SEPTEMBER EXHIBIT

GOURGAUD GALLERY NEWS

The Gourgaud Gallery has many exciting new events beginning in September 2011.  On Cranbury Day, Sept. 10, 2011, the WINTER WORKSHOP SERIES exhibit opens.  It includes :

Artists’ work from the classes that were offered, including collage, landscapes, and watercolor.

 In the area surrounding Town Hall and the blacktop area behind the Cranbury School, between the hours of 10-4, the Cranbury Arts Council (CAC) will be hosting a sidewalk sale, which will include matted and framed paintings, open gallery exhibit, and Cranstock on Cranbury Day.  Included in this wonderful event, will be live music.

UPCOMING EXHIBITS:

September: “Winter workshop Series” (Sept. 4-25—opening Sept. 10)

October: Photography-Artist Sara Lee Pinder (Oct. 2-30)

November: The Suburban Art Guild (Nov. 6-27)

December: “Cranbury Gardens IX”-works from Art in the Park (Dec. 4-26—closed Christmas Dec. 25)

OPEN CALL FOR JANUARY EXHIBIT ”WINTER LIGHT”.  Applications will be available on web site in the near future: www.cranburyartscouncil.org.

As part of the non-profit CAC, the Gourgaud Gallery donates 20% of any art sales back to the CAC and its programs that support and promote the Arts in our community. The Gallery is located in Town Hall and is free and open to the public Mon- Fri from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and the First, Third & Last Sunday of the month from 1-3 p.m.  New exhibit receptions fall on the First Sunday from 1-3 p.m, where you can meet the exhibiting Artist(s).  Anyone wishing to exhibit at the Gourgaud Gallery can obtain an application at the Gallery or at www.cranbury.org.  For information on upcoming programs and events, join us on FACEBOOK: GOURGAUD GALLERY, and on the GOURGAUD GALLERY BLOG at www.Gourgaudgallery.blogspot.com . If you are interested in CAC membership or participating in any way, please email us at cranburyartscouncil@gmail.com. 

Coming in September

The September exhibit at the Gourgaud Gallery will be showing the Art Work of artists who attended the Winter Workshop Series at the Gourgaud Gallery (www.GourgaudGallery.blogspot.com), (https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Gourgaud-Gallery/108657442495068), and The Cranbury Arts Council www.cranburyartscouncil.org

The Winter Workshop Series consists of classes in collage, watercolor, art history, and painting Landscapes.  The Art Show opens September 6, 2011. The artist reception will be held in conjunction with Cranbury Day, September 10, 2011.

In addition to the Art Exhibit, there will be an outdoor sale of matted and framed original paintings and craft items in the parking area outside the gallery.  A percentage of sales of these items will benefit the Gourgaud Gallery and Cranbury Arts Council. (Sept. 10, 2011).

AUGUST EXHIBIT AT GOURGAUD GALLERY – PROFILE OF THE ARTIST – ZARA FINA STASI

AUGUST EXHIBIT AT GOURGAUD GALLERY – PROFILE OF THE   ARTIST – ZARA FINA STASI

BY BOB GILBERT

ZARA FINA STASI

The August exhibit at the Gourgaud Gallery is entitled “21 Years of Painting: Travels and Experiences from Around the Globe”, and features the oil and watercolor paintings of Ms. Zara Fina Stasi.  The collection represents Zara’s travels abroad as well as scenes from Cranbury and Cape May, and includes landscapes, portraits, and still life. 

Zara is a native of Cranbury and is presently a senior at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA, where she is majoring in Art and History. 

Zara turns twenty-one years of age shortly, and I wondered about the title of the exhibit, which seems to indicate that she has been painting since she was born.  She explained that “I have been painting since I was old enough to hold a brush for no reason other than I love to paint”, and that the title conveys that painting has been an important part of her life from early childhood.  In fact, she participated in juried art shows at the Gourgaud Gallery as a child, and even at that time, there was a bid to purchase one of her paintings.

 Many of the paintings appearing in the current exhibit have been made in the last two years, but Zara is also including a number of paintings that she created as a child, as early as seven or eight years of age.  This will demonstrate the progression of her work. 

Zara states that she has a passion for art history, and that she has been greatly influenced by Van Gogh, de Kooning, and Rothko.  She describes her style as leaning toward expressionism.

Zara is a very well rounded individual involved in many interesting extracurricular activities at school unrelated to art.  She is a Tour Guide at Historic Williamsburg and is the Chief Justice of the Undergraduate Honor Council at her College.  With respect to the latter, she is one of twenty-four elected Justices on the Council.  As Chief Justice, she is in charge of the Council, which enforces the school’s honor code by adjudicating cases involving alleged student misconduct.  Zara has gained valuable experience through this position, including learning how to be a manager and how to use advanced computer programs.

Could her position as Chief Justice on the Honor Council mean a possible legal career for Zara?  Probably not, as her first love is art.  She is considering a career as a full-time artist, as an art teacher, or as a member of the Art or History Departments of a museum.

All are encouraged to visit the Gourgaud Gallery to view Zara’s work.  The show runs from August 5^th – August 28^th, with the Artist’s Reception on August 5^th from 6PM – 8PM.  The Gallery is open Monday through Friday (9AM – 4PM), and the first, third, and last Sunday of the month from 1PM- 3PM

Additional information and sample paintings are available on Facebook on the Gourgaud Gallery fan page:

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Gourgaud-Gallery/108657442495068

                                                     SAMPLES OF ZARA'S PAINTINGS