Making Connections: Painting in a Series

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Making Connections: Painting in a Series is an exhibit of pastel works by local Finger Lakes artist, Neal Allen. Work will be on display from April 3rd-26th and an opening reception will be held April 3rd from 1-5pm. (Please keep in mind we have a limited capacity for social distancing in the room and you may have to wait outside the room or building.)
About the Artist:
"I have always loved to draw. I temporarily lost my hearing when I was ten years old, and after all the books were read, I turned to copying the illustrations, and I was hooked. I put my love for drawing on hold to pursue music, which turned into a career in music education. Creating bulletin boards and making posters that my meager budget didn't allow me to purchase rekindled my love of art. I still didn't have much time to devote to art, but did manage some community education classes, then workshops and serious practice. I continue toward finding my artist's voice - creating pieces which look the way I feel about my subjects and painting as a whole.
I have been painting, selling and exhibiting my work for the last nine years throughout New York and in New England. I paint in what is known as the American Impressionist style. I'm less concerned with photo-realism, and more concerned with capturing the mood of the piece. I focus primarily on landscapes, but continue to use still-lives to hone my drawing skills. My hope is that the viewers of my work will also get a sense of the mood of each piece, and be able to draw something from it to take with them as they go."

Discovering Watercolors: Watercolor Barns by Howard VanBuren's Students

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Discovering Watercolors is an exhibit of watercolor barns by students of Howard VanBuren: Beth Harrison, Colleen Lang, Jodi Hendrickson, Jon Moseley and Sharon Lesio. Work will be on display from May 1st - 31st with an opening reception on May 8th 1-5pm.
Howard has taught watercolor classes for a number of years now, both online and in person. Student work in this show was created in Howard's online sketching and painting classes - with a focus on sketching and painting barns.

Read a little about each of the Artist's below! (More will be shared on Social Media! Follow us on instagram/facebook @thecheshireunion)

Beth Harrison - "As the children aged into high school, exchange students were added to the family each year. Happily, most were very artistic. A few years ago Beth planned a painting session for her daughter, a talented German student staying with them, and a few friends. It was here they were introduced to the talented teachings of Howard VanBuren."

Colleen Lang - "A lifetime lover of sewing Colleen ran her Drapery and Upholstery Workroom for 20+ years. Arts and Crafts were always a part of her life and several years ago she became interested in learning about watercolor painting. After taking classes from several different teachers trying to learn as much as possible, she came upon an ad for Howard’s class at a local coffee shop. Since that first class she has taken many of Howard’s painting and drawing classes in person as well as online during the Pandemic, culminating in 4-5 months participating in Howard’s “Art School Program” studying and painting barns weekly working towards her goal of participating in a show to share her work."

Jodi Hendrickson - "After undergoing some medical issues, Jodi realized that she needed art back in her life and her passion to paint was reignited thanks to Howard Van Buren. He started her with a few paint-along classes, then a few private lessons, and then sketching and watercolor school. She felt honored that a professional artist like Howard, has taken her on as a student of art. He has reawakened a passion that she thought was forgotten and lost."

Jon Moseley - "My name is Jon Moseley. I have been involved on the fringes of the arts in some form for most of my now seemingly short 65 years. As a kid I sang in church, then later did musical theater, and even had a short and very strange stint in a rock and roll band with my teenaged son. I grew up in Africa, then lived a sizable chunk of my life in the South. My wife works with Howie’s brother Jeff, and he told her of Howie’s plan to have an online painting class. Get online, get some paints, some brushes, some paper (paper?), a glass of wine, tea, juice, whatever you wanted, and paint a barn together. He would even supply the drawing. All you had to do was trace it. Amazing!"

Sharon Lesio - "I heard about and signed up for a sketching class with Howard VanBuren at the Cheshire Union, over a year ago. Shortly after these lessons began, the pandemic hit and things came to a standstill. Howard began teaching on-line classes and this led to an intense sketching and watercolor school. We sketched and painted barns around the area and learned watercolor techniques, how to capture a scene and transform them into a work of art. I fell in love with this new-found creativity and am proud to be participating in an art show where I can show and talk about my paintings and experience in this field."