David Kilby, Managing Editor
MONROE — The artwork of four Monroe senior citizens will be displayed at the New Jersey Senior Citizens Art Show this fall.
The state contest will be Oct. 28 at the Meadow Lakes Senior Living Community, East Windsor. The artwork in the contest will be on display at the community from Sept. 26 through Oct. 27.
The winning artists, Manny Bar, Claude Heller, Robert Heyer and Marcia Lillianthal, first had their winning pieces exhibited at The Studio Art Gallery in the Middlesex County College Performing Arts Center at Middlesex County College in Edison.
The exhibit, which will end today, includes artwork of professional and non-professional Middlesex County artists over age 60, who participated in the Middlesex County Department of Senior Services Senior Art Contest. A total of 116 seniors participated.
The contest includes artwork in nine media categories. Monroe had eight winners in this county contest, including the four first place winners aforementioned and winners in six different categories. Monroe artists took home all three awards in the non-professional acrylic category.
First place winners from Monroe are Marcia Lillianthal, who won in the non-professional acrylic category for her piece “Waterfall in Spain”; Claude Heller, who won in the non-professional photography category for his photograph titled “Arches”; Manny Bar, who won in the non-professional sculpture category for his sculpture titled “Moses”; and Robert Heyer, who won in the professional watercolor category for his piece “Bondville Barn”.
Second place winning pieces from Monroe are Bhagwati Shukla’s “The Barsat”, which won second place in the non-professional acrylic category; and Necati Itez’s “Sunflowers”, which won second place in the non-professional watercolor category.
Lynne Nicoletti of Monroe received an honorable mention in the professional mixed media category for her work entitled “Slap Waterfall”, and Sandy Taffin received an honorable mention in the non-professional acrylic category for her work entitled “Monkey Business”.
The eight winners in Monroe was the highest number for all towns in the countywide contest.
The contest was judged by Rosalyn Neal, Arts Grants Coordinator of the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission; Margaret M. O’Reilly, Curator of Fine Art for the New Jersey State Museum; and Stacy Smith, Manager of Membership and Publications for the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum in New Brunswick.
Mr. Heyer’s painting will advance to the state contest. Mr. Heyer has been painting for 40 years and teaches watercolor workshops for many different art organizations. People personally contact him to buy his artwork.
”Most people contact me through the shows I’m in. They either want the paintings in my show or want to see other paintings I have.”
He said his style of painting is “fairly loose”.
”I don’t paint photographically. I like to be more interpretive, to do it much looser, and try to convey the feeling of the scene. When you paint photographically it’s not injecting any feeling or showing anything about the landscape.”
He said he paints mostly landscapes and seascapes. He saw the scene for the “Bondville Barn” painting during a trip up to Bondville, Vermont.
”I liked it so much I decided to paint it
,” he said.
Ms. Lillianthal, 75, lives in the Greenbriar at Whittingham Active Adult Community in Monroe, and has been painting for 35 years. Her painting “Waterfall in Spain” will also enter the state contest.
She said the painting came from a photo she received from a friend who visited Spain.
She was encouraged to enter the contest by her art teacher, Ann Marie Fitzpatrick, who teaches at Around the Corner Art Studio in Freehold.
”Waterfall in Spain” is Ms. Lillianthal’s first winning painting.
”I love painting. It takes me to another world. It’s just very motivating, very exciting,” she said.
Claude Heller,68, of Stone Bridge Active Adult Community in Monroe, will have a chance to win the state contest for his photograph “The Arches”.
Mr. Heller has been taking photographs for 50 years.
”I started when I was in college, then when I went in the army they had a dark room so I got more experience in developing pictures there,” he said. “Once I retired I spent more time on it.”
His winning photograph was taken in Italy.
”It was a nice picture so I figured maybe the judges will like it also.”
Mr. Heller won first place in the Senior Art Contest last year as well, for his photograph “Pensive Girl”.
He encourages people to “take pictures of things you like and just imagine how it would look up on your wall at home.”
Professional and non-professional entries were judged separately in the countywide contest.
”We are lucky to have such a wealth of artistic talent in Middlesex County,” said Freeholder Blanquita B. Valenti, chairwoman of the County’s Human Services and Senior Services Committee. “I am proud of all our local artists and wish our winners luck as they compete in the state art show this fall.”
”I would like to congratulate all our senior artists,” said Freeholder Director Christopher D. Rafano. “Middlesex County is always well represented in the state contest, and I expect this year will follow in that tradition.”
The winners of the contest visited the gallery on Friday for a formal reception. After the reception the artwork was taken down and the first place art pieces were prepared for the state competition.
