american society of contemporary artists

NUMBER 38 SPRING 2010

SUMMERS IN PIETRASANTA, ITALY

By Honey Kassoy

harriet regina marion

August 15, 1949 - March 21, 2010
SCA mourns the loss of harriet regina marion. She was a Director and an active member of ASCA. ASCA's President, Bobby Schiller relates that "harriet was the person who designed of every years postcards and organized our full biographical looseleaf book. She delivered that book to all our exhibits and when we were short people to sit at an exhibitshe was always willing to help. She was, of course, a wonderful artist! She will be missed in the art world and specifically in ASCA." Artist harriet regina marion used her surroundings as a source of inspiration and reference for her work. She embraced new challenges and was fearless in her approach to art and life. Her formal training began at the Maryland Institute in Baltimore, where she received her MFA in 1976. Since that time, she has lived and worked in New York City, where inspiration was often is taken from the elements of contemporary urban life. The many accomplishments of the artist are evident in a history that includes ten solo exhibitions and more than 100 juried group shows and annual exhibitions. Her pieces have been shown in countless venues, and have included private and public collections, and also museums such as the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Museum, New Jersey, The Art Colle Museum, France and the International Museum of Collage in Mexico. As an artist, she received numerous awards, and her extensive bibliography outlines coverage and recognition by a variety of media from print to radio.marions excellence was exemplified by her membership in more than a dozen professional arts organizations including the National Association of Women Artists and the American Society of Contemporary Artists in NYC. In addition, she is listed in Whos Who of American Art, 28th edition. Her diverse interests encouraged her to share her knowledge with others, and she was not only an artist,
(See harriet regina marion, page 4)

spent four summers in Pietrasanta, Italy, in 1968, 1969, 1970 and 1976, carving marble and creating bronzes. I have wanted to go back ever since. So this past August, we packed up all my shots and medications and boarded a flight for Rome: my daughter Sheila, her husband Mitko and my granddaughter Toby. Italy was very very hot (but low in huHoney working on Maternal Force in 1968. midity) and very very crowded! We landed in Rome, rented an apartment with an automatic cappuccino maker, and borrowed a wheelchair. The wheelchair not only helped me go longer distances than I could do on my feet, but also put us first in line in the museums. We revisited the Sistine Chapel, and the restored ceiling murals looked much smaller than I remembered. The Forum and Ostia Antica were all uncovered to ancient road level, with no more of the romantic grassy fields that we saw in 1960 hiding the world below. When I tired of the bumpy cobblestone rides, I sat in the Honey at the foundry with Jaques Lipshitz. shadow of the trees surrounding the ancient theater and took out my little watercolor box and painted. It was great to revisit Firenze, to see the Ponte Vecchio, the Michelangelos, Botticellis Venus, the
(See Pietrasanta page 2)

(Pietrasanta , Continued from page 1)

Academia, the Duomo, Piazza de la Signoria and the market place, and especially to choose from the tempting multicolored displays of gelati, the ice cream of Italy. But the highlight of our visit to Italy was the return to Pietrasanta. We stayed at the Hotel Palagi, where Bernie and I had stayed before, and had an emotional reunion with the owner, Mila, and her daughter, who had been a small child when we were there last. We hopped on the bus to the beach, just as we had done in years past after a long hot hours carving marble, and found it very crowded, but still breathtakingly beautiful. (See Bernie in 1969 or so.) So I waded into the water, and Sheila took a photo of the 92-year-old bathing 92-Year old bathing beauty! beauty! The next day we revisited the studio where I had carved my marbles and found the son of Professor Palla, the former owner, in charge. He remembered me, as he had taken photos of my work. Then we revisited the Tomassi Foundry, where Bernie and I, along with many of the artists in Pietrasanta, including Jacques Lipshitz, Nat Kaz and Ted Egri, had worked on our Bernie Kassoy on the beach in 1969 or so. bronzes. We had many visitors in Pietrasanta, including ASCA members: Phil Reisman and his wife Louise, along with Harry and Sara Gottlieb, and best of all our dear friend, Harriet FeBland, who braved an almost endless bus trip to find us. The foundry was now closed, but we were welcomed by Francesca, the daughter of the previous owner, and her sister-in-law Giuliana, who is compiling a book on Pietrasanta and its artists. They asked if we had photos, and I told them that my husband had taken many stills and had also made a movie. We spent a very enjoyable day with Francesca and her gentleman friend, Carlo. They served us lunch, drove us to the local museum and to a restaurant. Later, Francesca presented me with a beautiful book about her grandfather, Leone Tomassi, a very fine sculptor whose work is in the museum as well as in Argentina and a number of other places all over the world. So I think I might go again next summer! Who wants to join me?

MARIA DE ECHEVARRIA HOW I STARTED PAINTING

Maria de Echevarria was born in Buenos Aires and I came to New York, from Argentina, in 1969, when my first husband was hired for a job here. I started to paint in August of 1991 at the age of 47. At that time I had a full-time teaching position at the United Nations in New York. One unforgettable morning that August, I decided to comply with the funny sensation in my left hand (Im lefthanded). For two or three months my hand had wanted to paint. That morning I took a brush and some poster paints that my daughter had left in her desk from primary school and a piece of paper from my portable printer. I painted a small tree and it looked like a child painted it. I painted trees for days, not stopping, except for eating and sleeping. I was on summer vacation from the UN and I could paint without interruption. I felt so happy. I had this exhilarating sense of life that I dont remember to have had before. It was thrilling to see in front of my eyes images that I was creating. Sometimes they pleased me, sometimes not, but what a thrill anyway, and I always could keep trying until they pleased me. I have wondered why I didnt know about this passion for painting before. I have found some factors that explain it: in particular, the lack of contact with myself and the disregard for external indicators. One of these indicators came from my junior high school teacher for drawing and painting in Argentina. She was very pleased with my works, to the extent that she gave me a gift at the end of the course, The Diary of Anne Frank, which I read with much interest. Before this episode in junior high, I remember my fascination with the pictures that two cousins, a little older than I, were painting in private classes my aunt had arranged for them. I especially loved the trees they painted, but I considered myself unable to do that. In 1991 when my left hand was telling me to paint, I had already started practicing Zen meditation. At first meditating alone, following the instructions in a book, I later joined a meditation group at the Zen Studies

(See de Echevarria, page 8)

e need volunteers to help continue the survival of our ASCA Newsletter. We welcome art-related articles, reviews of exhibitions and your upcoming shows. Send your material to: Hank Rondina 209 Lincoln Place, Eastchester, New York 10709; Telephone (914) 793-1376; or email it to artist@hankrondina.com

"COLOR AS AN EVOCATIVE FORCE IN THE ART OF THE IMPRESSIONISTS"

Hank Rondina The following is the final installment of the paper written in July, 1976.

"Color as an evocative force In the Art of the Impressionists"

oth Sisley in Pissarro used the color-warm, light-dark contrast technique in a brilliant seasonal landscapes. Pierre Auguste Renoir also use this technique, but treated mainly city scenes and nudes. In 1876, Renoir painted Le Moulin de la Galette.43 At first glance, one's eyes delight in the joy of the social scene on a sunny afternoon, and one is tempted to take part in the conversaLe Moulin de la Galette tions and dancing. The Painting Has Been Done Completely In Light-Dark Color Contrasts. The Result Is That Subtle Changes In atmosphere permeate the entire canvas. It is immediately felt this scene takes place in springtime. The season is not solely suggested by the clothing worn by the figures in the painting. The composition is dominated by blues and greens. These colors, when used together, have a relaxing and cooling effect upon the viewer.44 Had Renoir painted this scene in the midst of summer, then he might have saturated the canvas with warm colors. The artist did not apply is pigments in the same fashion as the other Impressionists. Rather than loading his brush with paint, red watch OC use lasers to bring forth light-dark and cold-warm contrasts.45 One need only look at the detail of the main figure. Her face seems to reflect a shadow cast from a moving leaf on a tree above. Here, the artist has call upon light-dark and cold-warm contrasts by employing mixtures of yellow, red, blues and violets. He place at the right side of her face in the dark a shadow and renders the shadow with modulations of violet/yellow/blue. He continues to employ the same modulations as he paints the left side of her face. However, at this point, he lightens the mixture. Renoir has completed the shape of her face and head by using darker mixtures of pinks and blues. Additional form has been attained with the use of an intense red hue for her lips. "The colors of this painting all have a semblance of reflection. One seems to breathe the enchanted air." 46 During the year in which he completed Le Moulin de la Galette, Renoir painted After The Bath.47 This painting differs sharply from Le Moulin de la Galette because of the lack of perspective in the background. In fact, the background of this painting is almost flat. Yet, the paint-

ing radiates a warmth which emanates from the model. The observer sees her in a sitting posture, caught in a moment of reflection. One cannot help but think that the reason Renoir painted the background of this way was strongly evoked a reflective mood. This color transmits perhaps her innermost thoughts: a warm, passionate memory. In fact, to his use of a soft mixture of oranges, yellows, greens and reds, Renoir has succeeded in painting the ethereal atmosphere of a memAfter The Bath ory. Whatever one calls to mind the atmospheric impressions of the Impressionist movement, one naturally thinks of the paintings of Claude Monet. Monet was the artist who, unknowingly, cause the term Impressionist to be used when referring to the "group from Batignolles. The words Impressionists and Impressionism came about as a result of the 1874 Salon des Refuses exhibit in which this painting Impression -Sunrise 48 was shown. On viewing this painting, one senses the atmospheric conditions which pervade Le Harve the day on which the work was comImpression-Sunrise pleted. Monet, like Renoir, Sisley and Pissarro, painted in cold-warm, light-dark color contrasts. This is apparent as a result of Monet's use of violets, oranges and grays use throughout his composition. Monet modulates the tones intermittently and blends them mystically in the background. As the observer moves towards the foreground, he notices the light-dark contrast between sky and water. Monet then adds an intense orange disk for the rising Sun and shimmers a light orange hue upon the water with a swift brush stroke. The artist has evoked a misty summer morning which signals the promise of a long, torrid day. Monet often went into the open air to study changes in light and atmosphere. He Seurat- La Grande Jatte was known to paint a canvas until the light changed, and when it did, He would begin a new canvas.49 Intensive studies of nature pursued by Monet and other Impressionists placed him on a path which led directly into the luminescent world of color expression. The painted poetry an individual lyricism was an
(See Color on page 4)

(Color, Continued from page 3) inspiration for future movements in art. The pointillism of Seurat and the art of Cezanne ex panded and developed the color theories of the day. Eventually, other movements would follow. Men such as Kandinsky and Itten would broaden the scope of color theory. Color would be comPaul CezanneThe Forest pared to musical instruments. Kandinsky would write: "it would be difficult to compare yellow to a base and a dark lake to a violin." 50 Itten, who taught with Kandinsky, we devised a new method of teaching color. In the movement called "neo-realism," the artist superimposes the photograph on canvas and copies the image without emotion or individuality. Can it be that the artist has become too lazy to study and understand the wonders of color surrounding him? Has a materialistic outlook again taken hold? In this regard, Faber Birren has stated: "perhaps the art of color expression has stopped dead in its tracks."51 In the writer's opinion, the artist will again waive a bright, luminous and banner of color expressionism. "Art must be a thing of spirit and not mere fidelity."52 Bibliography and footnotes provided on request July, 1976

( harriet regina marion, Continued from page 1)

but also an arts educator and Adjunct Professor of Art History. harriet regina marion had a style that was hers alone.. The work is mixed media culled from the elements of contemporary urban life. It is colorful, non-objective (to everyone but the artist) and comprised of preexisting elements that reflect concrete special relationships. It is somewhat tactile and dimensional over digitally created 3D compositions. Often, individual edges, textures and brushstrokes are scanned and reorganized digitally, which creates optical illusions when juxtaposed against the physically applied treatments that overlay them. Process and automatic revelation determine the destination of the journey into deep inner space. harriet regina marion Sensitivity, a sudden sadness Feeling like crying, feelings are endless Never alone and never lonely Even when I am with myself only The past is still alive The passed away livesare still surrounding us Call it spirit, call it feelings, or unforgotten human beings Memories in the air Everywhere Lea Weinberg

Johannes Itten Horizontal Vertikal

Vessel Kandinsky Yellow Red and Blue

West Side Development The Way I Roll

Ladies Room With Pink Rug

Softshell Bluepoint

Pistachio Formal

Ghost Stegosaurus

ASCA ART GALLERY

T
Group Photograph at the Philippine Center Exhibit Reception

he ASCA ART GALLERY presents examples of art by ASCA members selected from the Gallery Album. Please send photos of your recent work, and if space permits, they may be included in upcoming editions of the Newsletter. Remember to include your name, the title of your work, the medium, and an arrow showing which side is UP. Mail your photos to Hank Rondina, 209 Lincoln Place, Eastchester, New York 10709, or e-mail your jpegs to artist@hankrondina.com

STEVE ERENBERG Dragonfly

LESLIE ZADOIAN Solace Revisited

KELLEY STENGLE Abundance of Time and Space

MIRIAM WILLS The Sun Behind

BONNIE ROTHCHILD Savannah

MARGO MEAD Wonder of It All

HANK RONDINA Birth of Venus

LEA WEINBERG Tree Tango

ELINORE BUCKHOLTZ Il Sogno

(de Echevarria ,Continued from page 3)

Society in New York City. I know now that the practice of meditation played a key role in discovering my love and need to paint as it deepened the contact with my inner self and increased my attention. I entered into closer contact with people and things as well, and this was most rewarding. I remember walking through the UN rose garden one day during my lunch hour. There I truly saw a rose for the first time in my life: the color, the delicate contours of the petals, the very smooth surface. The sunlight was hitting it, and it was as if the rose had entered my mind. Familiar everyday objects started looking new, with interesting features to be observed. After using the poster paint as a medium, I tried charcoals and pastels. As time went by, I saw at the UN an interesting charcoal exhibit by the Peruvian painter Reynaldo Bisetti. I contacted him to take some classes. We dealt mostly with charcoals. Later, I attended two or three of the final classes of one of the evening courses at the Art Students League of New York. Because these classes and those I had in Argentina in junior high are the only formal training I have received from others, I consider myself self-taught. Once I started, I have never stopped painting and have developed a full career as a painter. Soon after using charcoals and pastels I started with oils and later with acrylics. These are my mediums. Since then, I have had multiple solo shows in New York, as well as group shows in New York, Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico and Buenos Aires.

HARRIET FeBLAND AT GROUNDS FOR SCULPTURE

Grounds for Sculpture Exhibition Catalogue

Opening To Another World

Irises

eometry is the central focus in the works of Harriet FeBland. However, her approach is not strictly analytical: rather she explores the mystery and beauty of geometric forms and shapes. FeBland was drawn to the subject matter due to a belief it is a "universal imagery." She states "geometry is a force. It has its own power and because of this it became my language of choice the best express the meaning of my work-its symbolism and content." Because of this humanization the mathematics of shapes, Paul Mocsanyi, former director of the New School Art Center at the New School for Social Research in New York City has dubbed her "the poet of geometry." In her sculpture Moon Song, two refined marble components present the calm, mystical presence of a monolith, especially when compared with her other, more visually active and colorful works. The elongated pyramid-like form of the gray Italian marble base serves to elevate the top element to eyelevel, bringing the sculpture to an intimate human scale. The highpolish, black Belgian marble top draws the viewer's gaze along onepoint perspective inward to a set of square planes, each made through the use of a negative space, and beyond into the void. Harriet FeBland was born, educated, and trained in New York, attending Pratt Institute, New York University, American Artists School, Art Students League, and other schools. She also lived and studied for many years in England and France, and participated actively in European art circles. Upon her return the United States in the 1960s, she opens studios in New York and Westchester. She was soon recognized as a pioneer constructivist artist after a major New York exhibition "Plastic in Art" at the Galerie International. She worked with unusual and innovative materials for the time, including Plexiglas, acrylics, metals, and electricity. There have been 49 solo exhibitions of FeBland's works, and numerous invitational exhibitions for her paintings, sculptures, drawings, and graphics. In 1962, she founded the Harriet FeBland Art Workshop , a school for advanced painters in Westchester and New York, where she served as the director until 1993. In addition to inclusion in numerous publications, and turning many fellowships and awards, her work has been collected by the Library of Congress, prints collection, Washington, DC, PepsiCo, New York, Cincinnati Art Museum, State of Hawaii, and Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers University, New Jersey among many others

GERDA ROZE: HOMAGE TO THE CIRCLE

Larchmont Mamaroneck Patch by Keith Loria

hen one looks at the abstract art of Gerda Roze, you can tell that there's a lot of deep meaning in her work. When listening to the incredible life experiences of the 85-yearold, you instantly know that this is one "Solar System VII" special artist. Born in Latvia and raised in Germany, Roze came to the United States in 1950 as a political refuge with her mother and husband (a Polish army soldier), after living in a national refuge camp for six years. "I was always interested in art as a teenager, but my mother had me pursue music [the piano] but when the War came, I had to "Orbit Series V" give that up," Roze said. "I had been studying medicine in Munich but had to stop.I finally finished my degree at the age of 35 at Columbia University, majoring in sociology and economics." By then, she was divorced, and although Roze knew she had a talent for drawing, upon graduating, went into business as a consultant so she could help support her mother. She did, however, go to an art class once a week so she could "escape" "Homage Opus IV through her paintings. (Circle in a Square) "It was a long week, until I could get to do what I loved," she said. In 1960, Roze moved to Mt. Vernon, where she currently has her own art studio inside her apartment. "As it turns out, art is everything for me," she said. "When I was in the business world, I automatically went there and succeeded, but it was not where my heart was.

When I had to make a decision to continue in business, it came to the point where I was thinking of art, so I decided to go towards art, and I felt complete." When Roze retired in 1988, she decided to dedicate all of her time to painting. "I have gone through all different styles, but for the last 30 years, have concentrated on abstract paintings," she said. "I look at everything around us as having color and shape. Whether it's a table or chair or cup. An abstract artist creates things unrecognizable so the viewer "Homage Opus V has to read into it." Fifteen years ago, she also began monotype printing, producing one-of-a-kind oil-base prints. "The creative process in my work engages both my intellect and my emotions," Roze said. "While the intellect underlines the obvious by designing my canvases in loosely formed geometric shapes, my emotional is expressed in color." A collection of 27 of Roze's paintings are currently on display at the Mamaroneck Artists Guild in an exhibit entitled "Homage to "Homage Opus III the Circle." Roze explains her fascination with the shape, calling it a mysterious figure that has no beginning and no end, that somehow almost always makes its way into her artwork. "The circle is a universal symbol-so simple yet so complicated! Exploring its unique shape has led me to a whole series of circle paintings and prints. In some works one will easily recognize the familiar shape; in others one will have to look for it. The eternal, mysterious shape has no beginning and no end." "Non-objective abstractions have ruled most of my creations over a quarter of a century. Non-objective art is a highly personal artistic expression which almost requires an "act of faith" on the part of the viewer to accept pure form and color as subject matter as well as the." Mamaroneck Artists Guild Gallery 126 Larchmont Avenue, Larchmont, NY (914) 667-5349 The show will hold a closing event with a "Walk &Talk" by the artist on Sat. May 1, at 3 p.m.

ROSE SIGAL IBSEN "ENCHANTED WORLDS OF OUR DREAMS"

By J. Sanders Eaton Gallery and Studio

umi-E painting, or painting with brush and ink in the Japanese manner, which derives from ancient Chinese ink painting, is a world unto itself. Once, in the Pax coffee shop near the Art Students League that he had made his regular hangout, I try to explain its appeal to a third or fourth generation American Abstract Expressionist of my acquaintance, he just kept shaking his head and saying, "I know it's very beautiful and very difficult to do that but it's just a whole other aesthetic then what I know in due." This despite the fact that the general thrust of abstract Expressionism-the very type of painting that he knew and did!-derived directly from Asian brush painting, particularly the spontaneous Zen literati branch of it, which inspired so-called "action painting." Fortunately, there are some American artists who not only understand the" very different aesthetic" of brush and ink painting that have become passionate devotees and accomplished exponents of it. Several of the best of them will be showing their work in "Enchanted Worlds of Our Dreams," an exhibition of the Sumi-E Society of America, Metro NY Chapter, at 9th Street Salon, 502 9th St. (between 7th and 8th Ave.), in Park Slope, Brooklyn, from May 8, 4 to 9 PM. Call 646-457-0014) One member of the SumiE. Society with whose work many of us have long been familiar Is Rose Sigal Ibsen, a Romanian born artist and longtime resident of New York City will has perhaps done more to popularize Asian ink painting than any other occidental person one can name. Ibsen, who has been widely praised by some of the Asian masters of Sumi "Bamboo" -E and Chinese ink painting, including C. C. Wang, and has exhibited in both Japan and China, is well represented in this show. Her ink and watercolor painting "Grapes" and her ink monochromatic ink painting "Bamboo" both show her mastery of the more traditional modes and subjects of Sumi E... she acquired as a student of the well-known Japanese painter and calligrapher Koko Yamamoto. Another artist familiar to this writer who has made a unique contribution to her art form is Eva Mihovich, who just to paintings of the Buddha entitled "Enlightenment" numbers I and II, as well as a nude study, Mihovich, too, employs her Sumi-E skills literally to interpret subjects not normally associated with ink painting, such as the nude, which is very rare in traditional Asian painting in 10

general. And even when she takes on a subject such as her two "Enlightenment" paintings. A method of modeling and shaping the contours of the figure to create an effect that is three-dimensional rather than flat and linear the more Western than Eastern. However, for all the freewheeling originality, Mihovich's work still has the spirit and freshness of Sumi-E painting at its best. More traditional in terms of its spare linear economy is the style of Sarah Hauser. Yet there is nothing even vaguely formulaic about Hauser's feline and canine studies, swiftly executed from life in a graceful ink line, which capture the vitality of a small subjects with winning humor and grace. One of the most distinctive aspects of Hauser's work is her exquisite use of the empty space of the paper to let the "air" into the composition, especially in "Bruno," with a furry subject's rear end is amputated by the edge right-hand edge of the paper, creating a delightfully off-center effect. Another society member Katia Simonova shows true mastery of monochromatic landscape painting in a manner that dates back to Sung artists such as Li Ch'end and Kuo Hsi (10th and 11th centuries, respectively). In Simonova's "Countless Clouds of Summer" and "On Winter Solitude of Trees" mountains and mists are conjured up in a range of gray tones so subtle as to make clear why scholars of ancient Asian ink paintings maintain their monochromes can convey the entire spectrum of natural hues. However, being a contemporary painter willing to bend tradition when the mood suits her, Simonova employs a more stark ink technique resembling a woodcut print in one Sumi-E painting inspired by a poem by Yosa Buson. By contrast Maria Kleinman, who works in a relatively large format, employs a whole range of watercolor hues and techniques, combining them with fantastic figures reminiscent of the Belgian painter James Ensor in an excitingly eclectic composition called "Who, What, Where." And then, as if to reaffirm the faith in more traditional subjects as well, she also exhibits another vibrant watercolor called "Early Dawn Red Lotus." Another artist who straddles tradition and contemporary abstraction is Linda Mulhauser, whose "Heron in Rice Fields" is a spare linear avian figure that harks back to the aforementioned Zen literati painter/poets. However, in two of the compositions are respectively entitled "Burst of Spring" and "Midnight Blues" Mulhauser creates compositions so gesturally exuberant and abstract that they could easily be classified as "action painting" In the manner of the New York School, circa. 1950s. Then there is Einat Grinbaum who applies the techniques of Sumi-E to a style of painting that is completely abstract, in which bold, broad streaks of gray and black ink converge like the gestural forms in the paintings of abstract Expressionist canvases of Franz Kline. (Indeed, Kline projected his compositions from blown ink sketches that he made in the 20 odd pages of a telephone book in much the same manner.) But while Kline's black calligraphy suggested solid steel girders, Grinbaum, however, employs a full range of tones attainable with Sumi ink to
(Continued on next page)

lend his swiftly streaking strokes a lighter-then air quality. Carol Izkowitz-Meiman is yet another artist who has found a unique way to use her Sumi-E technique in a contemporary Western manner, as seen in her "Seascape," he beach panorama spread over four pieces of paper create an almost cinematic sequencing effect, as well as in another natural vista in a long horizontal format called simply "Landscape." Izkowitz-Meiman also shows other pieces from a series called "Movement," in which dancing figures are evoked with just a few sinuously twisting ink lines overlaid with washes of blue or red watercolor. Susan Davis also employs watercolors, albeit in a more detailed manner in compositions such as "Lush Magnolia," in which the sensual red flowers and grayish green leaves are seen against cream-colored paper in a long vertical scroll format, and "Strawberry Delight," in which the cluster of berries are set off by a pale blue background. In these works, as well as in another watercolor within an oval shape called "Orchids Abound," Davis displays her skill in capturing specific subjects in considerable detail without sacrificing the freshness makes the medium especially vital. Roslyn Gamiel moves easily from floral still life subjects as seen in "Lotus for Sarah," to the free-form calligraphic expression of her work title, "Dancing Brush." The single element that unites all of Gamiel's compositions is the fluidity of her line. Then there is Maureen Meany, perhaps the most intrepid colorists in the show, judging from the intensity of red, violet, blue, and yellow hues she employs in the watercolor "Parrot," with the Bulls, almost explosive exuberance of a brushstrokes verges on Expressionism. Although color is somewhat more subdued, Meany's brushwork is equally energetic in another watercolor called "Rooster." The good news about this exhibition in general is that, rather than slavishly imitating the past masters of the Asian art form that they have adopted, each of the artists in the show make a uniquely contemporary, often westernized, contribution to its venerable tradition.

ASCAs INDIVIDUAL ANNUAL AWARDS

The American Society of Contemporary Artists (ASCA) presents Individual Annual Awards, Memorial Awards, College Student Awards and Grants, as a means of recognizing superior achievement in art. These awards are presented in honor of your name, a fellow artist, friend, family name or family member. The awards to different artists each year are honors mentioned in their resumes during their entire careers, which means the name continues to be honored during the lifetime of the artist, and is an outstanding, ongoing tribute. Please note, your heartfelt gift is 100% tax free and will be presented in a fitting ceremony and reception on November, 2010 at 3:00 pm during this years exhibition celebrating ASCAs 92nd Birthday at the Broome Street Gallery, 498 Broome Street, NY. So far this year, donations to the Individual Annual Awards Fund have fallen behind the amounts donated last year. Please donate NOW, time is of essence! This Fund consists of the following categories: BENEFACTORS: $500 to $999; SPONSORS: $100 TO $499; DONORS: $10 to $99 (Smaller gifts are combined). We wish to thank all members and friends who have made donations in 2009. The following is a list of donations to ASCA in 2009: SPONSORS: Elvira Dimitrij, Gerda Roze, Neva Setlow DONORS: Rose Marie Cherundolo, Helene Erenberg, Harriet FeBland, Rose Sigal Ibsen, Erin Johnson, Please make out your check to ASCA and mail it to: Gerda Roze, Chair: Fund Raising 3 Park Lane, 1-B Mount Vernon, NY 10552

Rose Sigal Ibsen "Grapes"

I have found, that among its other benefits giving liberates the soul of the giver. Maya Angelou

11

MEMBERSHIP NEWS
Georgiana Cray Bart- Exhibiting at Something Special, 23 West Walnut St, Kingston, PA, May 8 to18, 2010. Reception: May 8, 2010, 5 to 7 pm.-ALSO- will be teaching art on two back-to-back cruises June,2010: 1st on the Queen Mary 2, transatlantic from NYC to South Hampton, England from June 7 to June14, and 2nd on the Queen Victoria, South Hampton, England to the Mediterranean from June 14 to July 1, 2010. For information on joining the cruises contact Cunard Cruise Lines on the web.-ALSO- teaching adult and children's painting classes at her studio information contact Georgiana at 570-947-8387 or gcraybart@aol.com or go to www.gcraybart-artworks.com, Adult Classes are held Mondays 12 to 4pm and Tuesdays 7 to 9:30 pm. Children's classes (8 to 11 years) are Mondays 4:30 to 5:30 pm and Tuesdays 4:30 to 5:30pm. Classes for 12 to 13 year olds are, 5:30 to 7pm. Private instruction is available. Elinore Bucholtz- International Contemporary Masters 2010 at the Museum of Southern Nevada from April 17 June 5 ALSOSOLO exhibit April 10 May 29, Plantation, Fl. Jeremy and Eleanor Comins-- will exhibit one watercolor each in the Roundtable Exhibition at the National Arts Club. April 19--May 12010. Mara de Echevarra-- Solo show The Colors of Music at the Consulate of Argentina 12 West 56th St. NYC April 8th - 29th of 2010 Harriet FeBland-- Exhibiting at Grounds for Sculpture Museum, Hamilton, N. J., Seward Johnson Center For the Arts, special exhibition Jan.-Dec. 2010-ALSOBoxheart Gallery Pittsburgh, PA. "The 9th Annual Arts International" Jan. 2010--ALSO-Perth Amboy Gallery Perth Amboy, NJ., Mar. 8th-Apr. 30 Rose Sigal Ibsen- "Enchanted Worlds of Our Dreams," at 9th Street Salon, 502 9th St. (between 7th and 8th Ave.), in Park Slope, Brooklyn, from May 8, 4 to 9 pm. Call 646-457-0014)-ALSO-Contemporary Artists Guild 42nd Anniversary Exhibition, Apr. 27--May 9, 2010, Broome Street Gallery, 498 Broome St., capital NYC. Estelle Levy & Margo Mead--Exhibiting at Gallery 307 March 23rd through May 1st. 307 7th Avenue, Suite 1401, NYC 10001 616.400.5254

Hank Rondina-- Invited to exhibit six paintings at the Media Loft Gallery, 50 Webster Ave., New Rochelle, NY May 14th-23rd, Reception May 15th 4 to 8 pm. Gerda Roze Homage to The Circle, Solo Show at Mamaroneck Artists Guild Gallery , 126 Larchmont Avenue, Larchmont, NY 10538 (914) 667-5349. Opening Champagne Reception, , April 17th, 5 -7 pm. Closing Event with Walk &Talk by Artist, , May 1st , 3 5 pm. Lea WeinbergExhibited 2 Bronze and 2 wire mesh with mixed media sculptures at the Society of Women Artists "The Meaning of the Line" at Broome Street Gallery, SOHO, NYC-ALSO- Three of her bronze sculptures will be part of The World of Artists juried, International Women Show, National Association of Women Artists at Howland Cultural Center, 477 Main Street, Beacon, NY 12508(845.831.4988) May 1 - June 13, Opening Reception: Sat., May 1ST , 2- 5pm- ALSO- Exhibiting in EarthVisions at ARC Gallery in the Museum of Science and Industry, Tampa, Florida, Apri. 30 - May 28.-ALSO- Two Women Show Imaginary Implications at N.A.W.A Gallery 80 Fifth Avenue, suite1405 (corner 14th St.) June 18 July 16, 2010, Opening Reception: Thursday, June 24, 6 -8pm.

ASCA OFFICERS President Barbara Schiller President-Emeritus Harriet FeBland Vice-President Raymond Weinstein Vice-President Raymond Shanfeld Vice-President Frank Mann Treasurer Allan Simpson Recording Secretary Imelda Cajipe Endaya Corresponding Secretary Lisa Robbins Social Secretary Olga Kitt Historian Frank Mann Board of Directors: Elinore Bucholtz, Hank Rondina, Fred Terna ASCA NEWSLETTER Publication Director Hank Rondina CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Maria de Echevarria, J. Sanders Eaton Gallery and Studio,Larchmont Mamaroneck Patch Keith Loria, Honey Kassoy, Hank Rondina, Lea Weinberg CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Ricardo Barros, Rene Ner, Hank Rondina COPY DEADLINE FOR THE NEXT ISSUE JUNE 15, 2010 Send your material to: Hank Rondina, 209 Lincoln Place, Eastchester, New York 10709; Telephone (914) 793-1376; or email it to artist@hankrondina.com
ASCA Newsletter is published 4 times a year. Copyright 2009 by ASCA Permission is required to reprint any portion of this newsletter.

e need volunteers to help continue the survival of our ASCA Newsletter. We welcome art-related articles, reviews of exhibitions and your upcoming shows. Send your material to: Hank Rondina 209 Lincoln Place, Eastchester, New York 10709; Telephone (914) 793-1376; or email it to artist@hankrondina.com

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