Art Exhibit In Caldwell: West Essex Five Present ‘Impressions'

CALDWELL, NJ — A group of artists from Essex County will host an exhibit titled “Impressions” at Grover House Gallery in Caldwell.

The West Essex Five – which includes Carmel Bongiovanni, Karen Collins, Evan Stuart Marshall, Constance Seugling, and Louise Woodcox – will kick off their exhibit on Friday, Jan. 17. It will run until Thursday, April 16. (Learn more about this local exhibit)

Grover House Gallery, located at 333 Bloomfield Avenue in Caldwell, is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Organizers offered the following details about each artist.

Carmel Bongiovanni is a resident of North Caldwell who finds satisfaction creating collages with papers she colors using a marbleizing technique. She incorporates them with various printmaking techniques such as silkscreen, etching, collagraph, and monoprint. Carmel explains, “This marbleizing technique allows me to exploit accidents that fire the imagination. I then combine my personal experiences and formal knowledge of art to develop the project.” Vincent Nardone has said of her work, “The use of collage and paper torn in such an innovative way creates this kaleidoscopic feeling—not to be achieved in another medium.”

Karen Collins chooses the vibrant medium of pastel, which combines her love of drawing and painting. Inspired by the intense color and shape used by Paul Cézanne, Karen became drawn to art and has continued to study over the years. Inspired by both light and natural surroundings, she works to reflect the quality of air and color that appears from an unexpected glimpse of the landscape. Karen states, “Any object that catches the light has a story to tell. To capture that fleeting moment of light and color is my objective.”

Evan Stuart Marshall is a contemporary painter based in Roseland, who works mostly in mixed media, combining acrylic paints with collage, various textured materials, found objects, cold wax, graphite, iridescent powders and more. Evan’s work explores the effects of combining complementary colors in a painting and playing with their value and saturation. “I have always loved creating things with my hands but have been painting in earnest for roughly the past ten years.” Evan continues, “Most of my work is non-objective. Often, I use a technique I call ‘reverse scumbling,’ in which I drag a brilliant color across a duller one to achieve an almost strobe-like effect.”

Constance Seugling is a sculptural and mixed media artist residing in Cedar Grove. Her love of animals and the distress about their endangerment influences her sculptures. In recent years, she has begun using collage and mixed media to continue to express her concerns about social justice and the environment. “As an artist, I perceive the internal spirit of my work as a development of the way my life has unfolded,” Constance says. “The quote by Emile Zola, ‘When you ask me what I came to do in this world, as an artist I will answer you: I came to live out loud,’ speaks volumes to the incredible manner in which an artist can influence his world. The spirit and joy in all my work is there because of what and who I am.”

Louise Woodcox paints in oils, pastels, watercolor, and charcoal. Louise received her formal training with Edna Esenlohr and under her guidance learned about the human figure, portraiture, and still life. In the past years she has studied plein air landscape under nationally known artists Kevin Macpherson, Charles Movalli, Lois Griffel, Tom Hughes, and Charles Sovek. “It seems that I always had a paintbrush in my hand,” Louise says. “I enjoy working from life, and the outdoor landscape has become my studio. When I do choose to work in my indoor studio, I enjoy painting still life. I like to say that my work is a painterly, representational style.”

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