The Art Guild celebrated the opening of its 2015 Members Showcase Exhibition on May 17. Guests were treated to a Garden Party Reception on Elderfields’ sunny patio, complete with live music by Chris Kinnear. In addition to announcing the awards for the exhibit, the Terri Shkuda Award for Broadening Creative Pursuits was awarded to member Eileen Shea Neville of Port Washington. The exhibit, featuring a variety of styles and mediums, showcases 54 member artists. The show will be on view through Sunday, June 28. Gallery hours are Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. or by appointment.
Artist Gregg Kreutz was the juror-of-awards for this exhibition. Commenting that it was difficult to choose a winner from such an outstanding group, he said that he is inspired by paintings with a strong sense of light and shadow or a lot of paint on the canvas executed in a free-spirited way. First place was awarded to Frances Ianarella for her oil painting Pussy Willows in a Ginger Jar, second place was awarded to Margo Vignola for her oil painting, Patagonia and third place was awarded to Annette Priomos for her oil painting, Recycled. Honorable mentions went to Diane Kaufmann for her pastel painting, Idyllic Crete, John Pulinat for his oil painting, A Still Life with the Hurricane, and Pam Tarica for her oil painting, Late Afternoon.
Kreutz is an award-winning painter and author of the classic artist’s guide, Problem Solving for Oil Painters. After graduating from NYU, he pursued his training as a painter at the Art Students League of New York, winning a merit scholarship. He studied with Frank Mason, Robert Beverly Hale and David Leffel. Kreutz teaches drawing and painting at the Art Students League and gives workshops throughout the U.S. and around the world.
Eileen Shea Neville, recipient of the Terri Shkuda Award, is an artist, watercolor instructor and former board member. She is an eager and enthusiastic ambassador for The Art Guild who generously volunteers her time while carrying out The Art Guild’s mission to educate and encourage people to broaden their creative pursuits. This spring, she volunteered to be The Art Guild’s liaison for the Plant-A-Row for the Hungry program. She tirelessly organized flower pot-painting sessions while designing and painting many of them herself. Through the Long Island Interclub Platform Tennis League, she arranged for The Art Guild to be the recipient of the proceeds from this year’s annual awards and fundraiser luncheon. She also teaches watercolor (intermediate and up) at The Art Guild on Wednesday mornings.
The founder of The Art Guild, Terri Shkuda, generously funds the Terri Shkuda Award for Broadening Creative Pursuits. The award is presented at the Guild‘s Annual Membership Exhibit to the person who best epitomizes the four principles of the organization’s mission statement: Encouragement, Education, Exploration and Exhibition.
The Art Guild is located at Nassau County’s Elderfields Preserve, 200 Port Washington Blvd., Manhasset. For more information, call 516-304-5797 or visit www.TheArtGuild.org.
