Archer Communications Proudly Presents the 2010 Emerging Artists Expo

Gianpaolo Alexander (John Paul)

Hometown: Penfield

Age: 25

School/Occupation: Currently studying under the artist, Chuck Connelly in Philadelphia, PA

• Graduate of Nazareth College of Rochester
• Attended Palazzo Ruccellai, Florence, Italy
• Attended L’Universita D’Anunzio, Pescara, Italy

Medium: Oil painting on canvas or wood

Description: Alexander portrays his work very poetically, citing it as: “Magical reality, the desire to explore the mystery that surrounds all the time, in the small particulars and an exploration of the non-truth by way of truth.” He claims. “Chuck Connelly, German Expressionism, Picasso, Caravaggio, Italian Renaissance masters, Degas, Gabrial Garcia Marquez, Jorge Luis Borges, and Neruda.” as his major influences.

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Jamie Butler

Hometown: Penfield

Age: 20

Medium: Painting, Drawing, Mixed Media

Description: “My latest work begins with research on psychology cases of color, as well as art therapy methods and other symbolism. I then create six 11”x14” works on wood panels I have constructed. These six works allow for experimentation and for use in a series. Then a large 30”x44” piece is created using what I have learned and discovered. Each set of 7 paintings is based on a specific color palette and emotion. In general, my art is made up of an energetic abstract background accompanied by a figurative marker drawing. I am influenced by psychology and art therapy, my own life experiences, as well as other artists, both classic and contemporary.”

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Lauren Britton

Hometown: Fairport

Age: 18

School: Purchase College to Major in Fine Art & Art History

Website: vibrantartworks.com

Medium: Acrylic, Mixed Media

Description: “I do the work I do because I perceive my life and what is around me and I retaliate. I am an artist. My nature tells me that the best way for me to express who I am is through art and my own hands. My work has grown because I have grown. As I sprout new ideas, emotions and thoughts I evolve and my art follows. Experiences of love, death and change this past year has evolved into: truth, pain, and the nightmarish quality my art displays. When people view my work, they see the least judgmental and truthful part of who I am… and who I will be.”

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Katie Cole

Hometown: Rochester

Age: 23

Website: mskatiecole.com

Medium: Jewelry, Metalwork, Ceramics

Description: “I strive to create art objects that have either a function or can be envisioned in the home, whether in a garden or as a centerpiece. My biggest influences are the objects that I find and want to incorporate, or also the things around me such as buildings or plants. I am an art teacher, a graduate student, and trying to still remain true to my art and find time to create artwork. I am slowly finding my artistic voice but I am still learning.”

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Lindsey Collier-Sears

Hometown: Phelps, NY

Age: 25

Occupation: Stefan Otter Jewelers in Pittsford Plaza

Website: CollierCraft.com

Medium: Glass

Description: “I work with fused glass pieces that I make in my kiln and then set them in sterling silver bezels. Occasionally, I will use semi-precious stones and pearl accents. My work is inspired by the natural world, and the discoveries scientists are making in other worlds. I imagine that the glass pieces I make are stones from another solar system. Following the Corn Hill Festival, I will be hosting a 5-month exhibit of my work and the work of other young local artists in a storefront in East Rochester. I plan to extend an invitation to all those in the Emerging Artist group to participate.”

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Rory Gillett

Hometown: Rochester

Age: 18

Medium: Painting

Description: “In a departure from my realistic traditional portraits, I use photographs, stencils, acrylic paint, and spray paint to capture the essence of people. A minimal palette and expanses of negative space help convey strong emotions and the nature of a person. My artwork demonstrates a complex juxtaposition of control and chaos. My grandmother has had a large influence on me as an artist, as well as the abstract expression movement and street art.”

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Tyler James Guay

Hometown: Champlain, NY

Age: 24

Occupation: Paley Studios, Ltd.

School: Rochester Institute of Technology

Medium: Metal and Paint

Description: “I am a metal fabricator and designer by trade. Currently, I am focused on architectural ornamentation and sculpture, my works are influenced by my knowledge of music and art history.”

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Bethany Heibel

Hometown: Buffalo

Age: 24

Website: bethanyheibel.com

Medium: Painting, Ceramics, Photo, Drawing

Description: A recent graduate from the Art Education Masters program from Nazareth College, Heibel will begin her career as an art teacher in the fall. She works in multiple media including paint and ceramics.

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Charity Henderson

Hometown: Penn Yan

Age: 22

School: SUNY Brockport

Medium: Painting

Description: She recently graduated from The College at Brockport with a BFA in Studio Art (concentration Painting) and a BS in English (concentration Literature Analysis). She is currently employed by the College’s Art Department for the summer of 2010. In the fall, she will return to a job as a Special Events Artist for the College’s two dining halls, while working on her portfolio for graduate school. Her potential schools of interest include Cornell University, Rhode Island School of Design, and Rochester Institute of Technology. Her paintings are executed in oil and egg tempera, exploring the theme of isolation in human experience. She would describe her work as predominantly realistic, though she explores numerous painting techniques. Among her influences, she cites Andrew Wyeth, Edward Hopper, and Gerhard Richter.

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Angelina Fernandez

Hometown: Pittsford

Age: 19

School: SUNY Purchase

Website: missushow.deviantart.com

Medium: Oils, Acrylics, and Ink

Description: “My style is full of opposites. I am attracted to whimsy, but within that levity I often include an element that speaks to the darker side of human nature. I am heavily influenced by my love for story. Recently, comic books have been one of the big driving forces behind my art, and I've tried to include elements of that in the series I'm working on.”

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Evan Foos & Nick LaTona

Hometown: Churchville

Age: 18

School: SUNY Fredonia (LaTona), GCC (Foos)

Medium: Ceramics, Drawing (LaTona), Watercolor (Foos)

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Kayleigh Forger

Hometown: Spencerport

Age: 17

School: Churchville-Chili (this fall Forger will be majoring in Graphic Design at Fredonia State University and playing on the woman’s soccer team)

Website: kforger.deviantart.com

Medium: Multimedia, New Media

Description: “I base a lot of my work around pop and abstract art. The main thing that drives my artwork is my desire to create, which I have had all my life. I am a very unique and creative person with an intense imagination. Most of the time my mind is out of control, and art is my outlet. I don't really know where my ideas come from, but I think what makes me want to make something out of them is the rush I get when I am creating. I love when I'm ‘in the zone’ and forget about everything else, and I am able to relax.”

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Heather Kloc

Hometown: Rochester

Age: 24

School: Graduated from RIT with a BFA in Medical Illustration

Website: web.mac.com/heatherkloc

Medium: Acrylic, but I also work in watercolor, ink, colored pencil, carbon dust, and make digital work.

Description: “I have developed my own style through my use of vibrant colors, light, and observing in close detail. I am strongly influenced by my interests in botany, zoology, entomology, and medical subjects. My main artistic influences are Vermeer, Albrecht Dürer, and many of the impressionists.”

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Christin Lersch

Hometown: Canandaigua
Age: 25
Occupation: Community Habilitation Assistant at Ontario ARC
School: Mercyhurst College with a BA degree in Art Therapy

Medium: Ink Illustration, Acrylic/Watercolor/Mixed Media, Photography, Pendants- Resin Cast Original Art Miniatures

Description: “I've been using art as a means of expression from a very early age, exploring a variety of mediums and subject matter to portray the world around me. I've always been drawn to the details in my natural surroundings/ especially things often overlooked by others-- existing for the observant (like 'gifts for the seeing eye'). Quite often, it is the details of a subject that contribute to the very essence of it's authenticity. In college I became intrigued by human nature and began to study psychology and philosophy alongside my art. Moving beyond mere observation, I began to play around with art as a means to the Self, incorporating 'emotion' and 'experience' with my art to access and express the subconscious internal world of being for which so much of our spoken language falls short.”

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Megan Maxon

Hometown: Webster

Age: 20

School: Monroe Community College

Medium: Jewelry

Description: “I work with anything and everything I can get my hands on! Currently, and what I'm selling at the show this year, I have been breaking bisque (pottery before its fired) into smaller shards. Then I pick out shapes that I like, drill a hole, sand them, and paint them each uniquely. I have had many inspirations as a growing artist, from great teachers to supportive family, but I would say the most prominent influence I have is what I face and see everyday! The way I respond to nature, mood and temperature, the way I'm feeling, and how I react to what is moving around me. All those things stem back to a creator, a GREAT artist, a greater being. Which I am influenced by everyday.”

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Katie Mertz

Hometown: LeRoy
Age: 23
Occupation: YMCA of Greater Rochester
School: SUNY Brockport

Medium: Acrylic, Pen, Colored Pencil

Description: "The drawings are an act of participating in an event over time, and the real excitement is in the creation of the work. The initial layer is an expression of energy, using automatic methods of drawing and painting such as dripping, spraying and throwing paint, stamping textures, and watercolor washes. As the drawings evolve, I attain an arrangement of carefully rendered compositions that focus on the fusion of color and the placement of shapes to create depth and movement within the air of chaos. I enjoy the challenge of creating carefully rendered compositions while still maintaining the spontaneous energy from which it began.”

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Amy Mintonye

Hometown: Hilton

Age: 22

Occupation: Waitress by day, Artist by Night

School: Received a BFA degree from SUNY New Paltz (2009)

Website: amymintonye.com

Medium: Acrylic paint, collage, found objects

Description: “I create new narratives by combining collage items and found objects with drawing and painting. Filled with metaphor, symbolism and connotation, the dark humor of my work points to weak spots in human behavior and American culture. The result is colorful, painterly and playful compositions containing big Buicks, stately but dazed bucks, cowboys and Indians.”

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Melissa Oliver

Hometown: Rochester, NY

Age: 24

School: West Virginia University

Medium: Ceramics

Description: “I am a utilitarian potter, always working with pieces that are not only beautiful, but functional. Having a background in photography, I am always interested in color combinations, as well as, the negative space which surrounds them. It is my hope to make pieces that are not only pleasing to the eye, but to the touch as well, such as morphing around your hand to become that favorite morning coffee mug.”

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Greg Parizek

Hometown: Hilton

Age: 23

School: The College at Brockport/Bachelor of Science-Studio Art (Fall 09)

Medium: Ceramic (Stoneware, Porcelain)

Description: “I can remember being a little boy, digging in my backyard (dinosaur dig), and discovering strange dirt clumps that I could form into different shapes. A few years later, I rediscovered this same material in my second grade art class. I made a ceramic whale in that class, and swam with it in my pool all that summer. Since then, I have had a profound respect for this material. Now as a ceramic artist, I strive to visually display utilitarian objects that are distinctly handmade. When creating some of my work I first start by throwing a form, and then after the clay has firmed up I then grab the still-soft clay. By firing these objects I am permanently leaving my mark on them; reminding the user that this object was created by hand, and not a machine. In the past year I have had four permanent displays/installations, including a permanent display in the Lorenzo de Medici Art Institute in Florence, Italy. Currently, I am in the beginning stages of starting up a business with fellow artist/best friend Matt Crane. We have found a hundred year old factory in Hilton and have started to turn it into gallery, class room and studio space.”

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Caitlin Schuh

Hometown: West Irondequoit

Age: 24

School: Monroe Community College (Associates in Fine Art), attending Nazareth College of Rochester (Masters in Creative Art Therapy)

Website: coroflot.com/cschuh9

Medium: Mixed Media (Paint, Pencil, Markers etc.) and Origami

Description: “My work usually has a romantic or art nouveau style to it, and I try to use a variety of mediums to explore those themes. Also, no matter what medium I choose to use, there is always an Asian influence to my art—something I inherited from my grandmother’s Japanese culture.”

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Aaron Steffer

Hometown: Ontario, NY

Age: 17

School: James A Beneway High School

Medium: Mixed Media

Description: Aaron's passion in art “has led me to enter a variety of shows such as Get a Grip art show that helped raise money for ROCity skate park. I also have participated in the B-Boy BBQ Graffiti Jam and the 6x6 show. I most enjoy doing large-scale paintings and murals with my peers. Within my art, I try and use any kind of medium I can get my hands on, but the medium I have stuck with the longest is spray paint. I have been into art as long as I can remember.”

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Heather Swenson

Hometown: Irondequoit

Age: 20

School: Purchase College of Art and Design

Website: http://www.heatherswenson.com

Medium: Prints and Drawing, mainly Woodcuts

Description: “For the past year I have been heavily focusing in the printmaking medium of woodcut. I really love the process, from starting out with a drawing on the block to the actual physicality of the cutting and printing. Recently, I have been interested in drawing small sculptures that I make or found objects that I have collected over many years. These objects have become a very important part of my woodcuts. I can set them up in any way I chose and create little worlds and interactions to draw from. Though the interactions that are created between these small objects feel very familiar and intimate to me, I want to allow ambiguity in as well.”

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Alison Tyne

Hometown: East Rochester

Age: 23

School: SUNY Potsdam 2009 with Degrees in Music, Art Studio, and French

Website: alisontyne.4ormat.com

Medium: Photography

Description: Alison Tyne is an artist and musician currently based in Rochester, NY.
She is inspired by nature, dreams, stillness and dusty books, with a penchant for abandoned spaces, natural light, and whimsy. Tyne loves the magic of the medium along with its versatility and freedom. While her work is mainly focused in digital photography, she discovered her passion for photography working alone in her college's darkroom at late hours, while everyone else was asleep.

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McDyer/Avery

Hometown: Rochester, NY;

Age: 25

Medium: Acrylic and oil, Sterling (Argentium) silver, semi-precious stones and glass beads

Textiles Accessories: fabric and duct tape

Description: AMANDA - I work in the field of biological research and have always had a fascination with animals, insects, botany and the natural world. This is the inspiration for all of my paintings. I tend to use bright colors and blend these bold colors with traditional styles. My jewelry is also is inspired by nature. I use semiprecious stones and sterling (Argenium) silver. As with my paintings, I like to create jewelry that is bold and colorful, yet stylish and functional.
JENN - The inspiration of my paintings are anything that I find appealing, whether that is a tree, shoes or a jar of peanut butter. My style often reflects my impatient side and my love of bold and bright colors. I have always loved fashion. It is a way for me to express the perfectionist and patient side of my personality. My purses and wallets are colorful, hip and functional. Some of my purses and wallets are sewn while others use duct tape as a secondary material.

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Stephanie Sloan

Hometown: Gilbertsville, NY; currently living in Chili, NY

Age: 24

Occupation: Portrait Photographer

School: Graduated The SUNY College at Brockport in 2009

Medium: Functional and Sculptural Ceramics

Description: “Generally when I begin a functional piece, I start with a basic utilitarian form. The piece gains its personality with the addition of a lid and handles or carving inspired by patterns, textures, and forms taken from nature. The theme carries over into my sculptural art as well. I like to create work that accentuates some element of the world outside our synthetic, man-made environments.”

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