Local artist Byron Nernoff of Glen Head is making the rounds this month and early next year, exhibiting his brightly colored paintings at three different venues where the public can view them.
“It’s amazing how God is blessing me with people having so much interest in my work. I am sort of overwhelmed by it,” said Nernoff, 72, who recently retired from his general manager position with Dunkin’ Donuts. “I have a guy who can make exact reproductions of all of my paintings, which makes things more manageable. Sometimes, you show your work for a long time with no sales, and then when you finally sell a piece, it’s a good feeling that all that work you put into a painting finally pays off a little bit.”
Nernoff’s first show was at Dunkin’ Donuts in Garden City Park, then at the Gold Coast Library in Glen Head, followed by a show at the Glen Cove Senior Center, the Glen Cove
Library, Crazy Monkey Art Gallery in the Hamptons and at Corner Copia Café in Port Jefferson.
Currently, Nernoff has four paintings on display at First National Bank of Long Island in Glen Head and three on display in the office of Dr. Scott Cavagnuolo, a chiropractor in East Norwich. Next month, he’ll be putting up 25 paintings in the Oyster Bay Town Hall, where they will be on view throughout January and February 2015.
A patient of Dr. Cavagnuolo’s, Nernoff offered to put up a few paintings, all of which are for sale, and Dr. Cavagnuolo agreed.
“I thought I could use a change and a bit of color,” said Dr. Cavagnuolo. “It’s a joy to help him. I want him to be successful, plus he’s doing me a favor by decorating my office.”
He said that anyone interested in seeing the paintings is welcome to stop in.
The paintings are also beneficial for Dr. Cavagnuolo’s patients, since the chiropractor notes that art is part of the healing process in his office. “Art and chiropractic go hand in hand,” he said.
A second generation artist, Nernoff has followed in his father’s footsteps with his creative work. He started painting at a very young age, while in elementary school.
“I think being an artist is inbred, in the genes. Plus, since my father was an excellent artist, growing up in this environment I began to draw naturally. It was just so easy.”
When Nernoff was older and attended the Culinary Art Institute, the chef learned how to create ice carvings and decorate buffet tables for big parties. He began painting in watercolors in the 1970s and 1980s, just as a hobby.
“Then a few years ago, after I moved back to the house I grew up in, the house my grandfather built in 1919, I started painting again,” said Nernoff. “But this time, people started recognizing my work and encouraged me to show it.”
Nernoff paints at home, using a small area on the back porch overlooking the garden as his studio. “The memories of growing up here, with my grandfather [who was] a licensed steam engineer, with all the gears, nuts and bolts and pulleys he used to build steam engines and my father [who was] a fine artist, I get inspired with all kinds of ideas and then put them on canvas.”
“I also get inspired in church as I listen to the sermon and I draw on the Sunday bulletin and then come home and put those thoughts on paper and canvas. I got a lot of inspiration from the Lord,” added Nernoff.
About next month’s exhibit in Oyster Bay, Nernoff said: “A young lady saw my art show at the Glen Cove Library in August and called me up and said, ‘Byron, I want to help you with your art work—the world needs to see your paintings.’ She then got me involved in the Rotational Art Exhibit Program of Oyster Bay. I submitted an application, and after two interviews and showings, I was selected to display my art in 10 venues in the township of Oyster Bay, including the Town of Oyster Bay Town Hall.”
Visit www.nernoff.com for more info about the artist and his work.
