Western New York is rich with talented and adventurous artists, employing a variety of styles and media. In the ninth Monroe and Vicinity Biennial, the accomplishments of four artists from our area will be celebrated. The show, curated by gallery director Tim Massey, will run from September 4 through October 7, with an opening reception on September 4 from 4 to 6 p.m. The gallery is located at 180 Holley Street, Brockport, and the exhibit is free and open to the public.
•Brian O’Neill is a noted muralist and painter around the Rochester area, though he got his start in Long Island and New York City. O’Neill has found success in oil realism with still life and figurative work as well as bold, loose abstract painting. His dynamic and expressive Contemporary Landscape work explores the natural world around us through the use of horizon, air, fire, water, texture and luminous metal gold and silver leaf. The source of inspiration for both representational and abstract begins in the same place. Many collectors and admirers of O’Neill’s work are amazed to discover that the same artist has created a classic realism painting as well as a contemporary abstract and are fascinated that an artist can do both. He feels that his “responsibility as an artist is one that asks me to create not because I want to but because I have to. I am driven to make work that is at the highest level possible and depict beauty as I feel it to be and describe that in a language that can be read by all people who view my work even if we have never met in person.”
•Meredith Davenport has had a distinguished career in documentary photography. Her photographs have appeared in National Geographic, The New York Times and on the cover of Newsweek magazine as well as in the highly acclaimed HBO documentary Child Soldiers. Her book Theater of War was published in 2014. She recalls that one of her “favorite photo assignments as a freshman at RIT was to go to a small town and photograph the daily life there. I went with two of my new friends from Photo Arts 1. It was such an adventure to go into this town and wander around meeting people. I couldn’t believe I was doing it and I couldn’t believe that people were open to talking to me and my camera.”
Other artists represented in the show include Katarina Riesing of Alfred and Mark Snyder of Buffalo.
Provided information
