This week, the Simsbury Free Library (SFL) will host Simsbury Open Studio Artists for an exhibit and special opening reception. The reception will take place on Thursday, November 8, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Art will be on display November 6 and November 8 from 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. and November 10 from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Simsbury Open Studio Artists is a group of artists whose goals are to inspire, educate and allow the public to see art and learn about the creative process. Exhibiting artists include:
Rita Bond: Originally from the New York Metropolitan area and a landscape designer by training, Rita Bond's work reflects her love of color and the natural environment. Her landscapes, seascapes and abstracts, reflecting her home in New England, are painted in oil, acrylic and pastel. Her work has been shown in numerous juried art shows and galleries and is in the permanent collection of the University of Connecticut Health Center. Her work is owned by collectors throughout the Eastern United States, California, and England. She has studied with Eric Aho in Vermont, and with Ilona Levitz and Frank Federico, among others, at the West Hartford Art League.
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Grace Epstein: As a full time art teacher at Ethel Walker School Grace teaches middle and high school students. She teaches a variety of media. The applied arts are as challenging as the fine arts. Every media connects with her and she encourages students to make their own personal creative connections. Creating is a process of finding your own way to express your inner dreams and thoughts. Grace moves freely to and from paint and clay. "Painting connects me with the real world as I bring special forms to the canvas. Clay allows me to think functional art that transcends into more expressive work." Grace holds a BS in Art Education and a MS in Special Education. She has been a member of the CT Watercolor Society, the CT Valley Calligraphers and is currently a member of the Gallery on the Green Artists Guild.
Helen Galick: A Simsbury resident, Helen paints and teaches in her home studio. Her work ranges from realistic architectural renderings to soft tonal landscapes. The natural beauty of rural Connecticut provides her most consistent source of subject matter. Using a wide range of methods and mediums allows her to explore many paintings styles which she finds an appealing challenge.
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Vicente Garcia: Vicente is a University Professor of Art at Central Connecticut State University and a practicing artist. At the University he teaches all aspects of ceramics and in his studio he is actively involved in producing and refining a body of work that includes clay and steel sculptures and vessels. His area of expertise in ceramics is wheel throwing, raku, and pit fires. In steel he focuses on the fabrication process.
Ruth Jacobson: "I see colors, energy and motion, a kind of liquid light in every person, every object, every moment. I try to capture depth and vibrancy by layering colors and by placing them next to one another. Then, just watch the colors dance and shimmer and bounce off of each other, or blend into one vision!" Earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Tyler School of Fine Arts, Temple University, Ruth Jacobson continues to study with Ilona Levitz and Frank Federico. Known for her pastel depictions of Portugal, prizewinning still life acrylics, and bold figure paintings.
Jacqueline (Jacie) Jakubowski: Jacie loves being near water and/or woods and, in her original paintings in oil or acrylic, she tries to capture nature’s spirit. She enjoys painting en plein air in nice weather and indoors in cold or inclement weather. Jacie is excited by the process of painting and what seems to magically come out of the brush. She says age has allowed her to not worry about wasting paint or canvas – she now approaches each canvas with an open mind and a playful brush or palette knife and a glorious palette of colors that are so exciting.
Diana Lemcoff: Diana is a visual artist concentrating in painting and sculpture. She uses oils, acrylics and mixed media in her paintings, and has created sculpture in stone and metal. She seeks to project her reinterpretations of nature, poems and feelings in her work. Recurring themes in her work are boats and reflections on water.
Claudia Ludovici: Claudia is a self-taught artist, who paints in oils and watercolor. She strives for a simple, spontaneous impressionistic style and hopes that her paintings reflect the universal principals of balance, harmony, unity, simplicity and beauty.
Julia Parker Post: Julia has degrees from the Hartford Art School, University of Hartford and Central Connecticut State University. She has further studied with artists in New England and in Europe. Her preferred mediums are watercolor and print making. Nature and flowers are the primary subjects and much work has been influenced by sketches from travels. The work is in a bright pallet in an impressionistic style.
Lori Racicot-Burrous: Lori moved to Simsbury in 2008, enjoys capturing the color, texture and emotion of a subject. She paints animals, landscapes, people, flowers, and anything else that speaks to the artist in her.
About the Simsbury Free Library
The Simsbury Free Library (the Simsbury Genealogical and Historical Research Library) opened on the second floor of the Hopmeadow District School in 1874. In 1890, the Library’s collection was moved to its present location at 749 Hopmeadow Street in Simsbury. Today the Simsbury Free Library (SFL) seeks to promote interest in genealogy and history by providing access to research material and expertise, artifacts, and educational and cultural programs. It seeks to help patrons connect with the past and to learn from and be inspired by those who have gone before them. The SFL provides a relaxed setting in which people can pursue family research history at their own pace. For everyone from seasoned genealogy veterans to beginners, the SFL has the staff and resources necessary to help visitors develop the skills required to create family trees, search local histories, look up census records, explore vital records, etc.
The Simsbury Free Library – the Gracious Yellow Lady – is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and the second and fourth Saturdays of the month from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. as well as by appointment. For more information, visit www.simsburyfreelibrary.org or call (860) 408-1336.
