The Laffer Gallery Presents: “Nurture Nature”
Featuring Mikel Wintermantel, Takeyce Walter, Karen Elem, Nancy Magnell, Leslie Peck, Kate Edwards, David Hill, Celeste Susany, and Audrie Sturman
September 10 – October 16, 2016
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 10, 5-8pm
SCHUYLERVILLE, N.Y., September 5, 2016 — The Laffer Gallery today announced it will open a new exhibit, “Nurture Nature,” on Saturday, September 10, at 96 Broad Street in Schuylerville, N.Y. The exhibit will run through October 16, 2016, and will feature artwork by nine New York artists. An opening reception will be held at The Laffer Gallery on Saturday, September 10, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
“We’re excited to bring together such a fine collection of talented New York artists. Their work is mixed across various mediums and either originates from nature, with materials, or finds inspiration in nature, through theme,” said Erik Laffer, owner, The Laffer Gallery.
Artists featured in the show include:
Audrie Sturman works full time in two studios, one in Albany and the other at The Saratoga Clay Arts Center. Sturman’s works are represented in numerous collections in the U.S., as well as private collections in Canada, Europe, Israel and Australia.
Celeste Susany is recognized as one of the nation’s premier equine artists and is regularly commissioned to do artwork for racetracks and private clients worldwide. She has had a presence in Saratoga since 1984 when she first exhibited her art at the Saratoga Race Course. Her work was feature on the Saratoga Race Course program from 1998 to 2015. Celeste has also enjoyed successes as a portrait and landscape painter.
David Hill has had a relationship with nature that he translates through oil paintings. Born and raised in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, he found water and waves to be the inspiration for the subject matter that he continues to focus on. Hill studied painting in many locations including Hawaii, Italy and Boston (BAF, Art Institute of Boston).
Karen Elem received her degree in art education from the State University of New York at New Paltz. After retiring from a 37-year career teaching ceramics, sculpture, drawing and painting at Saratoga Springs High, she is now a resident studio artist at the Saratoga Clay Arts Center in Schuylerville, N.Y.
Kate Edwards gains inspiration from the change of seasons and the daily movement of light. Through landscape paintings, her observations and interpretation of nature connects her to the world. Her work currently reflects the agricultural landscapes she experiences as a resident of Northeastern N.Y.
Leslie Peck is a New York native educated at the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she received her bachelor’s degree in fine art. She then spent a year studying art in Italy at the Scuola di Lorenzo De Medici in Florence, before apprenticing in Rome with renowned illustrator Alessandro Biffignandi. Peck began a freelance career in romance book cover illustration in 1988. While still successful in the publishing field, her love for portraiture of people and animals has found its expression in her most recent oil paintings.
Mikel Wintermantel is an artist schooled in tradition and raised in a modern world. His paintings cross the advancement in modern materials and tools with his deep respect for old world methods. Through years of exploration his method and materials have become almost transparent in the creation process.
Nancy Magnell is a Saratoga-based artist specializing in the rare art of reverse glass painting. Her unique application of the Hudson River aesthetic to the reverse painted glass medium brings an enhanced sense of depth and mood to the traditional landscape, and her subtle manipulation of light and color create a sense of drama and suspense that makes these works recognizably emotional and personal.
Takeyce Walter works in oil and pastel, and her paintings feature the rural landscape of upstate New York, the Adirondacks, Cape Cod and Vermont. She is especially inspired by and drawn to the water—rivers, lakes, marshes, streams and the ocean. Walter exhibits her paintings online, through her blog, and in local venues throughout the Northeast. Her work is also found in many private collections across the world.
The “Nurture Nature” exhibit will be open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., from September 10 to October 16. Showings are also available by appointment.
The Laffer Gallery is a contemporary fine art gallery and custom frame shop owned and operated by artist Erik Laffer. The gallery showcases nationally established and emerging contemporary artists working across a variety of mediums. Exhibitions ranging from realism to abstraction rotate every 4 to 6 weeks, with opening receptions for each exhibit.