302. It is one of a handful of paintings by Mr Federico and others participating in the show that depict different views and features of the dairy farm.

Mr Federico is a master figure, landscape, mural, and portrait painter whose work has been exhibited in such major venues as Brockton Museum of Art in Boston and The National Gallery of Tokyo. His work is also featured in corporate collections of IBM and Gulf Oil.

He is a highly sought-after workshop teacher who has inspired students from Maine to Florida; one of his most recent local workshops was in July 2004, when he offered a pastel landscape demonstration for Candlewood League of Artists in New Fairfield. He is also a popular guest artist for The Society of Creative Arts of Newtown (SCAN), for whom he has presented programs a number of times.

His work is shown regularly at River Glen Gallery.

Anyone interested in bidding on Mr Federico’s painting is encouraged to visit the gallery to preview the work and establish their opening bid. Once a bidder has been recorded, he/she may check in with the gallery to find the painting’s current winning bid and rebid over the phone if desired

In addition to the proceeds from the silent auction of Mr Federico’s painting, ten percent of the total proceeds from the plein aire collection will be donated to NSA.

It has been a stellar year for Newtown Scholarship Association, a group that is dedicated to awarding financial assistance to Newtown’s graduating seniors who continue their studies. The group awards four-year scholarships.

“We gave away more than $200,000 this year,” said Mary Ann Murtha, a member of NSA’s board of directors, “and those are all awards for undergrads.” The awards are primarily won by Newtown High School students, but they are also presented to Newtown residents who attend private schools or are home-schooled.

Money for NSA awards is raised through annual fund drives, an annual scholarship ball, generous memorial contributions and bequests, and various fundraising events such as the silent auction currently happening at River Glen Fine Arts Gallery.

“All of this money is given away thanks to the generosity of donors,” Mrs Murtha continued. “A tremendous number of small donations allow us to do all this.”

NSA awards allow students to attend schools that cover the gamut “from community colleges, Ivy League colleges and everything in between,” NSA board member Stephanie Gaston said this week.

Eighty awards were given out this year, according to Mrs Gaston. Forty graduates from the Class of 2005 received awards from NSA totaling $105,000, while another 40 awards were continued (for students entering their sophomore, junior and seniors years) at a price of $103,500.

“We have never given this much. We’d like to do this every year, but we don’t always have the funding,” said Mrs Gaston. The auction of Frank Federico’s painting will help NSA work toward the same level of award-giving for the Class of 2006.

River Glen Fine Arts Gallery is at 3 Washington Avenue in Sandy Hook, in the Masonic temple next to St John’s Episcopal Church.

The gallery is open Tuesday from noon to 4 pm, Saturday and Sunday from 11 am until 4 pm, and by appointment. Call 270-1199 for additional information.