“Joan Miró: Birth of the World”

(click photo for larger image) Joan Miró - Dona i Ocell - 1983 - Sculpture - 72 ft × 9.8 ft - Joan Miró Park, Barcelona Spain (click photo for larger image)

“Persistent experimentation and a lifelong flirtation with non-objectivity stamped Joan Miró's magnificent mark on the art world. His canvas represented a sandbox for his subconscious mind, out from which sprang a vigorous lust for the childlike and a manifestation of his Catalan pride.” (The Art Story)

Although Catalan artist Miró (1893-1983) is discussed elsewhere on What About Art? the current exhibit running at MoMA in New York makes this a good time for us to revisit this remarkable artist. Initially associated with Dadism—the artist is most closely associated with the Surrealists and their quest to explore emotions, visions, dreams—and the unconscious—in their visual expressions. Miró uniquely combined fantasy and abstraction in ways that explored the tensions between poetic impulses and the challenges of modern life. A man of many talents, Miró developed his own pictorial language and sense of space in works of art including paintings, lithographs, murals, tapestries, and sculptures for public spaces.

The work featured here Dona i Ocell, "Woman and Bird") is a 72 foot high sculpture by Miró, located in the Parc Joan Miró in Barcelona, Spain. The sculpture was covered in tiles by the artist's collaborator, ceramicist Joan Gardy Artigas, and is part of an artwork trilogy commissioned from Miró to welcome visitors to Barcelona.

The work uses some of Miró's recurring themes of women and birds. In Catalan the word for a "bird" (ocell) can be used as slang for penis. This might be reflected in the phallic shape of the main form. The sculpture is decorated in primary colors and it has a vulva shaped split down the side of the shaft which is lined with blackish tiles. The idea for the sculpture is not new and examples of placing vulva on a model penis (and a hole in the glans) have been found on Roman sculpture from the second or third century. But Miró is an artist who always found a highly individualized way of interpreting resources.

Linear Art: Power Of The Line

(click photo for larger image)The Ossining Arts Council is presenting Linear Art: Power Of The Line, curated by Peg Tarnowsky and Steven Hummel. The exhibit will be on view from April 6 - May 1, 2019. There will be a Reception on Saturday, April 13th from 4:00-6:00 PM.

We also will be having Gallery Hours/and Tours, and a Closing Reception. Please check the flyer above for details.

This beautiful exhibit features works in all media (color and black and white) that embody implied lines, diagonal lines, gesture lines, outlines, contour lines, expressive lines and more (with other elements included, of course). 

Join  in the celebration of the conscious and creative use of line.
OAC looks forward to seeing you at our Gallery Tours and Receptions.

Linear Art: The Power Of Line

(click photo for larger image)The Ossining Arts Council is presenting Linear Art: POWER OF THE LINE, curated by Peg Tarnowsky and Steven Hummel. The exhibit is open to ALL and will be on view from April 6 - May 1, 2019.

The deadline for entries is March 15, 2019. The Prospectus contains all important information regarding the call, and instructions for making your submission(s).

The exhibit will feature works in all media that embody implied lines, diagonal lines, gesture lines, outlines, contour lines, expressive lines and more. Other elements, such as texture, shading and solid pigments may certainly be included. However, the emphasis will be on the conscious and creative use of line.

This call is open to ALL. OAC Members may enter for FREE. Non-Members: $25. Students: $15 - Up to TWO (2) submissions may be made. All submissions should be sent to: info@ossiningartscouncil.org  See PROSPECTUS for complete instructions.

If you choose to become an OAC Member, entry fees will be waived. You can learn more about OAC on our website. Click on this LINK to become a Member. 

SNAP! Colors - Patterns & Textures

(click photo for larger image)“The magnificent diversity of nature’s seasonal offerings are preserved in perpetuity in this exhibition featuring multi-talented Hudson Valley photographers.”

Don’t miss this exciting exhibit at The Art Gallery at the Rockefeller State Park Preserve. Please come to the Reception on Saturday, January 19th, from 1:00-3:00 PM - Main Entrance - 125 Phelps Way, Pleasantville, NY 10570.

Ed Malsberg: “A Lifetime of Art”

(click photo for larger image)“A Lifetime of Art” is an exhibit featuring the work of Ossining artist, Ed Malsberg, who will celebrate his 100th birthday in 2019.

A native of Boston, Ed graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art, in 1940; a Fine Arts major.

He studied printmaking at the School of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. During WWII, he served overseas in a topography unit and on the staff of Stars and Stripes European edition as an artist. After the war he began a lengthy career as a free-lance illustrator in New York in advertising and publishing.

Edward's clients included major advertising agencies and book publishers and the subject matter ranged from humorous, decorative illustration, to science, natural history, biology, physiology, children’s books and textbooks.

He also won an award from the American Institute of Graphic Arts in 1968 for book illustration.

These days, Ed is engaged in his lifelong passion for landscape painting in his favorite mediums, watercolor and pastel. Ed is the most senior member of the Ossining Arts Council, and he regularly attends all of OAC’s meetings and event.

There will be a Reception for Ed’s exhibit on Tuesday, December 11th, at the Ossining Public Library, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. The library is located at 53 Croton Avenue in Ossining, NY. The exhibit runs from December 5th - 29th. 

Don’t miss this wonderful event featuring the work of a truly remarkable artist—and person!