BY LINDA DeNICOLA
Staff Writer
“Hunger” Kissing and the feelings that lead up to a kiss are the themes of Cynthia Yurcisin’s paintings that are on display now through Dec. 1 at the Marlboro Library, Wyncrest Road.
Yurcisin, a 50-something artist who lives in South River, Middlesex County, tries to capture certain feelings in her paintings and the titles give the viewer a clue to the mood.
“I use one-word titles that express the feeling of the painting. The paintings depict a moment in time that is captured by the focal point. The way it is cropped or blown up emphasizes one aspect,” the artist said.
“Caress” Yurcisin calls her style romantic. Of the 16 pieces hanging in two rooms at the library, there are three of which she is particularly fond. One, an oil painting called “Hunger,” has a lot of red in it.
“I like a lot of red and I like the gesture of the woman, who is pulling a man toward her as though she is hungry for him,” Yurcisin said. “ ‘Surrender’ has a more peaceful kind of feeling. They are not actually making contact yet. It is gentler, as though they are waiting for the kiss. ‘Surrender’ is painted with acrylics; the colors are more subtle.”
“Embrace” The artist noted that the painting can be turned upside down, and it still works.
Another painting is called “Embrace.”
“I like it because of the colors of the robe that the woman is wearing. The woman is seated on a couch and she looks kind of sad. A man behind the couch is holding her in a kind of loose embrace. It is almost as though he is surrounding her in a supportive, or comforting love,” the artist said.
Yurcisin, who has been studying for four years with Grace Graupe Pillard at Thompson Park, Middletown, through the Monmouth County Park System, said she did a painting of two people kissing and liked it so much, she decided, with the encouragement of Graupe Pillard, to make it a series.
“I like all kinds of paintings, but there was something abut them that grabbed my attention,” she said.
Yurcisin said she believes other people feel the same way about the paintings. She has gotten a lot of feedback, most of it positive, although on one or two occasions she has been shocked.
“Someone said they were erotic. That was not my feeling when I painted them,” the artist said, adding that most people react not just to the subject matter, but to the emotions.
Yurcisin has a degree in fine arts and painting from the University of South Florida, Tampa. She graduated in 1973 and moved to Manhattan where she worked as a waitress to support herself.
“I lived the Bohemian life for a while. I was trained to paint and draw, but not in commercial art, so I couldn’t find a job,” she said.
She took several courses at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and eventually found a job at Hunter College in the finance department. She married, moved to Brooklyn, had a daughter, and eventually bought a house in South River. Now Yurcisin’s daughter is in college and she is divorced and working for Milltown, Middlesex County, managing the before- and after-school program.
A friend told her about Graupe Pillard’s class so she looked into it and found an environment that has been very supportive.
Yurcisin said a fellow classmate encouraged her to reach out to the Monmouth County Library System to ask about showing her work. The artist said that although she does not like to push herself, she is glad she pursued this opportunity.
Reaching out to the library system has led to other shows. Yurcisin also makes one-of-a-kind jewelry and is going to have a show at the library headquarters in Manalapan next October. At present there is a small display of her jewelry at the Milltown Library.
Yurcisin said when she paints, there is a kind of release.
“Sometimes I don’t want to go to class, but I force myself to go, and I end up in a better mood because of it,” she said, explaining that there are many choices to make before she begins a painting. “I chose a painting for various reasons, some that I know and some that I’m not aware of. Sometimes I paint from black and white photographs and have to make color choices.
“Usually I figure out what shape the canvas is going to be because I have a canvas, and then I have to decide what image would fit. I may find a beautiful image, but when I try to crop it, it doesn’t work design-wise.”
Once Yurcisin decides on an image she sketches it on the canvas, using a grid. Then she draws it in with a wash and keeps layering colors. Sometimes it will take 30 to 40 hours to complete a painting.
“Usually, when I wash it in, people in class think I’ve done so much on it already. But I keep building it up until the image pops out,” she said.
Yurcisin said a book that accompanies the exhibit at the Marlboro Library allows people to offer their comments on her work. She said she believes people project a lot into the paintings in this series, but opined that there really isn’t much there to get worked up over.
“They are just kissing,” she said.