Art on the Avenue

Event Currently Seeking Artists

Spots for artists are now open. To register, call June Cowell at Lovely Living Interiors in Caldwell from 10 a.m. to 5p.m. Tuesday through Saturday at (973) 364-1124.  Download the application here.

Judges for 2012 are:

Anne Kullaf:  

Anne studied at the University of Bridgeport and  The Art Students League of NY.  Her work has been exhibited at the National Arts Club and was featured in two traveling museum exhibitions, “The New Reality: The Frontier of Realism in the 21st Century” and “400 Years of Dutch History in Manhattan”.  Anne is a faculty member of the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, the Hunterdon Museum of Art and the Center for Contemporary Art.  She is a member of the Salmagundi Club, International Guild of Realism and Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club.

 Joel Tidey:

 Joel studied at the Philadelphia Art Institute and The New York Art Students League.  He is a member of the Salmagundi Club in New York. The winner of many awards, his work can be found in many private and permanent collections throughout the United States and abroad.  A resident of Livingston, Joel teaches life drawing and anatomy at The Joe Kubert School and The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey.  He is presently finishing his book on drawing the figure and an instructional drawing dvd.

Jurors Will Award Prizes

Professional art jurors will select pieces from the show to be presented in the Winners' Circle on the Caldwell Green, located at the corner of Bloomfield and Roseland avenues.

Final judging for awards will take place from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at that location, with an awards ceremony scheduled there at 4:00p.m.  $1000 in awards including a cash prize of $500 to be given to the Best in Show prizewinner.

The Caldwell Merchants Association is a non-profit group of merchants, professionals, and residents from surrounding communities whose goal is to revitalize Caldwell’s downtown through promotions, the arts, historic preservation, and beautification. Members of the West Essex community who frequent Caldwell are welcome to help reach these goals.

For more information, contact us or call June Cowell at Lovely Living Interiors in Caldwell from 10 a.m. to 5p.m. Tuesday through Saturday at (973) 364-1124. 



Previous participants in Art on the Avenue

Pat Flaherty, of North Caldwell will be exhibiting her landscape paintings in the 2ndAnnual Art on the Avenue Show.  

Pat Flaherty’s work is invigorated by direct contact with nature.  Pat has been trained at the prestigious Art Student’s League in Drawing by Robert Beverly Hale and in pastel and oil painting by Richard Seyferrt, and watercolor by Joseph Rossi.  As a landscape painter, she was also trained by two of New Jersey’s leading outdoor artists: Lee Hughes and John Osborne.  Her work is infused with brilliant color.  She is a member of numerous art associations: Studio Montclair, The Millburn-Short Hills Art Center, Mountain Studio Artists, West Essex, and the Garrison Art Center, Garrison, NY.  Her work is in the collections of Neilson & Bainbridge, Paramus, NJ, the College of St. Elizabeth, Morristown, NJ and Notre Dame Church, N. Caldwell, NJ.  Pat teaches adults drawing and painting at the Union County Community College, Nutley Adult School and N. Caldwell Recreation.  She instructs children at her home studio in North Caldwell.  To date, Pat has received numerous awards for her work, including Best Landscape, West Essex Art Association, 2010; Award of Merit, Millburn-Short Hills Art Center, 2009; Second Place, Pastel Society of NJ, 2009; and the John L. Sullivan Award, West Essex Art Association, 2008.   Each year, she paints outdoors in all seasons and in plein air benefit art auctions in the Hudson River Valley and central New Jersey.  For more information about Pat and her work, call 973-228-9729 or send an email to patflahertyart@gmail.com .

Michael Sarapuchiello of Whiting, NJ.  Michael, a self taught artist, paints with a pallet knife, giving his paintings a wonderful texture.  The New York City skylines, bridges, buildings and the fabulous Central Park, are the subjects of many of his paintings.  Additionally, as a baseball lover, Michael has been inspired to do a series of baseball stadiums, which are very unique.  His most noted commission was for the President of Duane Reade in New York City and several of his paintings were purchased by Signature Flight Support at Teterboro Airport to decorate their reception area.    

To date, Michael has received numerous ribbons for his work, however, he considers the people who purchase his paintings to be the true judges of his work. 

Sarajane Menschenfreund of Wayne, NJ.  Sarajane attended Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh and studied art under Michael Malzone, the founder and past president of the Wayne Art Association.  She is known for her paintings of city life- particularly New York City, and while she is adept at painting landscapes, and has been commissioned to paint people and pets, she prefers the hustle - bustle of people living in the city and paintings that tell a story.  She has exhibited with the Audubon Artists at the Salmagundi Club in NYC, the Allied Artists of America National Art Club in NY, and was selected by the Assistant Curator of the Whitney Museum of NY to exhibit two of her paintings in the National Juried Show at the Art Center of NJ and was accepted a second year to exhibit two of her paintings at the Art Center by the Assistant Curator of the Newark Museum and the Assistant Curator of the Philadelphia Museum. 

Sarajane is a member of the Ringwood Manor Association of the Arts, the Ridgewood Art Institute, the West Essex Art Association, and the Packanack Lake Art and Photography Club.  She is also an Associate Member of the Allied Artists of America. To date, Sarajane has received numerous awards for her work, most recently Best in Show Viewer’s Choice, First Place, the Carlee Walker Memorial Award and Artistic Achievement.   

Louis Giordano’s of West Orange, artistic talent was readily recognized by his elementary and secondary teachers who singled him out to draw posters for special events and various art work for school plays.  So exceptional was his artwork that he was awarded a scholarship to attened art school, which, regrettably, he had to decline.  Instead, he followed in his father’s footsteps and became a carpenter and cabinet maker for many years.  In September, 2005, he suffered a heart attack and paralyzing stroke and during the time of his rehabilitation his interest in art was reborn.  “This is my Father’s world,” is the constant theme expressed in his artwork and his ideas and expressions are taken from the beauty of God’s creation; from the delicate form and colors of the butterfly, to beasts that roam the tundra, all are a reflection of God’s handiwork.  His black and white portraits are taken from pages of history, past and present, and are a study in strength and vulnerability of the human form.  Mr. Giordano believes that “It is not how far we travel, but the effort we put into the journey.”

Ben Shapiro of West Orange, has studied and worked in the art and design field for most of his life.  He started as an art major in high school and continued his art education, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Syracuse University.  This education prepared him for a career in design and as an executive in charge of creative projects worldwide. Ben’s extensive travel and art education led him to his love of watercolor painting.  He continued his art studies locally and at workshops in Maine.  He has won numerous awards and his paintings are in many private collections around the country. He is a member of the Southern Vermont Arts Association, the Vermont Arts Council and is a juried member of the Essex Watercolor Club.  Ben maintains a studio in Bondville, Vermont that is open by appointment.  He is also represented at the Artists Guild of Manchester in Manchester, VT.

Although Lauren Lehman of Montclair always had a deep appreciation of art, she only recently discovered her passion for expressing herself with color and motion.  Since this past summer, she has produced over 50 works across several genres and has sold over 20 percent of her work.  Since receiving a warm reception of her art, among her circle of friends, she has exhibited at the Reigning Grey Spring Gala in Philadelphia and is currently on exhibit at Rock Paper Scissors in Montclair, NJ. Says Lauren,” Painting is as fluid and automatic to me as breathing, and one of the strongest drives I have ever felt.  My work uses acrylic colors and found objects on canvas to play with motion, which is what art symbolizes to me and represents in my life.”

Michael Benevenia of Montclair, received his BFA in Sculpture from Mason Gross School of Arts, a Bachelors in History from Rutgers University and recently earned AWS D1.1 certification at the HoHoKus School of Trades and Technical Services.  His work has spanned many disciplines from papermaking, printmaking, plaster casting, painting, carving, drawing, photography, collage and welding.  His most current work combines not only painting and sculpture but also representation and abstraction.  Overall, Michael’s work is an attempt to explore the dichotomy between art and life, the rational and irrational and beauty and the grotesque.

Carolina DeMedina decided to be an artist when she entered kindergarten and discovered easels and paints.  She has since expanded into many other mediums, including print making, fresco, oil and various sculpture, collage and assemblage materials.  She has enjoyed doing many stage and costume and make up designs, and has been an editor for several poetry/art editions and contributed to a number of books as a writer/photographer/designer and editor.  Currently she paints in pastel and acrylic and is particularly known for her vibrantly colored works.  She paints in expressionistic realistic sytle, covering a variety of subjects, some of which include: luscious fruits and vegetables, the rocky coasts and tide pools of Maine, exotic trees and flowers and people of character.  Her education includes a B.A. in Fine Art from Connecticut College, an M.S. in Counseling, Art Therapy from San Francisco University and she has also studied at the Istitute Allenda, S. Miguel De Allende, Mexico, Academy of Realistic Art, NYC and Sante Fe, NM and the Montclair Art Museum.  She is a member of the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, NYC, Pastel Society of the West, CA, NJAAPL, Art Centre of NJ, WE Art Association, Livingston Art Association and Studio Montclair. 

Donna Ellis of West Caldwell, graduated cum laude with a Fine Arts degree from William Paterson College with a minor in Art History.  She has worked as a draftswoman, illustrator, retail visual merchandising manager and was a teacher for 25 years.  For the last five years Donna worked exclusively with watercolors and has studied under Mark DeMos of Morristown.  Donna is a member of the Livingston Arts Association, WE Art Association, and an associate member of the Essex Watercolor Club.  Donna’s art has been featured in a one-woman exhibition at the West Caldwell Library and she was recently awarded the Gold Ribbon District Grand Prize for Watercolor Still Life in the professional category by the NJ State Federation of Women’s Clubs.  She also placed first (Blue Ribbon) in three other categories.