sidewalk art show 2021

Marylou is a retired visual art teacher from the Roxbury Township school system. She continues to substitute in Art for Roxbury. She received her Bachelor of Education from the University of Miami and a Master of Arts from Montclair State University. She continued her studies at Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City for Interior Design. When she paints, she focuses on the overall composition of each painting using the formal principles of design: line, shape, color, and form. She is an active member of the AAR (Art Association of Roxbury) and the NJAA (North Jersey Art Association). Her website is: maryloudemarino-kessel.com

Karen Waller received her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1978 from Montclair State College with a major in Fine Arts.  After a hectic career in publication design and production as well as a stint as a muralist and decorative painter, she finally obtained her graduate degree in Studio Art from Montclair State College. There, she studied with Peter Barnett and Amer Kobaslija. Karen recently retired from Bergen County Technical High School as an award-winning Visual & Graphic Design Instructor. Currently, Waller is rediscovering her love of roadside landscape painting with an occasional dash of vintage found object collage work.

Wayne Freitag graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in 1985. He routinely shows work in galleries mostly along the Delaware Valley towns of Frenchtown, Stockton, New Hope, and all the way to Princeton. He feels compelled to let the paint live on its own terms, allowing it to mix as it wants and move about the canvas. The passion to create art should be reinforced by the paint itself, engaging the viewer and eliciting a response.

Spriha is a narrative mixed media artist bringing organic forms and textures into her body of work. She uses iconic symbolism to exemplify concepts close to her heart that are influenced by personal, societal, and environmental changes. Strongly influenced by her Indian cultural roots she is fearless in her use of colors and weaves them into her creation. She sees art as limitless without boundaries and full of hope and healing; a concept she carries throughout her works. Spriha’s work is strongly influenced by traditional Indian folk art called Gond Style of painting which is deeply connected with nature and natural elements. To see more of Spriha’s work, visit her website at www.sprihagupta.com or her Instagram at @art_by_spriha.

Patricia Dahlman is a New Jersey-based artist who makes sculpture and two dimensional works from fabric and thread. She received a BFA in art from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio and was awarded a fellowship to study art at Yale University Summer School of Art and Music in Norfolk, Connecticut. Dahlman has exhibited her work throughout the United States, and her work is in numerous private collections. Presently, Dahlman is artist-in-residence at Index Art Center in Newark, NJ.

Born and raised in Parsippany, New Jersey, Jennifer Cofone received a BFA in art education at Montclair State University. She has taught at Wayne Township Public for the past 10 years. Through her experience as an educator, she has naturally fallen into teaching private art lessons to students and adults of all ages, guiding them on their personal artistic journey. In addition to teaching, Jennifer is an art director and a reiki practitioner.  

Leslie Nobler, a Professor of Art, works in digital, mixed media and book arts. She holds a BFA from University of Michigan School of Art (Ann Arbor), MA in Computer Graphics from New York Institute of Technology, and MFA in Interdisciplinary Art from City University of New York – Hunter College.  Recently, her work involves portraits of early 20th Century marginalized people who showed resilience and even salvation through their creativity; this project was featured in New Jersey Jewish News and upcoming at WomensWork.art. She received Artist’s Grants from the Surface Design Association and Puffin Foundation and was invited to do a special project at the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland in 2022. Nobler’s exhibits include the New York Visual Arts Museum’s Digital Salons, New Jersey State Museum, Noyes and Montclair Art Museums (NJ), Old Main Art Museum (AZ), Athenaeum Museum (PA),  Kemper Museum of Art (MO), Afrigraphics of Pretoria,  Eurographics in Barcelona, Nanjing Art Institute, and Symposia on Digital Art in Bangkok and London.

Although neither of Daniel’s parents worked as artists, they gave him the core ingredient to work as one. Daniel’s parents gave him a sense of the possibility and joy that can be found in each day.  He had toy toolboxes by age four and by age seven he figured out the great joy in making things. 

He spent the last 30 years growing and evolving as a craftsman, artist, and teacher. He’s had had the privilege of being part of a team of cabinetmakers building everything from Steinway pianos to fine Art Deco furniture.  He is grateful for the more than 16 years teaching furniture making and design at Mahwah High School.  Daniel now works full-time as an independent artist producing mostly oil paintings, and still drawing on his woodworking background for some of my mixed media works.  His paintings are a celebration of the making process, the materials and the beauty found every day in our natural world.

Kathleen McCullough graduated from William Paterson University with a degree in Fine Arts Education. She earned post graduate credits at Kean University taking courses in Holocaust Studies and Teaching Tolerance. She received her master’s in technology from Ramapo College and currently teaches Visual Art at Governor Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights, NJ. She is grateful for this opportunity to share my own art in such a positive way. Her muses are actress Muguet Deltoro and Brooklyn artist Kevin McCullough. Her painting represents the courage and hope of young people for the future and for change in an increasingly complex world.

Melanie Bump is a mixed media artist inspired by the exploration of antiquity, history, science, and the natural world. Melanie received her education in fine art from William Paterson University, NJ and studied at California State San Bernardino, in 2005. In 2014 she graduated with a Masters in Museum Professions from Seton Hall University and is currently the Curator of Collections and Exhibits for the Morris County Park Commission. As Curator, she applies her artistic experience in designing, fabricating and installing exhibits. In addition, Melanie teaches art classes for various ages in watercolor, collage, and drawing.

Mary Dierson Galantich is a self-taught artist. After retiring from over 40 years as an actor in numerous on and off Broway productions (as well as film and television), Mary has found painting as a renewed form of creative expression. In her youth, Mary had the good fortune to work with her inspiration Salvatore Dali in Spain and admire his art and process. During the pandemic, art became Mary’s daily work as well as escape. Over the past three years, she has created over 350 pieces of art. The body of Mary’s work encompasses a vast variety of styles and mediums.

Venezuelan born artist Rommel Borras has worked with all sorts of art mediums but has found his comfort in acrylic on canvas work as well as graphic design. Raised in Madison, NJ, Rommel was first began testing his artistic skills while attending Central Avenue Public School where his art teacher gave him confidence and encouragement to continue working on his creativity. After graduating from Madison HS, Rommel move to Florida to pursue a degree in Finance but while doing so, he continued learning and honing his art skill even further. During his time away, he taught himself the processes of graphic design and even provided some rebranding work for some local Madison business upon his return. You can find most of his work and current updates on his website: https://xhibitb.com/

G.R. Lear is a New Jersey cartoonist who grew up reading comics in the Garden State. He works in both traditional and digital mediums to create stories of exploration and wonder. He runs educational workshops and self-publishes his work under the moniker Unlimited Wonder Comics.

Dani is a theater artist who has created stage properties (including a “Pollock”) and has done scenic painting for more than 40 years. She is a teaching artist and professional stage manager in the New York/New Jersey area. Dani was part of the Madison Arts and Culture Alliance and designed and directed the Madison Summer Youth Theater for many years. May the gift of imagination continue to light our way.