Come Visit Us Dec. 5th & 6th...

If you are in the area,

stop by and visit the artists at

Brown St. Studios in Peekskill

on Dec. 5th & 6th

Some of the artists will have their studios open that weekend,

so come and enjoy viewing some great art and great gift ideas!

The Flat Iron Gallery will be open as well for you to browse around!

Download the postcard for details...

Also coming soon:

Entrée to Hope Show Oct. 2-Nov. 16, 2009

Thank You!

I would like to thank everyone who came to visit us at 121 Restaurant Gallery for the opening reception of the Entrée to Hope Celebration show. Your support and encouragement meant so much to the artists and to Entrée to Hope. Everyone enjoyed great art, by Donna & Linda, great music by Tonya Carmen, and great food — courtesy of 121 Restaurant.

Here are some photos from the event...Photos courtesy of Chris Schwartz, Director of Development, Grace Community Church. Special thanks to Chris Schwartz, Christina Rohatynskyj, Executive Director of Food Bank for Westchester, and James Brown, Manager of 121 Restaurant, for creating the opportunity for Linda and myself to show our work in support of Entrée to Hope. The show will be up until November 16th, so if you are in the area, please stop by and visit us! Have a fabulous lunch or dinner at the restaurant, and enjoy the art on the walls in the gallery.

Artist, Donna Rossi & Photographer Linda Austrian.

Singer/Songwriter Tonya Carmen

It was a great day for art! Thank you again for making our day such a great success...

August 8th Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

I want to thank everyone who came to visit us at Brown Street Studios in Peekskill, NY on Saturday, August 8th for our Ribbon Cutting Ceremony announcing our new signage for the building that houses our artists' studios. It was a great day weather-wise so there was quite a bit of traffic through the building. It's really exciting to be part of such a great group of artists — and now we're "on the map" so to speak.

From left to right (front row): Stephen Mancusi, Mary Foster - Mayor of Peekskill, Susan Weinreich, Ilse Schreiber-Noll, Marcy B. Freedman, Elana Goren, Keren Valentin, Donna Rossi, Michael Lanier. (back row): John Ford, Monique Brideau, Lavinia Wiggins. Our sign is in the above right corner of the picture. Photo courtesy of Mike Slevin.

Our August 8th Ribbon Cutting Ceremony & Open Studios Day was a great success. Our group of artists enjoyed opening their studios to the public and talking about their art.

We featured the very talented singer/songwriter Tonya Carmen for our music entertainment. Visitors strolled through each studio, viewing a wide range of artwork, chatting with the artists and listening to fabulous original music.

Special thanks to Lavinia Wiggins who put together a wonderful spread of food & drink for the artists and our guests in her studio. Note her beautiful paintings!

Here's the North County News write-up announcing the event:

http://www.ncnlocal.com/lifestyles/ncn_mind_body_sprit.asp

I will send out the post-event article soon.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR

HELPING TO MAKE OUR DAY A SUCCESS!

Montauk Series (page 2)

Montauk Hydrangeas

This is one of my fondest views. It is overlooking the ocean from the cottage. It's a beautiful & serene scene that has the amazing power to envelop anyone who is a bundle of stress and worries, in an aura of inner calmness — which most of the time is much needed...

Stay tuned for more of the Montauk Series.

Montauk Series I

Montauk Beach Path II
The other series that I am currently working on is the Montauk Series. These are pieces that I have been waiting patiently to execute for about a decade. Montauk, NY - which is the tip of Long Island - is one of those places on earth that seems to stay the same throughout time. Beaches and dunes are eroding all over the earth, but even so, the essence of Montauk beauty is untouched. These particular scenes that I am currently painting are views that have been etched into my memory from summers when I was a child up to the present day.
I would walk down the narrow dirt path in anticipation of coming in contact with the majestic ocean. My heart would skip a few beats in excitement. And the walk always seemed really long. I was enveloped in a warm, quiet, still portal awaiting freedom at the end of the path.
And then when I got to the end, I would breathe in a big gust of salty sea air and look out at the magnificent blue vastness. It instantly made my spirit happy. And it still does.

Archways Into the Inner Worlds III

Some people have commented that one can be looking inwardly or outwardly through the archways. You can be looking inside yourself and you can be observing what is going on outside yourself. I find this interesting because these perspectives indicate where we are focused at any given moment in time. I like to think of these archways as a tool that can assist in stirring up the desire to look inwardly. To make that inner connection with oneself—because this is where our true selves reside.

Archways Into the Inner Worlds II

These archways invoke distant memories for some viewers. People have commented that it reminds them of somewhere they have been. There is a familiarity to the scene—but it is not necessarily on the physical plane. It is reminding them of a distant, serene, familiar place. Somewhere to which only their inner selves have traveled.

Archways Into the Inner Worlds I

The series that I am currently working on is called

"Archways Into the Inner Worlds."

These archways symbolize the portals, or entrances, into the innermost self — Soul. Each archway is unique as well as the scenes viewed through them. I receive most of my scene imagery from the dreamstate. I paint from my dreams.

           "I dream my paintings,

              and then I paint my dreams." — Vincent Van Gogh

I plan to create several archways — just like our infinite dreamscapes, the number of these that I can create is also limitless.

Three of the archways are currently on exhibit at

Rogue Space Gallery in Chelsea, NYC, March 5th-15th.

Rogue Space NYC

508 West 26th Street, 9E

NY, NY 10001

Hours: Tues.-Fri. 12-6pm, Sat. 12-5pm

This piece is sold.