"REAL. W3ird." Artist Spotlight - Greg Shea

Join us for the opening of "REAL. W3ird." on August 12 at Southington Community Cultural Arts!  - More Info HERE

"Fierce"

Greg Shea

Greg Shea is an award winning artist and craftsman with diverse creative interests including drawing and painting, portraiture, illustration, photography, relief printmaking, sculpture, calligraphy and illuminating, woodworking and custom furniture building, antique frame restoration, book making, carving, jewelry making and silversmithing, and many others. Early in life, he studied engineering, robotics, and drafting before deciding to pursue a career in art. He earned a BFA degree in Illustration from Syracuse University ('94), with minor studies in Metalsmithing and Medieval Studies.

For over twenty years, Greg has worked at the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, CT, where he is the Senior Museum Preparator. This has allowed him to utilize many of his skills and talents, and has constantly fueled his interests in the arts, art history and natural history, fabrication, conservation and restoration, and collecting. As Senior Preparator, he has been responsible for the safe handling and attractive display of countless objects, from priceless paintings, sculptures, works on paper and rare books, and other artifacts ranging from Catherine the Great's crown jewels, to Charles Darwin's collection of pigeon skulls. He is also responsible for most of the mount making and case fabrication related to exhibitions as well. In addition, Greg has taught classes and workshops at the museum and elsewhere on landscape watercolor painting in the English style for adults, drawing perspective for children, and relief printmaking. He has also given art lessons privately for several years.

Greg's artwork has been accepted into numerous juried exhibitions, and has won several awards, including the R.I.S.D. President's Book Award, the 2014 Purchase Prize and the Lucille Davis Grimm Prize from The New Haven Paint and Clay Club, of which he is an active member.  His work has been exhibited widely at museums and galleries throughout the U.S. including The Society of Illustrators New York, The Delaware Art Museum, The Norman Rockwell Museum, The Museum of Western Art, The Baseball Hall of Fame Museum, The Yale Center for British Art, Erector Square Gallery, the Art League of New Britain, and many others. In 2016, Greg's work was accepted into the Art Renewal Center's 12th Annual Salon, " The most prestigious realist art competition in the Americas and perhaps the world ".

Greg is currently serving as President on the board of directors for The New Haven Paint and Clay Club, and is also on the board of the Art League of New Britain.

"Cadmium And Steel"

One Year Later!

Paris In Plantsville may have closed it's doors as a physical gallery and art space, but the community created there lives on!

Several of the regular artists and resident artists fro PiP are coming together this April for a group show at The Firehouse Gallery in Milford Connecticut!

Here's the lowdown on this first reunion of many to come!  We hope to see you there for the opening!

Invitational Group Exhibit                                                   

April 13, 2017 – May 5, 2017

Opening Reception Thursday, April 13, 2017, 6- 8 pm

“Springtime Showcase” Invitational Group Show

Firehouse Gallery

81 Naugatuck Avenue

Milford, CT 06460

Phone: (203) 306-0016, email:  fhgallery@optonline.net

The Milford Arts Council’s Firehouse Gallery is proud to present, its “Springtime Showcase”, an Invitational Group Show of artists from around Connecticut.  The show highlights a diverse group of artists working in multiple styles and media. The exhibition runs April 13-May 5, 2017, Reception Thursday, April 13, 2017 6-8 pm at the Firehouse Gallery, 81 Naugatuck Ave Milford Ct,  Tel: 203-306-0016. For more information, go to milfordarts.org/firehouse-art-gallery/exhibits/ or call 203-878-6647, Tuesday-Friday, 10-5 pm.

Exhibiting Artists are:

Paul Baylock is the current President of the Art League of New Britain.  Baylock is a retired art educator who had taught for over 38 years in the New Britain school system. He now focuses his time creating his own work.   At the moment, he primarily works in acrylics exploring the theme of old advertisements from popular science magazines depicted in an abstract manor.  His work has appeared at the Underground Gallery in Collinsville CT, the Good News Café in Woodbury Ct, and the New Britain Museum of American Art.

Jon Bristol is an award winning filmmaker, puppeteer, and artist. He is the founder and creative director of Elmwood Productions, a small but mighty film studio in Central Ct. Jon’s most recent feature film "Head" has won a number of awards around the world at various, independent film festivals.

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Clinton Deckert is an award winning contemporary artist and art advocate, having served as Curator and Juror in many regional art events. His artwork was represented internationally when selected for inclusion into the Societé Nationale Des Beaux Arts international exhibition at Carrousel Du Louvre, Paris, France. Deckert was also a featured guest on WNPR radio’s “rock star panel of artists and art critics” for the “Ebb and Flow of Dada”.   He served fourteen years on the board of directors for Artworks Gallery Hartford including a two terms as President.  In New York he exhibited in Chelsea, SoHo, Williamsburg and Woodstock. He has several artworks represented in the acclaimed Jack & Susan Warner Collection of American Art in Alabama. Deckert recently had a solo exhibition in the New Britain Museum of American Art’s New/Now program and had work unanimously selected into the museum’s permanent collection by the Collections Committee and Board of Trustees.

Jacquelyn Etling is an award winning photographer and art historian who works primarily in the infrared photographic medium. She is a member of the Pleiades gallery in New York City.  Her work has been shown in numerous museum and gallery exhibitions around the United States. Some of the venues include Wade Wilson Gallery in Huston TX, The Queens Museum NY, The Slater Art Museum Norwich Ct, and the New Britain Museum of American Art in New Britain, CT.

Florin Ion Firimita is a visual artist, educator, and writer who immigrated from his native Romania to the United States to pursue his artistic career. This award-winning artist is versatile in a variety of mediums from painting to mixed media and from writing to photography. From 1991-2016 he has participated in over 300 solo and group art shows in both Europe and America. His latest photographic exhibition the Bookstore Project has been touring the U. S. and  Europe.  It is currently on view at MAC Gallery in Middletown, Ct and at Galerie Gadcollection  in Paris, France  .

Sean Michanczyk is a graduate of Hartford School of Art. His award winning oil paintings pay homage to the old masters while keeping a contemporary trompe l’oeil edge. His tightly rendered work and keen sense of balance create harmonious story telling through symbolism. He was the owner and founder of Paris in Plantsville Gallery in Plantsville CT a cornerstone of the Southington arts scene for over eight years until its closing in 2016.

Andre Rochester is an artist and curator from Hartford Ct. He works in several diverse media, which include acrylic, charcoal, and pastel.  He is the founding member, and current chairperson of Pro+Cre8 Artist Group in Hartford Ct, and is also, a co-founder of the Hartford Artist  Co-Op, a collective of literary, performing, and visual artists from the greater Hartford area. Andre is also a 2015 100 Men of Color honoree.

Greg Shea is an award winning photographer and craftsman. He has a wide variety of creative interests, which include drawing, painting, and sculpture. For over twenty years, Greg has worked as a Senior Museum Preparator at the Yale Center for British Art. This award winning artist’s work has appeared in a number of museum and gallery exhibitions.  Some of the venues have included the Norman Rockwell Museum, the Delaware Art Museum, and the Yale Center for British Art. He is also the current Vice President of the New Haven Paint and Clay Club and a board member, of the Art League of New Britain.

Eric Stegmaier is a graduate of the Hartford Art School. He is the Senior Conservation Assistant at the Yale Center for British Art . He has worked as an archaeological illustrator on several excavations in the Middle East. His archaeological illustration work has appeared in a number of books and article.  Eric is also a member of New York’s famed Salmagundi Club. His most recent work is inspired by his love of history, literature, and nature.

Cheryl Wilczak Psy.D. is a photographer , illustrator and clinical psychologist . She is a graduate of Pratt Art Institute in New York City and worked as a commercial illustrator for over 15 yrs. She later returned to school to earn an advanced degree in Art Therapy from New York University.  Her award winning photography has been show at a number of venues around the United States, including the Salmagundi Club in New York City, the Pleiades Gallery in Chelsea, NY, and Paris in Plantsville Gallery in Plantsville, Ct.