Recent Exhibits
Many thanks to the Wurtsboro Art Alliance for Their Second Annual Group Exhibition in The Gallery Link. Their mixed media show of photographs, paintings, weaving and sculpture represents some of the wide range of remarkable talent in our region. Works in this year's exhibit included several beautiful images by photographer Linda Wilkinson, paintings by Roberta Rosenthal (Ms. Rosenthal had a solo exhibit in The Gallery Link in 2007), and paintings of some familiar area landscapes by Ellenville's own John Beilman.
Cynthia Hall, who's exhibit, "The 
Color of Art" was
presented by The Gallery Link in February 2008 in honor of
Black History Month, had a sculpture in this year's show,
alongside a beautiful hand-woven rug and several unique
pieces of "stamp art" by other WAA members. The
Wurtsboro Art Alliance is a non-profit group formed in 2006
to encourage and promote the arts and local artists. In 2007,
the WAA opened their own gallery, located at 73 Sullivan
Street in Wurtsboro, NY. To learn more about the WAA,
please Shannon Kahan at 845-665-9333.
Special thanks to Judy Gonzalez of New Paltz for her December 2008 show at the Gallery Link, "Shrines, Altars & Figures", a beautiful exhibition of Spirit Boxes, wall sculptures and paintings. Several people bought pieces from Judy in response to her show here. Judy presented her multi-media work of wood sculptures, three dimensional "spirit boxes" and paintings to create a nurturing atmosphere of reflection for the holidays. A "spirit box" is a cross between an altar space and art inspired by Mexican "Day of the Dead" home memorials in honor of their ancestors. In Judy's words, "...these boxes are for the living and have to do with creating a space that honors some aspect of a person...they become vehicles to reinforce our own aspirations and 
prayers." Her figures represent another aspect of spirituality that is expressed through movement and dance. Her "gestures" as she calls her wooden wall sculptures, are lively and inspiring, ironically capturing this movement in stillness. All of her work is colorful and life affirming. Since Judy does not necessarily define herself as a spiritual person, "it is with some surprise", she states, "that I have created a body of work that addresses the spiritual in me, that confronts my need to define a space both physical and mental ... in order to see the larger picture that in fact, transcends both physical and mental." A native New Yorker, Judy studied at the Art Students League in Manhattan, and was the co-founder of The Essential Gallery, which was located in Stone Ridge. She also exhibited as part of COTA - Celebration Of The Arts - in New Paltz.
WARREN HURLEY: LANDSCAPES OF THE HUDSON VALLEY
Ellenville Public Library & Museum's Gallery Link hosted yet another first time exhibit: "Landscapes of the Hudson Valley" featuring paintings by local artist Warren Hurley. "From a very early age I knew I could draw. Art quickly became a major force in my life. When I started painting...I couldn't stop. I always have a painting that I am working on.” These words describe the passion that Hurley has for his work. While his earlier paintings have at times been more abstract, Hurley is enjoying the realistic direction his painting is taking, and his current works explore the countryside near his Hudson Valley home. He is drawn to scenes that evoke a sense of stillness, with only a hint of life in them...a wandering deer, some distant birds, or a butterfly...and he is especially called by the powerful quiet that comes just after dawn or shortly before dusk. Hurley's use of color infuses these scenes with gentle movement, magic and imagination, inviting us to engage. Though each landscape seems complete unto itself, we are none-the-less an important part of it, simply by viewing it. His beautiful paintings capture the inward, emotional and yet universal quality offered us by such moments, re-connecting us with ourselves and the world in which we live. After attending the State University of New York at New Paltz and New York University, Warren Hurley taught painting and drawing for more than three decades. He also taught in Edinburgh, Scotland as a Fulbright Fellow. His work has been exhibited in group shows throughout New York and in Europe. Last year he was elected to the Board of Directors of the Arts Society of Kinston (ASK) and currently serves as their Vice President. "Landscapes of The Hudson Valley" at Ellenville Public Library's Gallery Link is Hurley's long overdue first solo exhibit.
