Cultural Happenings in & around Hudson County 

VISUAL ARTS

HAMILTON SQUARE NORTH CONDOMINIUMS, 232 Pavonia Ave, JC. Opening Reception: Wed, Jan. 18, 6-8 pm: SHARED GAZE, UNCOMMON VISION, paintings by Jeanne Tremel and Eliot Markell.

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LITM, 140 Newark Ave, JC. www.litm.com. Opens Tues, Jan. 3, 7-11:30 pm. Mia Buchananâ€s UTOPIA. Mia Buchanan was born in Japan where she studied academic art and graphic design and continued her education at Parsons in New York. “Human imagination is a tremendous weapon for peace of mind. Imagination allows for correct decisions and responses. Imagination develops the fight against discrimination and hate.”  $6 drink specials all night.

107 BOWERS GALLERY & ARTSPACE, 107 Bowers Street, C2, JC, (201) 280-04821, kd@107bowersgallery.com. Opening Sun, Jan. 14, 2-5 pm through Feb. 1:  THE COLLINS BROTHERS: A RETROSPECTVE. Octogenarian artist Myles Collins and his brothers Noel and Bill exhibit paintings along with Myles†whimsical sculptures, works that go back to his days as a commercial artist in NYC. “Myles, 88, has lived in Jersey City Heights since 1963. He is a retired NYC commercial artist who continues to create every day, whether its paintings, sculptures or pen & ink drawings.” (See the inside artist feature on Myles Collins in this RVO issue.)

VICTORY HALL DRAWING ROOMS, 180 Grand St, JC. (201) 823-93923; drawingrooms.org. Opens Fri, Jan 20 – Sun, Feb. 6. Hours: Fri, 4-7 pm; Sat & Sun, 12-6 pm. THE BIG SMALL SHOW featuring the work of more than 100 artists. Meet artists on 1/29; 2/4, and 2/12, 3-5 pm.

 PROTO GALLERY, 66 Willow Ave, (Neumann Leather Building) HOB. Through Jan. 29:  MYSTERIANS. “This show is an exploration of work by Michael Kukla, Jackie Mock, and Suzanne Goldenberg. Proto Gallery is a contemporary art space founded by artist Nick De Pirro. It exhibits new work in all media by emerging and mid-career artists in a 2,500 sq. ft. main exhibition space and auxiliary video projection room.”

BARSKY GALLERY, 48 Harrison St, HOB. (888) 465-4949; barskyallery.com. BARSKY GALLERYâ€S WINTER EXHIBITION. “The rotating collection is a showcase of recent works by gallery-represented artists, embodying an eclectic mix of contemporary original art priced for every budget.” Winter hours: Mon & Tues, by appointment; Wed-Sun, 11 am-6 pm.

 WORD JERSEY CITY bookstore, 123 Newark Ave, JC. Tues, Jan. 17, 7-10 pm, Gay Talese presents HIGH NOTES. “Join Gay Talese for a celebration of his newest book: selections from six decades of an illustrious writing career. When Gay Talese left THE NEW YORK TIMES in 1965 to write for ESQUIRE, he brought with him a journalistic style entirely his own, which combined his literary sensibility and craftsmanship with a talent for cultural observation and an interest in American everyday life–in taboo topics and overlooked truths.”

KID STUFF

LIBERTY SCIENCE CENTER, 222 Jersey City Blvd, JC. www.lsc.org. Sat, Jan. 14, 10 am-12 noon: MAKERLAB: ELECTRONIC SEWING. “Join us in Liberty Science Centerâ€s MakerLab where kids will use 3-D printers to create their own custom glowing bookmark, flag, or bracelet. Students will learn the science behind electronic sewing and take their creations home. To book your spot, call (201)253-1310 or email sales@lsc.org. Availability is limited. LSCâ€s new MakerLab boasts 3D printers, a vacuformer, and everything else you need for hands-on designing and creating.”

 LIBERTY SCIENCE CENTER, Liberty State Park, 222 Jersey City Boulevard, JC. (201) 200-1000; www.lsc.org. Through Jan 8, 2017: CURIOUS GEORGE: LETâ€S GET CURIOUS! “Letting curiosity and inquiry be their guides, children explore familiar buildings and locales from the “Curious George” books and television series on PBS Kids. The exhibit presents key concepts in science, math, and engineering, which are woven throughout the exhibit. Activities invite children to learn like Curious George does—through direct experience and problem solving!”

LIBERTY SCIENCE CENTER, Liberty State Park, 222 Jersey City Boulevard, JC. (201) 200-1000; www.lsc.org. Tues-Fri. 12:30, 2, & 3:30‌ pm; Sat. & Sun, 10 & 11:30 am & 4:30 pm. EARTHFLIGHT 3D. “Fly wingtip to wingtip with some of the worldâ€s most charismatic birds. On their fantastic journeys, the birds visit some of the most spectacular animal events and locations on Earth. Our 300-seat Joseph D. Williams 3D Science Theater offers shorter running Real D 3D Digital Films are suitable for all ages. These movies pack lots of great action into 20 – 40 minutes.”  

SHAKE YOUR GROOVE THING

FOX AND CROW, 594 Palisade Ave, JC. Fri, Jan. 20, 10 pm-12 midnight;

SWINGADELIC: LIVE IN THE PARLOUR. “Swingadelic began in 1998 as the neo-swing movement was cresting. Upright bassist Dave Post gathered his jazz & blues playing friends together to play engagements at New York Cityâ€s Supper Club, Swing 46 and Windows on The World, the former restaurant atop the World Trade Center. Swingadelic has maintained a residency for six years at Maxwellâ€s in Hoboken where it performs every other Monday as a ten piece “little big band.” The group performs as a quintet doing a Duke Ellington program in Hudson schools.

BRIGHTSIDE TAVERN, 141 Bright St, JC. Mon, JAZZ JAM; Tues & Wed: KARAOKE; Thurs: OPEN MIC NIGHT; Fri: COMEDY; Sat & Sun: Brunch, DANCE, KARAOKE, OPEN MIC.

ARTS FUNDRAISER

ART HOUSE PRODUCTONS, 136 Magnolia Ave, JC. Sat, Jan 28, 8-11:55 pm: Art House presents the 11th Annual SNOW BALL. “SNOW BALL is a ‘black tie creative†gala to benefit Art Houseâ€s innovative arts programs, and features live music, light fare, open bar, silent auction and a festive arts-friendly crowd. 8 pm, Welcome and Hors dâ€oeuvres; 8:30, Silent Auction and Live Music by Manouche Bag; 9:15, A Toast to Art House; 9:30, Best Dressed Contest; 9:45, DJ George “Soul” Fernandez; 10:30, Silent Auction closes. Tix: $90 in advance; ($100 at the door). $150 VIP ticket gives access to a private reception at Art House from 7 pm-8 pm. This exclusive event includes champagne, a private concert by a cappella group Cabaret Sauvignon, a gift bag, and a first-look tour of the Snow Ball silent auction items.”

SHAKESPEARE IN JC

JERSEY CITY THEATER CENTER, Merseles Studios, 339 Newark Ave, JC. www.jctcenter.org. Opens Thurs, Jan 26, 7:30 pm. HAMLET, directed by Javier Antonio González. “It is bitter cold. Rank corruption festers at the center of power, indulging in excess while war looms on the horizon. Denmark is a prison, and for Hamlet there is no way out but through murder, suicide, or madness. Featuring Michael Barringer, Brooke Bell, Laura Butler Rivera, Jon Froehlich, Jorge Luna, Tania Molina, Pedro Leopoldo Sánchez Tormes, Veraalba Santa, David Skeist, and Anne Gridley as Hamlet. For tix go to ticketfly.com.”

OUT OF TOWN HAPPENINGS

 THE NEW VICTORY THEATER, 229 W. 42^nd St, NYC. www.newvictory.org. Jan 6-15, OH, BOY! “Simeon: fourteen, awkward, a brainiac. Morgan: eight, also awkward, also a brainiac. Venice: five, adorable. Orphaned and alone in the world, they make a vow to never be separated. Enter Balthazar: 26, handsome, gay and the kids’ older, immature half-brother they never knew they had. He’s also their only hope for staying together. But is Balthazar ready to give up his irresponsible party boy ways to become their guardian? Honest and heartrending, OH BOY!, based on the book by Marie Aude-Murail, is a one-man tour de force exploring what it means to be a family, and the importance of pulling together when faced with some of life’s most devastating moments.”

  NEWARK MUSEUM, 49 Washington St, Newark, NJ. (973) 596-6550; www.newarkmuseum.org. Now on view, 1^st Fl, North Wing; NATIVE ARTISTS OF NORTH AMERICA features more than 100 rarely exhibited objects from throughout the United States and Canada. “NATIVE ARTISTS OF NORTH AMERICA celebrates the great diversity of styles, media and creativity of Native artists and places them in the broader context of American art. Among the works on view include expertly woven Pomo baskets, exquisite hand-made items of dress from across the continent, and Southwestern pottery and textiles.  Other highlights include works by the Haida master carver Charles Edenshaw and Pueblo painters Fred Kabotie, Tonita Peña and Awa Tsireh. Additional works by contemporary Native American artists are installed in adjacent galleries, including recent acquisitions by Jeffrey Gibson and Preston Singletary.”

SEND US YOUR ARTS LISTINGS. If you have an art opening or performances coming up including visual arts, performing arts and street arts, send an email to:  riverviewobserver@gmail.com and weâ€ll list it in ARTScene.  

ALL ARTscene LISTINGS ARE FREE.

The post JANUARY 2017 ARTScene / Cultural Happenings in & around Hudson County   first appeared on River View Observer.

140 Newark Ave, JC. www.litm.com

Party runs from 5 p.m. to close. Bar opens at 3 p.m.on Sun, Jan 8,

The post DAVID BOWIE BIRTHDAY BASH CELEBRATE AT LITM JERSEY CITY first appeared on River View Observer.

   By Sally Deering

British artist Peter Bill is a color illusionist and his paintings can be found in homes throughout the U.K., and U.S., and in many instances, the homes of other artists. Using subtle gradations of brilliant color, Bill can turn a color spectrum into spirals, fans – you name it, the shapes are endless, and the images seem to lift off the page like a 3-D movie but without the goofy glasses.

Bill has exhibited locally in several galleries including LITM and Cooper Gallery in Jersey City; HBOâ€s corporate headquarters and the Puffin Room in Manhattan; and at City Without Walls in Newark. For years, motorists have driven by the 17-foot by 15-foot peace sign he painted in the mural on Observer Highway in Hoboken. His early career work as a graphic artist can be seen in the book “The Collected Writings of Sir William Churchill,” and the three fonts he designed – Starlight, Starlight Display, and Uranus Bold – are still used today.

“Since I first began painting in the 1970s, my work has explored the relationship between color, geometry, and the flatness of the picture plane,” Bill states on his website. “For the past two years I have been working with permutations of the square. My aim is to present the many faces of the square and to make it appear as something other than what it is – a two-dimensional geometric shape. For example, by arranging subtly gradated bands of color within the boundaries of the square, I can create a concave or convex spiral. In effect, I am creating the illusion of depth while still using completely flat color…”

A resident of Jersey City and the downtown arts district, Bill exhibits once a year because as soon as he posts a new work on his website – www.peterbill.org — someone emails him to purchase it.

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Bill grew up in South London, England where he studied art at Camberwell School of Arts & Crafts, and City & Guilds of London Art School. He came to the New York Metro-area in 1978 and has been in Jersey City since the early 90s.

Always working on a new piece, Bill took a break from his schedule on a recent Monday evening and shared with River View Observer a little background on his artistic temperament.

RVO:  What was it like growing up in London in the 1950s?

PB: My father was a chef at Boodles Club, a gentlemanâ€s club in St. James. He did the party when the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen got engaged. He went to work at the crack of dawn and came home when it was dark. Mum was a housewife. You could do it then, you canâ€t do it now.

RVO: When did you get interested in art?

PB: I did it as a competition thing with my sister. For me it was a struggle, art, it was something I wanted to do but didnâ€t know how to do it. I didnâ€t have the qualifications to get into art school.  I started in 1964 with an apprenticeship with an engineering company that made hot and cold foil stamping machines. They did plastic cups with logos, that sort of thing I did filing, getting teas, donkey work, and occasionally they gave me something to re-touch. I started in ‘64 and left in â€72 when the company went bust.

RVO: When did you come to the states?

PB: I came here in 1978, to Spring Valley, New York. I lived in Dumont and then took a basement apartment in Edgewater. Thatâ€s when I started to paint colorful; that place was so depressing. I came to Jersey City in the 1990s. My first show here was at Traders of Babylon in Hoboken. Then I did a show in 1992 at the William Carlos Williams Center in Rutherford where I exhibited three pieces: Spirit Dancer I and II; and, Manâ€s Search for Peace in the Universe.

RVO:  Since you donâ€t do a lot of exhibits these days, how do people know where to buy your work?

PB: I have the pics on my camera and I show them. I also tell them I have a payment plan. 

RVO:  How would you describe your style?  You once mentioned you try to recreate the pop of neon in your paintings?

PB: I like neonâ€s gradation of color, where it goes from dark to light at the center where you get that brilliance that makes the whole thing pop.  The pieces undulate. I have a piece, if you stare at it, it gives the illusion that the circle is spinning. Itâ€s like when a planeâ€s propeller spins one way and it spins so fast it looks like itâ€s going the other way, thatâ€s what Iâ€m trying to achieve. Simplicity is the essence of good design which is kind of my mantra when I paint.

RVO:  How long does it take you to do a piece?

PB: It takes about a week. I give it my undivided attention because you can lose yourself very easily. Thatâ€s why all my colors are numbered.

RVO:  Do you paint on commission?

PB:  I paint for myself. Better for me to do something I like, instead of trying to fit into something they like.

RVO:  The color changes in your paintings are so subtle – the color spectrums you paint in – you must be highly color sensitive?

PB: I play in the world of gradations. I was a black and white illustrator for many years.

For more info, go to www.peterbill.org

The post Jersey City Artist Peter S. Bill Turns Two-Dimensional Shapes into Swirling, Twirling and sometimes Glowing Illusions first appeared on River View Observer.

  

By Sally Deering

A year ago, artist Fermin Mendoza of West New York decided he would paint a portrait every day of people he reached out to in person and on the Internet. Taking their pictures or having them email their pics, Mendoza used the photos as the basis for a series of portraits – 183 to be exact – in the project he calls “artists/models/others” opening this week at LITM Bar, Restaurant, Art & Video Gallery on Newark Avenue in Jersey City.

“I started the ‘artists/models/others†project in January of 2012 and I originally planned on meeting one person and then painting their portrait for each day of the year,” Mendoza says.

“It turned out 2012 was a leap year so that meant the magic number was 366. Well, somehow life got in the way and I was only able to complete 183, exactly half.”

Mendoza completed one painting every 48 hours and many artists he knows personally are represented in the show like Peter. S. Bill of Jersey City and Greg Stone of Ridgefield Park. Thereâ€s even a portrait of me, Sally Deering – yes, thatâ€s me – painted from a photograph he took after we shared coffee and conversation at Dunkin†Donuts.  People he met on Linkedin.com and other social media websites were also invited to participate.

“Some of those people that will be at the opening, I’ll be meeting in person for the first time,” Mendoza says.

 IF YOU GO:

Through June 30th

Fermin Mendozaâ€s Solo Show: “Artists/Models/Others”

LITM – Bar, Restaurant, Art & Video Gallery

140 Newark Ave

Jersey City

(201) 536-5557

www.litm.com

The post The Fermin Mendoza Project- “Artists/Models/Others” – A Year of Paining Portraits first appeared on River View Observer.