through May 1, 2022
The tactile effect of paper being pressed onto a worked surface to create an image has captivated artists and viewers for centuries. Three accomplished visual artists present prints on paper in this spring show: George Dirolf, Dennis Revitzky, and Amy Silberkleit. All were selected by juror Paul Marcellino to exhibit in The Art of New York: Annual Juried Art Show in 2021, with Dirolf taking a Juror’s Choice award and Silberkleit earning Best in Show. Stone lithography, linocut, and woodcut are a few of the many print styles on exhibit in this show of exceptional draftsmanship and mastery of technique.
George Dirolf, of Loudonville, NY is a printmaker "presently focusing on end-grain wood engravings (end-grain because it allows a finer line...a 19th century technique to be printed alongside type). I also work in large scale charcoal drawings on mylar; and oil paintings which range from smaller plein air works to larger studio pieces. I draw my inspiration from nature - whether the birds crowding around the feeders outside my studio window, or deep into wild lands. I especially enjoy bushwhacking in the Adirondacks and Catskills and stumbling upon quiet hidden revelations be they micro or macro...springtails on snow, or a fern glade suddenly spot-lit in a forest of maple trees...my art is a reflection on those moments." For 27 years he has been an invited member of the Oakroom Artists (Schenectady) and a Teacher of Art for Bethlehem Central School. His work has garnered 1st place or Best in Show Awards at the Laffer Gallery (Schuylerville, NY), The Shirt Factory (Glens Falls), Paul Smith's College, Tri-county Arts Council, and Lake Placid Center for the Arts.
Dennis Revitzky, of Honeyoe Falls, NY, has been making linoleum prints on a continuing basis for over forty years. An art teacher for 33 years, he pursued graduate studies in fine art at SUNY. His work is in many private, corporate, and institutional collections, and has been included in over 120 juried exhibitions. Commissioned to create print editions for the Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, New York and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri, he also contributed linocuts to the Original Print Calendar produced by the Washington Area Printmakers from 1997 until 2012. "Much of my work involves landscape, but I also use the human figure for subject matter, and occasionally, still-life. In working with landscape, I am always aware of the beauty and essence of place, and I want to convey the mysterious and spiritual elements of that place. My work tries to evoke a certain mood, a feeling of mystery – a feeling where the familiar is recognized, and yet one in which some aspects seem strange and enigmatic. My linocuts are original, hand-pulled prints usually made in small editions of ten to twenty. The color prints are made with only one or two blocks which are cut away and printed using the reduction method, and some of the colors may be printed using the stencil technique. I often use modeling paste on areas of the linoleum to create texture effects. All linocuts are made with oil-base inks on Rives lightweight paper, and are printed by hand using a wooden spoon."
Amy Silberkleit makes detailed drawings and lithographs of landscapes and natural objects. Using lithography crayons and ink, graphite, carbon dust and colored pencil she reproduces the texture, structure and diversity of forms found in nature. In her studio, feathers, leaves, wings and branches are arranged to create relationships between the specimens. Dramatic lighting further animates the composition. Often larger than life size and precisely rendered, each object's beauty is highlighted. Hiking in the woods of the Northern Catskills near her home inspire her landscapes. Born and raised in New York, Amy received a B.A. from Stony Brook University where she focused on printmaking. She was the artistic director of The Rod and the Rose Puppet Theatre which performed throughout the Northeast. She has sold puppets and fabric collages in craft festivals. In 2016, she received her Certificate in Natural Science Art and Illustration from The New York Botanical Gardens. The technical training received there prompted her to return to drawing, and classes at the Art Students League inspired her to build a lithography studio.
