*September through December* Open Studio Updates!
Open Studio Time at the Cheshire Public Library
Studio dates for the balance of 2024: September: All Fridays October: 11, 18, 25 November: 15, 22 December: All Fridays
We meet from 12-2 pm in the “Loft” at the Cheshire Public Library. We welcome all artists, any level of expertise, any medium, to join us. This is a casual, free, drop-in program (no reservation needed); art league membership not required (open to the public). Just bring your own art supplies and enjoy the camaraderie! Please note the following: -- The program is intended for teens and adults. -- The “Loft” is accessible by elevator. -- Oil painters: Please do not bring turpentine. -- No formal instruction is provided, rather an encouraging, collaborative environment.
November 2024
Meeting & Featured Artist
Lenny Moskowitz
Tuesday, November 12th, 2024 1 - 3 pm Cheshire Public Library, 104 Main St, Cheshire
"In my painting and in my teaching, I strive to make things simple. I like to work with a variety of processes, but I always am looking for them to be uncomplicated. One of the processes I use is finding the big shapes. I will definitely be demonstrating that. Another process I like to use are small value studies once I have decided on the big shapes. I will be demonstrating the “magic pen” (it is a gel pen, and it dissolves with water so it is rather remarkable in that you can’t miss—it is guaranteed to come out) as well as handing out a magic pen to each attendee. I also like to make several value studies. At that point I get really playful and add water soluble crayons or collage to produce surprises to myself. These all are great preparations for me to then paint."
October 2024
Meeting & Featured Artist
Joyce Senesac
Tuesday, October 1st, 2024 6:30pm Cheshire Public Library, 104 Main St, Cheshire
Guest Joyce Senesac will speak about "Basic Building Perspective." Sometimes we hesitate to put buildings in our paintings because we're not sure they are in proper perspective. This talk/demo will demonstrate how to do just that in a simple manner. Handouts will be available.
September 2024
Meeting & Featured Artist
Tom Mayer
Tuesday, September 3rd, 2024 6:30pm Cheshire Public Library, 104 Main St, Cheshire
Thomas Mayer is a painter and teacher. A graduate of Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford, he taught for 36 years in the Connecticut public schools. He is also a plein air painter, often painting along the Connecticut Shoreline, Maine, Cape Cod and Jensen Beach, Florida, where he has a winter residence.
In addition to outdoor painting he creates abstracts, crafts and works in other art media. He likes to experiment with art media and is always looking for fresh ideas. Though retired, he still teaches a senior art group in Florida in the winter.
Tom exhibits his art in juried exhibitions on the Connecticut shoreline and in Florida.
June 2024
Meeting & Featured Artist
Robin Le - Mixed Media Painting
Thursday, June 6th, 2024 6:30pm Cheshire Public Library, 104 Main St, Cheshire
Let’s play and have fun with a mixed media demo of collage, mark making, and inks as an underpainting! There are no mistakes at the beginning of a painting so let’s dive in, using our intuition, and have a blast as the painting unfolds! Guest Artist Robin Le is known to paint expressive portraits of women and animals, portraying their strength and beauty, through her use of vibrant color and expressive composition. Her process involves intuitive mixed media layers and refinement in oils, while remaining free to embellish reality. Robin received her BFA from Hartford Art School, with a concentration in ceramics, and later expanded into metalsmithing. She recently discovered her passion for painting while contemplating a creative process that would complement her future travel plans. She is a recent graduate of Milan Art Institute and resides and paints in Goshen, CT. Robin has shown her artwork at various venues throughout CT. In addition, her work can be viewed on her website, www.robinleart.com. She hopes her artwork encourages others to express their authentic selves with confidence. Her plans include traveling with her husband and goldendoodle in their newly acquired RV, soaking up nature, and painting on the road!
May 2024
Daytime Plein Air Painting and Social Gathering Managed by Iris Hybridizer, Alan McWhirter, and his wife, Barbara.
Wednesday, May 15th, 2024 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Location: The Mill River Iris Garden 223 Wood Pond Road, Cheshire, CT
This is a wonderful opportunity to get together with other artists in a lovely setting! You can choose to paint, sketch, take photos or sit back and enjoy the gardens. Bring a bag lunch and chair. Wear comfortable shoes for walking on grass. Beverages and assorted “munchies” will be provided - PotLuck desserts appreciated (Please consider helping out!)
Rain Date: May 22nd, same time.
April 2024
Meeting & Featured Artist
Marek Sarba - Stories of the Sea "I Paint What I Know"
Wednesday, April 3, 2023 6:30pm Cheshire Public Library, Mary Baldwin Room, 104 Main St, Cheshire
Polish-born maritime artist Marek Sarba has a lifetime of extraordinary stories to share; from his escape to the United States with his wife and daughters in 1989 to his 30 years as an engineer aboard ocean-going vessels.
Marek has said many times that he does not paint pretty scenes, meandering sailboats, whimsical dunes or nostalgic beaches. He paints the ocean. He knows the ocean - the wild, deep, stormy, vast, unforgiving ocean. When he was in school, he studied the trade of electronics, and while still a teenager he was sent into the Polish Navy for three years. He served in the Polish Navy before becoming an electrical engineer for over fifteen years on salvage tugs and icebreakers from ports all over the world.
March 2024
CAL Presents: "Nurture Your Body and Soul through Gentle Yoga and Meditative Art"
Thursday, March 7th from 6:30 - 8:15pm At: The Cheshire Public Library, Mary Baldwin Room
Join the Cheshire Art League for a transformative journey of self-discovery and artistic expression with Dana Brinker and Nathalie Villeneuve. Dana will guide us through a series of Gentle Yoga poses to stretch and relax both our body and mind, then Nathalie will lead us in meditative art using her reverse color and draw technique to embrace our emotions and guide us to what we truly care about! Nathalie will supply art materials, but you are welcome to bring your preferred markers, colored pencils, and sketchbooks. This event is free and open to the public, join us!
Member Show at the Cheshire Library! CAL member Dorothy MacNeill Dupont will be showing her artwork through the month of March!
Ms. Dupont's artwork will be shown at Cheshire Public Library from March 1st through March 28th. The show will run during Library hours.
Reception to be held on March 5th from 6pm to 8pm.
Stop by and support a fellow artist! All are welcome!
February 2024
Meeting & Featured Artist
Rita Paradis - Color Mixing
Thursday, February 8, 2023 1 - 3 pm Cheshire Public Library, Mary Baldwin Room, 104 Main St, Cheshire
“Understanding Color Relationships and Tips on Color Mixing”
We’ll talk a bit about the color wheel. We’ll explore the various characteristics of colors and how they relate to each other. I will demo mixing some tricky, perplexing colors and share my thought process of how to get from the first big question of “what IS this color and how do I get it?” – to coming pretty darn close on a regular basis.
Rita has been teaching at CPFA Artsplace for the past twenty years. She began by teaching Colored Pencil and now also teaches Oil Painting. She received her BFA in Printmaking from UMASS, Amherst and has studied many art mediums over the years. Perhaps the most unusual was Egg Tempera with Koo Schadler. But her real love is oils, especially working alla prima. She is a Signature Member of both the Colored Pencil Society of America and of the Connecticut Pastel Society and has won several national and local awards.
January and February 2024
Happy New Year!
Open Studio Time at the Cheshire Public Library
NOTE NEW TIME: Most Fridays* from 12-2 pm in the “Loft” at the Library
We welcome all artists, any level of expertise, any medium, to join us. This is a casual, free, drop-in program (no reservation needed); art league membership not required (open to the public). Just bring your own art supplies and enjoy the camaraderie!
Confirmed dates for January and February -- All Fridays, except February 2nd.
You can confirm dates by checking the Library website “Events” calendar (www.cheshirelibrary.com) or calling the Library at 203-272-2245. The Cheshire Art League is pleased to sponsor and coordinate this program with the Cheshire Public Library. Please note the following: -- The program is intended for teens and adults. -- The “Loft” is accessible by elevator. -- Oil painters: Please do not bring turpentine. -- No formal instruction is provided, rather an encouraging, collaborative environment.
January 17th - Open Studio Reception! 5-7pm. Bring a friend! All are welcome!
Give yourself a break from the holiday rush, relax and create with us on Friday afternoons at the Cheshire Public Library!
Fridays afternoons in December from 1 to 3 pm
December 1, 8, 15, 22
Location: in the "Loft"
We welcome all artists, any level of expertise, any medium, to join us. This is a casual, free, drop-in program (no reservation needed); art league membership not required (open to the public). Just bring your own art supplies and enjoy the camaraderie!
Head's up: There is a time change for January. Open Studio Time will be held from 12 to 2 pm in January.
The Cheshire Art League is pleased to sponsor and coordinate this program with the Cheshire Public Library. Please note:
The program is intended for teens and adults.
The “Loft” is accessible by elevator.
Oil painters: Please do not bring turpentine.
No formal instruction is provided, rather an encouraging, collaborative environment.
*You can confirm dates and times by checking the Library website “Events” calendar (cheshirelibrary.libcal.com/) or calling the Library at 203-272-2245.
October 2023
CAL 2023 Fall "Art in the Garden" 14th Annual Show & Sale
@ the Cheshire Nursery Garden Center & Florist Saturday, October 14th - Saturday, October 22nd 1317 South Main Street, Route 10, Cheshire, CT 06410 Opening Reception: Friday, October 13th 6pm-8pm
Wednesday, October 4, 2023 6:30 pm Cheshire Public Library, Mary Baldwin Room, 104 Main St, Cheshire
Demonstration Description: Oct 4, I will be doing a critique for artists of the Cheshire Art League. Please bring a piece of artwork to the meeting and I will be happy to analyze it and talk about its most positive attributes. I always look at the positive that artists have in their pieces. If I can make a suggestion for a possible enhancement I will do that. But be assured, I always look at the positivity of all pieces. So, never feel that you will be criticized in any way with any critique I do on art pieces. I also ask people to respond to the pieces and get the entire group engaged in the piece. It will be a fun and enjoyable event. Thank you for the privilege of reviewing your work.
Artist Statement: My interest in art started long before I graduated from Silvermine College of Art in 1966. I also studied Graphic Design at University of Bridgeport (BFA) and spent the greater part of my adult life working for advertising agencies and graphic design studios as an illustrator and graphic designer which I still do along with my painting. I had my own advertising agency which was long before the computer and the profession required drawing and illustration skills along with speed and efficiency. These skills led me along my travels with painting, and now, I can concentrate on subjects of my personal interest.
September 2023
Meeting & Featured Artist
Majesty Reyes
Wednesday, September 6, 2023 6:30 pm Cheshire Public Library, Mary Baldwin Room, 104 Main St, Cheshire
Demo Description: I will be live painting and celebrating Puerto Rico's Indigenous Roots through the exploration of colors, symbols, and elements that embody the Taina Goddess “Atabey”. She is the symbol of fertility and nurture in the indigenous mythology of the island. This demonstration aims to foster a sense of pride and connection to Puerto Rico's indigenous heritage. By showcasing Atabey and the Taino culture through art, we aim to honor and preserve the rich tapestry of traditions that have shaped the island's history.
Artist Bio: Majesty Reyes is a talented Latina artist and graphic designer based in Hartford, CT. Drawing from her upbringing in a Puerto Rican household, Majesty embraces the values of fierce independence and the significance of claiming space. As the owner of "The Curious Creative," her art studio serves as a haven where she freelances as a painter and conducts engaging paint workshops. Majesty's creative vision and ambition are deeply rooted in her life observations and her experiences as a queer Latina woman. Through her studio, she provides a safe and nurturing environment for individuals to embark on their artistic journeys, particularly for those who have not previously granted themselves the opportunity to explore their creativity. Her goal is to empower community members through shared creative experiences, fostering personal growth and self-expression.