Here are the artists presented in the Arts Nest Gallery from March 16 through May 2024.

Abby Alzamora | Nick Aroes | Malik Titus Bridges | Barbara Carpenito | Heather Collins Lockwood
Steve Davis | Hope Blecher Croney | Jonathan Charles Fox | Daniel Genova | Glenn Lieberman
William Landau | Dori Iannucci | Anna Puleo | Jodi Sibilia | Gail Tuchman | Miguel Tio | Myōhō Brenda Miller

Curator Statement: Metamorphosis Exhibition 2024

Welcome to the Catskill Artisan and Fine Art Exhibition, a curated celebration of artistic diversity and profound creativity. As the curator of this captivating showcase, I am honored to present an ensemble of masterful works that reflect the vibrant spirit of our local art community.

This exhibition serves as a testament to the boundless creativity within our midst. Each piece on display has been carefully selected for its unique voice, contributing to a collective narrative that transcends conventional artistic boundaries. From bold strokes that evoke raw emotion to subtle nuances that invite introspection, the artists featured in this exhibition invite you to embark on a visual journey that challenges, inspires, and resonates.

One of the strengths of our local arts scene is its diversity, and this exhibition is a testament to the multitude of perspectives that make our community so rich and dynamic. From seasoned artists whose works have graced prestigious galleries to emerging talents making their mark, the Catskill Artisan and Fine Art Exhibition is a salad bowl of creative expressions that bridge generations and genres.

As you wander through the gallery, immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of colors, forms, and textures. Feel the pulse of the artists' intentions and explore the interconnectedness of their creations. From striking sculpture that demand attention to intricate details that beckon you closer, every piece has a story to tell, waiting to be discovered.

This exhibition is not merely a display of artworks but an invitation to engage in a dialogue with the artists and fellow enthusiasts. Attendees are encouraged to participate in discussions, gaining insights into the creative process, inspirations, and the stories behind the art. This interactive experience adds depth and meaning to the visual feast before you.

Thank you for being a part of this extraordinary journey through the Catskill Artisan and Fine Art Exhibition. May the beauty of these creations leave an indelible mark on your soul and inspire your own artistic exploration.

Warm regards,
Jodi Sibilia, Curator

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Abby Alzamora

Abigail Grace Alzamora (AGA) was born on October 31st 1998 and has been living in Sullivan County NY ever since. Graduating from Monticello in 2017, she then attended SUNY Sullivan shortly after. Alzamora faced many struggles throughout her life but has always found an escape in creating. Being so passionate about creativity, Alzamora continues to work hard on her career as an artist. Some of the steps she is taking towards this goal are doing commissions, submitting work to exhibits, and getting involved in local art programs. "Art is my passion, I can't think of anything else I've ever wanted to do." Says Alzamora when asked what she would do if not art.

When Alzamora is not working on her art career, she is working as a care taker for 6 horses at a private barn. Some of her hobbies include roller skating, hanging out with friends, and enjoying nature.

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Nick Aroes

Most people look at "The Last Optimist" as sad: a leaf trying its best to hang on but eventually dying. To me, it's the opposite: The leaf was rewarded for it's unrealistic hope for immortality, because it will live on forever in my painting.

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Malik Titus Bridges

A long time resident of the Hudson Valley and Catskills, Malik Titus Bridges aka “Tiger Crane”, is a compelling painter that continuously challenges his craft. His appreciation for visual work started at a young age with illustrations of beloved childhood characters. In high school, he was introduced to painting and has been committed to the discipline ever since. In 2015 Malik held his first gallery exhibit titled "Daydreams & Nightmares" at Roark’s Tavern, Monticello, NY. Malik Bridges is currently in a three-month artist residency at The Black Library in his hometown of Monticello, NY. During this three-month period, Malik has painted, produced music, and hosted paint and sips and open mic nights. A group Art show is scheduled at The Black Library for December 16th, 2023.

Malik has had other notable achievements, and has participated, hosted and curated various art shows across the Hudson Valley and New York City from 2015-2023 including Art Among the Vines at the Basha Kill Vineyards 2016-2018, Hudson Valley Art Expo at Element Square Middletown, NY 2018, Nova Foundation presents: The Healing Component Foley Gallery New York, New York 2019 and New York fashion week Set Designer for Haus of Phanton on Wall Street New York, New York 2021-2022, to name a few. His success has shown his versatility as an engaging artist, host, collaborator, and organizer of shows and events. Since then, he has continued to explore the boundaries of painting and has developed a brand of positive and satisfying art experiences.

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Barbara Carpenito

Color and light have always fascinated me – their interaction and the influence one has on the other. However, my earliest interest was in drawing buildings and landscapes. I moved on to painting in oil and acrylic. Photography has always been an all-consuming interest and has been a constant throughout my life. Whatever else I am working on, be it painting or drawing, mixed media or painting in digital media, I am also taking photographs constantly. More recently I have become fascinated with abstract painting using digital as well as traditional media and am proud to say that one of my pieces was chosen to hang on Honesdale's Great Wall in 2022 I have a degree in Art from CCNY’s Lehman College and have also studied art at the School of Visual Arts, NYU and Hunter College. I am a member of, and exhibit with, the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance (DVAA), and the Wayne County Arts Alliance (WCAA).

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Heather Collins Lockwood

As a parent we morph into what is needed at the moment. But when the nest is empty , we are lost and wandering until we find ourselves again. We awaken into a world with no one to care for or schedule. We mold ourselves into new humans. We morph into our true being.

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Steve Davis

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Hope Blecher Croney

This piece represents a student’s assignment. It shows the use of pronouns as the author changes from first person singular, representing the self to representing a plural perspective. Through the series of prompts which can be inferred as commands, the language expands.

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Jonathan Charles Fox

Although I like seasonal change, I'm not a fan of the word in general. As a photographer, I've learned that change is inevitable, and if I put off capturing a moment, more likely than not- the flower has bloomed, the water has frozen, the hawk has flown or the house has sagged...the opportunity, such as it was, is no more - morphed, and lost forever. Still, I have to remind myself to just "be" in the moment at times and not worry about composition, color, or a bird taking flight - and just observe, as the old "toll house" at Pucky Huddle leaves us. As I traverse the countryside, camera and dog at my side, I'm reminded of an old song:
"My most important moments go by, and I don't even know it till they're gone." - The Last Sweet Days of Isaac.

“Many people swear the building in question is an old toll house on the long defunct Newburgh-Cochecton Turnpike, but I am reasonably certain that is not the case.” - Sullivan County Historian John Conway

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Daniel Genova

My drawings are a huge part of my artistic output. To me they have qualities which are similar to a personal diary. They are often inspired by things and events that occur to me on a daily basis as well as memories. There is no time like “ drawing time”. It's no problem to wait at the doctor's office or airport as long as I have my trusty sketchbook in hand. It makes hours seem like minutes. The theme “ Metemorphosos” is ideal for my work because they are all about how “One thing begets another”, to use one of my titles. Often they begin with subconscious scribbling. In that scribbling I "see things” that evolve until a complete picture is completed that has its own unique logic.

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Glenn Lieberman

My photographs are digitally generated. Shot in color, the greater number of images have been transformed into black and white and printed on a variety of archival papers selected, by texture and degree of warmth of tone, to match the content of the image. Images that retain their color do so based upon content as well, as some images require color to help bring forward their message and maintain integrity of organization as works of art.

In selecting what I consider to be worthy content, I am interested in everything. And, principally, I look for some scene or predicament that tells a story. For me the narrative, no matter how outwardly inconsequential, holds fascination or importance as a function of its success in revealing something cogent about human life. Thus, landscapes may smack of imbalanced human intrusion or moral omission, still lives suggest human presence, images of people have at least one plain truth to convey, no matter how humble. The idea is, of course, not remarkable. But it is for me at the center of what makes a photograph contextually substantial… and beautiful.

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William Landau

Earliest influence were my so-wonderfully-enjoyed Summers at Kauneonga Lake: reflective light, greenery, purples, blues and reds of berries, and the black-dotted oranges of the salamanders. Erosion, aging, rusting, construction, ironwork grids and scaffolding, the smells of cement and sawdust, the dustiness, the sweat and the coolness of sites, the sound of equipment…things undone, not yet completed by my grandfather, the cabinet make. This contrasted with the formality of traditional fabric patterns and designs, the smells and textures of wool and cotton in my father’s store, and at Orbachs and Macy’s, at Gimbels and Kleins, and the handiwork, the changing of designs and assembling-through-sewing of my mother. The additional speedball signage and oil painting of my father – their looks and smells were of great influence. The coming home of the Met Great artist portfolios were anticipated with great excitement. A school program that identified budding artists ; specialized junior high school program classes in art, five days/week each school year were great influences. .No wonder I loved Modigliani, Kline, Leger, et. al… My science studies at the college- and graduate-school-level thrilled me, especially as they were so very visual. I took advantage of the visuals and 3D models in my 25 years of science teaching…

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Dori Iannucci

Nature and it’s inhabitants are the subjects I most like to portray in both batik, paint, and other mediums. Whether they are true to biological life or fantastic extensions of natural life, such as depicted in legends and folk tales, I like to try to portray their essence.

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Anna Puleo

Anna Puleo has been a visual artist since 2016 when she took a basic painting class from Sullivan BOCES. From that time forward, Anna has been improving her acrylic painting on canvas skills, and has even added theater set painting to her resume. Anna also enjoys photography, theater acting, pickleball and softball.

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Jodi Sibilia

Jodi Sibilia was born and raised on a sheep farm in Northern Vermont, where she graduated from Johnson State University in 2009 with a BA in Studio Art. Motivated to help others, she moved to upstate New York in 2010, where she earned her Emergency Medical Training Certificate and started working for an ambulance company. During the next several years, Sibilia would go on to work with the Barrett Art Center, running a photography darkroom as she continued to grow her artistic vision. In addition, Sibilia started offering children's classes in her home studio and, in 2013, moved to Pittsburgh to complete a Master's Degree in Teaching from Chatham University. Returning to New York, Sibilia continued diligently on her art portfolio while continuing her education in wellness and yoga. She opened her yoga studio, Yoga By The Lake, which blends art and wellness in the summer of 2015.

After years of teaching art in public schools, Sibilia left education to pursue a full-time career in wellness and creative design. In 2021 she was selected to curate The Narrowsburg Union Galleries, where she continues supporting local and upcoming artists in curating themed exhibitions. In Lake Huntington, New York, Sibilia owns a yoga studio that supports the local community by focusing on the healing arts and giving her clients a safe space to practice. She joined the Cochecton Volunteer Ambulance Corps in 2021 and works with her team to run fundraising and outreach events on wellness. Her current volunteer projects include spearheading a sensory garden in the Cochecton Volunteer Ambulance Park for community use.

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Gail Tuchman

Gail Tuchman has had a notable, dual career in the publishing world both as a publisher and as a prolific, award-winning author of children’s fiction and nonfiction. Two of her lifelong passions—writing and making artwork—intrinsically influence one another. What Gail loves about making photographs is seeing, feeling, and capturing a transient “moment” in time—for all time—creating a visual, experiential, emotional memory- keeper to revisit, to share. In her photography, she speaks to the beauty, strength, and fragility of our natural, cultural, and political environments. The bioluminescence of fireflies, the rising moon—whatever inspires or influences her, she photographs. She looks for the essence, the heart of the natural element—light dancing off a surface or contrasting dark shadows unbound by light—exploring a subject, then often capturing one aspect that embraces the spirit of the whole.

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Miguel Tio

As a visionary artist I am driven to depict what cannot be seen. I use a wide range of images many of them coming from my dreams and meditations, sometimes the feeling of channeling drives my work and everything comes to make sense at the end when I am close to finishing it. I consider my art as my mission in this lifetime. In this world in crisis, in which change is so urgently needed, art can serve as the catalyst that sets the observer’s soul astir, making it vibrate sympathetically, establishing a connection with the observer or perhaps by just leaving a seed that will germinate in the future. This is my desideratum.

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Myōhō Brenda Miller

My name is Myōhō Brenda Miller. I am a farmer and a monk. One day in the mid 1990’s, I was in a convenience store in Philadelphia when the clerk said to me, in reference to the decline of the neighborhood and trash strewn everywhere that maybe we are living in Hell right now. That this could actually be the Hell we worry about ending up in. At that moment I realized that we are also living amongst incredible beauty- everywhere, all the time. Hell and beauty all in the same moment. It depends only on where and how to focus eyes, mind and, for me, the camera.

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