EAST BRUNSWICK – The month of October is giving residents a chance to see artwork created by two premier local artists.
The works of Rocco Maimone and the late Philip Richman are on display at the township’s municipal building, and the East Brunswick Public Library, respectively, part of an effort by the East Brunswick Arts Commission to “expose all the elements of the arts,” according to commissioner Rose Sakel.
Richman, who passed away earlier this year, is known for his richly colored scenes of New York.
Maimone, who lives in New Brunswick, is known for his work in watercolors and oils.
Sakel said the Richman exhibit is quite large and uses all the library walls.
“They are memories of New York, growing up in New York, the things he remembered,” she said. “It’s fascinating. He’s a very fine painter, and we tried to pick out the best of his work.”
She said Maimone’s work, which was recently shown at the East Brunswick Historical Society’s museum, has a sense of romanticism. Many of them depict landscapes and scenery.
Richman became interested in painting during the Great Depression and learned about the various arts through the federal Works Progress Administration. At that point, he was exposed to the works of the impressionists, and Vincent van Gogh became his personal inspiration.
Maimone was born in Sicily, Italy, and moved to lower Manhattan as a child.
“Rocco was exposed to a variety of ethnic groups that gave him an appreciation for the art, food and cultures of the various immigrants who called Manhattan their home,” according to a press release from the arts commission. As an adult, he moved to New Brunswick and had two sons and a daughter with his wife, Mary. He worked locally as a carpenter, building custom homes in New Brunswick.
Now that he’s retired, he has more time to paint. Although he has done many oil and watercolor works, he has added sculpture to his canon. Maimone now also volunteers his time to teach young children the joys of painting.