With drinks flowing in a room filled with the laughter and praises of family, friends and art patrons, local artist and Hicksville native, Evan Campanella, proudly displayed his artwork at opening night of his own show at the BJ Spoke Gallery in Huntington.
After being sponsored by a member of the gallery for a member’s choice showing, one of his works helped to turn the limelight on him. Now a member of the gallery himself, his paintings have taken over the entire front room of BJ Spoke for the next month.
“This is the first ‘Me’ night I’ve had,” Campanella said while showing off some of his latest creations – contemporary, modern, edgy works of art, which he says, is his life’s passion. “It’s just fun – and it’s got to be fun,” he said.
A part of the fun, Campanella said, is listening to what other people think about his work. “I like hearing other people’s interpretations of my work. I know what it is to me, but sometimes people will say something about it and then I’ll think ‘Oh yea, I see that now.’ It’s cool to hear what other people think. Even when I was hanging things last night, some people were walking by saying ‘I know you guys are closed, but I just need to take a look at this work,’” he said. Although most people were amazed by his work and told him how impressed they were, Campanella added that he doesn’t take it to heart if everyone doesn’t love his work.
“Last night, some people were coming in as I was putting my paintings up and some were like ‘I don’t like anything in here’ not knowing that I was actually the artist,” he said. “But it’s got to about having fun and for me, that’s what painting is about. If someone says something really derogatory, I don’t listen, but it doesn’t bother me at all to hear what other people think,” he added.
As chatter took over the room, Campanella explained that he was nervous going into the showing, not because he wasn’t confident in his work, but because he wasn’t sure he actually brought enough with him to cover the room once he got to work hanging his paintings. “I was looking around and was like ‘I am not sure that I’m going to have enough to fill the room!’” he said. However, not only did he have enough artwork to fill the room, but he had enough people that appreciate his art to fill the room as well.
Campanella’s show, In The Light, will be showing at the BJ Spoke Gallery, at 299 Main Street, in Huntington, through the month of June.
