Exhibit offers work of young artists

Gourgand Gallery features exhibition of "Young at Art," a collection of works produced by area youth.

By: Josh Appelbaum
   More than 20 paintings and pieces of art from Cranbury’s pint-sized Picassos and wee Warhols will go on display for February’s Young at Art exhibition at the Gourgaud Gallery at Town Hall.
   The third annual exhibition highlights artistic contributions from younger members of the community, and solicits pieces from Cranbury artists under the age of 18. A First Friday celebration will take place today (Friday) at 5 p.m.
   Cranbury Arts Review Committee Chairman Bob Virgadamo organized the event, which required artists to submit their work, framed, matted and wired in January.
   The exhibit has grown in the past three years, and Mr. Virgadamo said this year’s response was an improvement from last, when organizers didn’t know if the show would go on for lack of art.
   Mr. Virgadamo said Young at Art is more about quality than quantity.
   "We have some really fine artists this year, from younger people to high-schoolers," Mr. Virgadamo said.
   Peddie School sophomore Zara Stasi, 14, takes inspiration from real life to create her watercolor and oil paintings. For the self-taught artist, painting started as a hobby, but Zara said she is devoting more and more time to the crafts of watercolor and oil painting.
   "I started out painting with watercolor, just by myself, but I’m trying to make painting more a part of my life," Zara said. "I do a lot of landscape art — sometimes I work from photos, but I’d rather go outside and notice the changes through the seasons."
   Although Zara’s passion is landscapes, her submission to Young at Art is a portrait of her grandfather in a vineyard in Naples, Italy. She said the cold of the winter compelled her to paint warm scenes like that of Naples.
   "I’ve also painted pictures of a Cape Cod (seacoast) — a scene of sailboats and an island," Zara said. "I just want it to be summer so badly."
   Sailboats and sailing are also a theme for Cranbury School sixth-grader Ginny Rogers’ acrylic paintings.
   "My family and I do a lot of sailing and I’ve taken mate courses," Ginny said.
   Ginny, 12, is also playing a lead in Cranbury School’s production of "Into the Woods," and the young artist won’t pin down how she will split time between the stage and canvas.
   "Being in (Young at Art) is a good start, but painting is just a hobby for me and I’m enjoying being in the play also," Ginny said.
   Fifth-grader Leah Reiss, 11, will have two very different pieces in this month’s exhibit, one of which is a latch hook piece depicting a butterfly, the other is collage of beads.
   She had been studying art in a local studio for three years and has joined the Cranbury School Art Club to continue her art education. It was during an art club activity that Leah got the idea for her collage.
   "I saw a drawer full of beads, and I thought it would be fun to use all the different kinds of beads to make a collage," Leah said.
   She also does latch hook pieces at home, and spends several hours on each kit.
   Though third-grader Michael Wasson, 8, is among the youngest artists in the exhibition, he takes his inspiration from a complex artist.
   "I really like Picasso," Michael said.
   Michael’s mother, Kathy, said he also admires Renoir and has learned about the masters in art courses at Cranbury School and previously at the Montessori Academy. She credits the Cranbury School program with cultivating his creativity in portraiture.
   "He’s always been interested in art since he was very young, but (art teacher) Tamara Woronczuk really fostered that," Ms. Wasson said.
   The youth exhibition will be on display through Feb. 27. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 3 p.m.
   For more information on Young at Art or if you are interested having you work displayed at the Gourgaud Gallery, visit www.cranbury.org/gov/arts_review.htm.