Town Hall just got a little brighter.
The inaugural art exhibit of local painters and watercolorists is on display in the main meeting room until Oct. 25, offering a variety of original art that in many cases is marked for sale.
It opened in late September and is the first in a series of art exhibits the Oxford Cultural Arts Commission plans for the Town Hall.
“There will be another show in November, by a different group of artists,” said Dorothy Peebles-Pelly, gallery director and vice chairman of the Oxford Cultural Arts Commission.
The show is dedicated to the artist Caryl Antonowicz Soucy, who passed away recently and whose work is on exhibit in her memory.
One of the artists, Dan Kowalski of Shelton, painted some of his favorite souvenir postcard scenes, from national parks.
“As a child I had always been drawn to art. I learned perspective and how shadows hug the ground by religiously copying the exercises in the John Gnagy Learn-to-Draw books of the 1960s,” Kowalski said.
“At 12 years of age during a week-long stay with my grandmother, who was an amateur artist, I was introduced to the medium of oil paints. I had recently returned from a tour of the western national parks so I chose to paint some of my favorite souvenir postcard scenes. These paintings have traveled with me through life and are included in my exhibit,” he said.
In addition to Kowalski, the 12 local artists now on exhibit are Mary Jane Ives of Oxford with oil paintings; Jan McLellan of Oxford with oils and pastels; Susan Goldstein-Monahan of Seymour with pastels; John Munno of Oxford with photography; James Pelley of Oxford with paintings and drawings in a variety of media; Angelo Perrone of Oxford with paintings in a variety of media; Peter Petrochko of Oxford with wood sculpture; Anthony Stachelczyk of Oxford with drawings and paintings in a variety of media; Terry Waldron of Oxford with oil paintings; and a group entry by James Warner and the Oxford Greens Photo Club.
The Oxford Greens Photo Club is unique because all the members are residents of Oxford Greens, a community for those aged 55 or older.
“Our members enjoy taking landscapes, portraits, animals, birds, macro, night/slow shutter and creative subjects,” said member James Warner, in a prepared statement.
The Oxford Cultural Arts Commission promotes, develops and encourages artistic and cultural activities in the town, and fosters an appreciation for the arts.
Visit the Web site at www.oxfordculturalarts.org.
