painting

Press release:

The Genesee Valley Plein Air Painters will open its 14th Annual Art Show beginning Jan. 1^st at Pittsford Barnes & Noble’ Community Room.

This competitive, judged and juried show will display about 90 original paintings recently created throughout the Northeast. The plein air show runs through Feb. 1^s.

"Plein air painting," meaning on-site painting in open air (natural light), is popular with artists and their patrons alike. Boats, rural barns, landscape vistas, gardens, cityscapes and waterscapes are all staple subjects in the plein air painter's repertoire.

More than 85 percent of each painting in this show is produced on-site, "in the open air.” Painting mediums include oil, water color, soft pastel, acrylic and gouache.

The Genesee Valley Plein Air Painters Inc. is an association of outdoor artists that promotes and inspires quality plein air painting. It was established in September 2005. Genesee Valley Plein Air Painters Inc.  (GVPAP) currently boasts 64 artist members who live in the surrounding counties of Greater Rochester, the Finger Lakes, Western and Central New York.

Participating artists in the show in Pittsford Plaza reside in Pittsford, Fairport, Canandaigua, Batavia, Macedon, Sterling, Ontario (Canada), Phelps, Kent, Baldwinsville, Livonia, Rush, Caledonia, Dansville and Rochester.

The Pittsford Barnes & Noble Community Room at Pittsford Plaza is located at 3349 Monroe Ave., Pittsford. The Reception and Awards Ceremony will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 6.

GVPAP’s Annual Art Show is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are also the store's hours.

For more information see:  www.GVPAP.com or email  paint@GVPAP.com

Blue Pearl Yoga is pleased to welcome local artist June Martino back for a series of watermedia painting classes. The 5-week session begins on Wednesday, April 23 and continues through Wednesday, May 23. All classes begin at 9:30 a.m. and dismiss at noon.

June Martino is a local artist who has been painting for 30 years, specializing in watermedia. She draws inspiration not only from life but from nature, “Especially,” she says, “when it  reminds us that after a cold long winter Spring  arrives with a palette of beautiful colors for us to share.” Martino feels that “Painting and sketching becomes more lighthearted as we get outdoors and connect with Mother Earth.” This series of classes promises to “take you down your creative path.”  

Classes are fun and casual with demonstrations and weekly assignments to help the student stay excited and informed. Participants will learn techniques of color mixing, washes, glazing,  lost and found edges, negative painting, and other fundamental painting skills.  Students can also expect to learn the elements of design,  how to see with an artist's eye and develop their own style of painting.  

Classes are kept small to ensure individualized attention; ten spaces are available on a first-come/first-serve basis. Cost for each session is $75. Classes are located on the 4^th floor of the Blue Pearl Yoga studio, 200 E. Main St., Batavia. (Students must be able to climb stairs.) For more information, contact June Martino at junemartino@hotmail.com or visit her website at www.junemartino.com

Local artist June Yoder Martino is launching an exhibit of all new works at the gallery space within Blue Pearl Yoga in Batavia. “A New Direction” includes paintings on canvas and paper and runs from November 5 through December 20. An artist’s reception is scheduled for Thursday, November 21 from 6 – 8 p.m. Martino is a contemporary artist who paints in all forms of water based media. Her work, based on nature and life’s journey, has evolved over 40 years. “From realism to abstract and back again, my work now is a mixture of both,” says Martino. “My paintings reflect my inner journey as well as my impressions of the places that I’ve visited.” She traveled to southern Brazil in 2008 and spent time absorbing the culture of the country.” According to the artist, “This experience impacted my art as I began to look at the world around me with new respect for nature and others.” For Martino, art is an expression of life. “Painting is my way of connecting my perception of nature and the possibilities of life as a whole.” This approach allows her to utilize the spontaneous effects of water color and other water media. “Although each painting begins with preliminary sketches to determine composition, it develops an energy of its own. I follow each piece with the knowledge that the end result will be different than the initial image in my mind,” she adds. A life-long resident of Genesee County, Martino majored in art in college and continued her studies with many nationally known artists. Aside from her solo exhibits, Martino has participated in group shows and has received awards for her paintings. Many of her works are included in private collections. She currently teaches adult watercolor classes at Blue Pearl Yoga in Batavia from April through November, and in Sarasota, FL through March. Gallery hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.; Monday through Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, call Blue Pearl Yoga at 585.230.5430. Additional information about June Yoder Martino can be found at www.junemartino.com or by calling 716-474-0580.